Jacky Martens’s half litre class title brought the Swedish and by now part Italian Husqvarna factory back to the top of the worldwide motocross competition. A few decades ago it was above all, only a few sturdy Scandinavians who were responsible for the name of the blue-yellow machines. Bengt Aberg, Rolf Tibblin and Hakan Carlqvist managed to win a lot of titles for the factory, which is in the town of the same name, but with his world titles in 1974 and 1976 it was in particular “The Flying Finn” Heikki Mikkola who conquered the hearts of many motocross fans in his legendary duels with Roger DeCoster.

On a wonderful summer’s day we leave MS Amorella of the Viking Line in Turku, on the way to the four litre GP in Heinola. We’re keeping a steady speed, because on the main coastal road of the large port of the Finnish capital Helsinki, it’s inundated with mobile speed cameras. Certainly for the tourists these are merciless, and the fine is not to be sneezed at. But why we would speed? After all, we are on holiday and we have more than enough time, especially in the peaceful and beautiful ‘Suomi’. Just before the Finnish capital we take the road to Hyvinkää, more than once the location for the Finnish GP motocross, but also the previous residence of our interviewee. Just beyond this town we leave behind the rather densely populated areas - for Finnish standards – and head in the direction of Layliänen, alongside lots of lakes and magnificent pine forests. For people from the main-

The machine which surprisingly got Mikkola his 1974 500cc world championship, among an armada of Suzuki’s considered unbeatables.

land this is a village with a virtually unpronounceable name where Heikki Mikkola bought a farm a little more than a decade ago - in 1980 to be exact - with a large piece of land. When we drive up towards the farm, Mikkola's daughter Hanna is coming to meet us.