At Cadwell Park the 750cc British champion, Dave Potter, riding a Gus Kuhn Norton, needed to be in top form to win a hard-fought 750cc race from two-time Northwest 200 champion Derek Chatterton.
A Yorkshireman from Hovingham, Dave Potter moved south after only his first road race. A friend went to work for Paul Dunstall and told him there was another job available. Dave up and quit his job as a car mechanic, broke his Gold Star into bits, packed it into the back of his car and headed for London.
Potter started his road racing career riding his beloved BSA Gold Star in 1969. Within three years he was crowned the 1972 750cc Class British Champion riding a Gus Kuhn-Norton. He raced for Vincent Davey and Willie Ryan before filling the gap with Ted Broad left by Barry Ditchburn who had won a Kawasaki works contract. Potter was second in 1978 and won the British Superbike Championship twice in a row in 1979 and 1980, riding a Yