André Malherbe: a life full of struggle
André Malherbe became world motocross champion three times. His influence on motorsport in general and on Belgian MX in particular extends much further. Now it is our turn to once again pay tribute to this great champion. Ludo Vervloet, an experienced expert in (motor) journalism, wrote a wonderful interview with André Malherbe and his supervisor Jean-Claude Laquaye. As you will notice, André and Jean-Claude are two lifelong friends and two immense motocross connoisseurs and fans. Enjoy reading!
- by means of Ludo Vervloet –
Bengt Aberg extended his 1970 title for Husqvarna in 1969 and the British Graham Noyce won the first for Honda in 1979. In between, it was De Coster and Mikkola who were doing the talking. Five 500cc titles for De Coster, 3 for Mikkola who also won a 250cc world title in between. At Honda, Noyce was already under pressure in 1980 by André Malherbe, who immediately won his first world title in his second Honda year. One year later André confirmed with a second world title.
Roger De Coster said goodbye to active motorsport in 1980 with a resounding victory in the GP of Luxembourg, his very last race ever. “It's been great,” said Roger, “and my successor Malherbe is quite capable of at least repeating, if not improving, my five world titles. It didn't get that far, but with three world titles and many close honors, André was able to take his place in the gallery of the greatest at the end of 1986, his last year in motocross. André moved to motorsport, the French F1987, in 3. In the winter of '87 he signed a contract with Yamaha France for several Dakars. It would remain just one desert rally. January 6, 1988 he had an unfortunate fall, the consequences were terrible: paralyzed down to the neck for the rest of his life. Immediately the start of a new career.
hoei
Peter, Philippe and me stop in front of an enormous cupboard from a villa from the beginning of the last century. The driveway cuts a park in half, larger than a football field. An ascending wheelchair path made of large tiles takes us to the open kitchen doors where André and Jean-Claude Laquaye, his inseparable friend for life, are waiting for us. The greeting is cordial.
“I bought this property in 1980,” André immediately explains. “After my first world title. Back then, motocross still paid well.” Jean-Claude makes coffee and pours water. Jean-Claude is André's guardian angel during life. André is helped by his best friend, a spontaneous ritual that has lasted for 24 years. Jean-Claude is at the disposal of his paralyzed friend day and night. If there is a heaven, Jean-Claude certainly has a front row seat.
How did you get to know each other? is a question that has perhaps been asked a thousand times, but André does not lose his smile.
André Malherbe: “I was 5, Jean-Claude 7. My father rode motocross for the amateurs, I was his best supporter every Sunday. Jean-Claude accompanied his neighbor who also crowed. Coincidentally, the two were also great rivals. It was Malherbe against Leclerq every Sunday. When we were older and had both chosen motocross, we went to the races together. We also trained together: running, cycling, gymnastics. Every week we played table tennis for hours in the attic of my house. Today Jean-Claude is 58, I am 56 and we are still the same friends from before.”
Who was the best initially?
André Malherbe: “ I was 10 when I rode my first race. Jean-Claude then knocked me.”
J.-Cl.- “Later on we hardly rode together. When André rode 125 or 250cc, I was in 250 or 500cc, the reverse was also true. Coincidence actually.”
In 1973 and 1974 you won the European 125cc European Championship at Zündapp, with a French license.
Andre Malherbe: “ Out of necessity. I was too young for a Belgian. However, those two titles did not immediately open doors at larger factories. In 1975 I rode for Zündapp again, this time in the first ever 125cc World Championship. Gaston Rahier and Watanabe rode the first Suzukis, Gaston became world champion. In the first half of the World Cup I broke a leg, I don't even remember where it happened, and therefore missed the rest of the World Cup. Still I finished 5thde of 6de in the final score. In 1976 I got a contract with Jaak Vanvelthoven to ride the KTM 250. Moiseev became world champion, I finished 12thde in that World Cup.
André can no longer be stopped. In the coming minutes he rattles off the rest of his career, which is now completely Honda colored.
André Malherbe: “I joined Honda in 1979. Graham Noyce became world champion, Gerrit Wolsink second and I third. I felt that a first world title was coming. In 1980 I did indeed win my first world title ahead of Brad Lackey. A year later I was able to extend my title after a bitter duel with Graham Noyce. Those were my best years in motocross.
Tell us briefly what it was like then...
Andre – “In 1980, Brad Lackey was my angriest customer. He came to the Belgian GP in Namur with a lead of 7 points. I won both series at the Citadel and went to the final GP in Luxembourg a week later with a lead of just 1 point. In the first series “An der Warck” I came third, Brad fifth. He claimed that I had maneuvered him into the fence at the start, but that was not the case. He simply blamed his bad start on me. And I would have known that in the second series. I was driving with an egg in my pants at the time. Brad was constantly waiting for me with the intention of making me fall. I was terrified of dropping out, his only chance to become world champion for now. But fortunately it turned out well. At one point he made a mistake himself, his front wheel slipped and the World Cup was decided. Brad was a sore loser, he didn't even come to congratulate me.”
“A year later I rode the final in Luxembourg against my then teammate Graham Noyce. The week before in Namur I had turned a 3 point deficit into a 10 point lead over Noyce. It became a real war of nerves in Luxembourg again. In the first series I finished second behind Carlqvist, Noyce came third. In the second heat I fumbled a bit at the start, at one point I was only fourteenth after a slight fall in which I hurt my wrist. Just like the year before, I again rode with confidence. Fortunately for me, Vromans, Carlqvist and Bruno rode so strongly that Noyce only finished fourth and I finished eighth. I became world champion again with a 7-point lead.”
You forgot one more...
André Malherbe: “Oh yes, 1984, my memory sometimes fails me. Then I won my third title from Jobé and my Honda teammates Thorpe, Vromans and Geboers.”
And suddenly you were gone, gone from motocross for good...
AndréMalherbe: “Well, at the end of 1986 I was fed up with it, I wanted to do something else in my life, for example my relationship with Honda was at a low ebb. They thought I was too old for motocross at the age of thirty. They wanted young blood in the HRC team. In the winter of '86-'87 I got my chance in motorsport. In 1987 I drove the French F3 championship”
Successfully?
André Malherbe: “Uh…oui. My best result was a 5de place in Francorchamps. I say “yes, successfully” because at the start of the season I was 3 seconds slower than the fastest time. An eternity in F3. At the end of the season the difference was barely 7-8 tenths of a second. In the last race of the year I achieved the second best time, just one tenth of a second slower than Jean Alesi, who became champion. So there was clear progress.”
I learned a lot in that year of F3. The car settings are extremely important. In the beginning I had a really hard time with that. But with guys next to you like Eric Comas (F1), Jean Alesi (F1) and Eric Bernard (F1) you learn very quickly. Normally I could start working again at HRC Honda in 1988, but due to my accident in the Dakar that never happened. It still feels like a loss.”
You teamed up with Yamaha for that dramatic Dakar...
André Malherbe: “I was contacted by Jean-Paul Olivier, importer of Yamaha France. In fact, I depended directly on Yamaha Japan but through the French importer because the Dakar was very important in France in those years. I enjoyed being able to ride the Dakar in January and earn some money. Auto racing was for the rest of the year. That was my objective. The first year I would go to take a good look around. C'est formidable le Dakar. It's incredibly beautiful, the countries, the landscapes…” the amateurs shouted in unison, but I never enjoyed myself for a minute in the desert.
I left with the idea to learn and finish in the top 5. That seemed like a feasible option to me. Winning in my first year, no, that was really too ambitious. When I signed with Yamaha the intention was that I would compete for several years. One or two years to learn, then to achieve results. To instill the desert feeling, I practiced in Algeria for three days beforehand. Driving and navigating, if you are not used to it, it is quite difficult. The big boys of that time were Gilles Lalay, Auriol, Rahier… there were many Italians and French among the participants. The Spaniards did not yet come to the Dakar in those years.”
Jean-Claude Laquaye: “I wanted to go too, but I didn't get any interesting proposals.”
What really happened on that dramatic January 6?
André Malherbe: “On that day we had a 1.200 km stage, consisting of 600 km liaison and 600 km special stage. During the first 100 km we had to be helped by markers. After 50 km everyone was lost. We went in all directions. I never saw the markings either. At one point I came across a group of 5-6 riders from the Honda team. The best riders in the world were in deep discussion. When I arrived they left and I decided to follow them, assuming they knew where they were going. After 10 km they stopped again and went in a different direction. 15 km later, same scenario. In short, they too were lost.”
“I then decided to find my own way and went my own way. I drove for a while and then opened my maps and tried to find my way. After a while I thought I had found the right direction. Then I came across Jean-Claude Olivier who was also lost. We looked at the map together and decided to go in a certain direction. We rode side by side in the desert on a huge flat and hard surface. We tried to protect ourselves from the sun, which was still very low and posed the greatest danger. At one point I saw a cloud of dust in the distance that caught my attention. I tried to see if there were any cars or motorcycles in the middle of the dust. In the meantime, I kept wondering if we were really going in the right direction.”
“A few seconds later I was brutally yanked from my saddle. I had hit a small sand pile. I flew over my bike like a flag. Only my hands were still holding the steering wheel. As I landed back on the saddle, I thought to myself, “That was a close call, man. I had barely recovered from my adventure when I hit another small dune, only about a foot high. This time I was thrown off the bike. This little dune had sent me from a motorcycle saddle to a wheelchair chair.”
“Because I had not seen those dunes due to the low sun, I had done nothing to break my fall. It happened too suddenly. I hit those dunes at full speed on a bike that weighed between 220 and 230 kg. Considering the length of the stage, we also had 70 liters of fuel on board.
“I fell straight on my head. As I hit the rock hard ground, I heard a crack in my neck. A moment later I felt nothing anymore. But I was perfectly conscious. I lay on my side with my left hand in front of my face. I tried to move my hand, but I couldn't. The same went for my arms and legs: they refused to move an inch. Then I realized what happened. I knew that normal life was over for me. I immediately wondered if I could survive what had happened to me… That's how it happened.
“Luckily Jean-Claude Olivier was with me. He immediately made a beacon out of plastic and the tires of my motorcycle. He poured gasoline on the pile and lit it, then we hoped a helicopter would spot us. The helicopter arrived 30-45 minutes later. I was then taken on board to return to the start of the stage and from there to Tamanrasset. It was ten o'clock in the morning when I was taken on a stretcher to this African airport, where I stayed until midnight without any medical attention.”
“It was only when a Europe Assistance plane arrived with a doctor on board that I was examined again, but in my case the important hours when we could still intervene effectively were long gone. We left for Paris at about 1.30:XNUMX am. When the plane took off, I felt relieved. Unfortunately it was just an impression. Because there was a headwind, we had to land in Marseille to refuel and then headed for Paris. During the flight I started having breathing difficulties. A slight panic took hold of me. When I got off the plane I saw Jean-Claude Laquaye and another friend and the doctor who usually took care of me when I broke something while motocrossing.”
“When I saw these three acquaintances, I let myself go a bit. I felt relieved because I was taken care of. But my breathing problems did not get better. I thought I was going to die and lost consciousness. I woke up in a hospital as I left the X-ray room. I was taken to an operating room on a stretcher. When I woke up again, I immediately recognized Jean-Pierre Gozé, a Belgian doctor. I asked him if I was okay and he assured me that my wound wasn't nice but that it would be fine. Then I fainted again.
“Afterwards I was told that it was a hematoma that had caused my injuries. I had fractured vertebrae 3 and 5, but the spinal cord injury was caused by the hematoma that had formed after the vertebral fracture and had put strong pressure on the spinal cord. If I had been operated on immediately after my fall, the consequences would have been less serious. It would have been possible to neutralize the hematoma and thus reduce pressure on the spinal cord, which would have increased my chances of recovery. But in the middle of the desert it is difficult to get good and direct care.”
“For the next fourteen days I slept practically 24 hours. I was then taken to Bouge, near Namur, where my GP worked. When I was there, I was convinced I could walk again. I am stronger than the wounds,” I told myself. “With my strength, I will make it! As the months passed, I began to realize that my power would not heal me. I fell into a deep depression. I asked myself hundreds of questions: what will happen to my life, what will I be able to do… Questions, questions, questions but no answers. My future looked very dark…”
“In the middle of my depression I remembered an anecdote from a year earlier during the Bercy supercross. I was at home in Huy when the phone rang and someone said, 'Danny Chandler had an accident yesterday. He is completely paralyzed (quadriplegic, paralysis of the four limbs). He would like you to come visit him. Jean-Claude and I left immediately and as we left Danny's room, I said to Jean-Claude, "If this happens to me, then..."
“Once I realized I wasn't going to recover, I was never seriously depressed again and never thought about taking my own life. But I wanted to enjoy life. My daughter was one year old and I wanted to see her grow up. And that's what happened. Cassandra is now 25 years old and lives in Paris. She no longer rides horses, but she has an activity in the art world. I'm sure she's happy. She comes to visit me regularly.”
“I am fortunate that I am naturally mentally positive. This has helped me move forward in life. I also enjoy a nice circle of friends. Having a core group of people around you that you can trust is extremely important in my case. My friends help me when needed and they keep my spirits high. They are very important to me.
Do you still follow the motorsport news?
André Malherbe: “I follow all the GPs on TV, but I don't go to the circuits. I would find it interesting to visit the circuit, but sitting in a grandstand and seeing the drivers from afar, no thanks.”
Namur has disappeared from the calendar. What do you think?
Jean-Claude Laquaye: “The citadel was mythical, like Monaco in F1. It is irreplaceable.”
How many GPs have you won in Namur?
André Malherbe: "Three. In fact I don't know how many GPs I have won. I don't know my record because it's not my way of working. I have an archivist for that.”
Your best motocross memory?
André Malherbe: “My world title in 1980. It was a childhood dream come true. When I was eight-nine years old, Joël Robert came to my house. He was a god to me. I wanted to be like him…”
Your worst memory?
André Malherbe: “In 1982, when I broke my leg in the United States. My leg was broken without me falling. The bike slid off the front and I tried to keep it upright. I heard a crack and my third consecutive world title was gone.”
The best motocross rider for you?
André Malherbe: “It's hard to say. You cannot compare generations. But Stefan Everts was really strong. What he has achieved is simply fantastic.”
If you say you still watch motocross on TV, I bet you also watch the pure speed?
André Malherbe: I am a big supporter of Valentino Rossi. Maybe he'll break all the records. It's a shame he moved to Ducati. Those Italians... Stoner is also a strong personality. Too bad for his fans and viewers that he is retiring. Maybe he is mentally exhausted like Eric Geboers in 1990. I also love Superbike. These are people who can also ride a motorcycle!”
“Motorcycle racing is more spectacular than car racing. Take those fifteen year olds. When they take off their helmets, they look like first communicators with their baby faces!”
Tekst: Ludo Vervloet | Photos: O. Evrard, FMB, Motorgazet, Gino Maes and Willem J. Staat
Also to read
The final of the MXGP Championship will be held in Spain
Infront Moto Racing today announced that the Spanish venue Cózar will host the exciting final round of the 2024 MXGP Championship. It is the third Spanish GP…Team HRC Honda to Portugal with Tim Gajser as the only rider
The 2024 MXGP World Championship kicks off the first of three straight races this weekend in Agueda, Portugal for the fifth round in this exciting battle. The next weekend it will…VIDEO: Roger De Coster about communication with the riders
In a video interview with Roger De Coster, the difficult start of the KTM boys in the US is discussed. It's about the set-up of the engines and how everyone...An update on Tyla van de Poel's injury
Tyla van de Poel crashed during the EMX125 in Arco di Trento and broke his tibia and fibula. Another pilot hit his front wheel on a ski jump, causing him to...
Your reactions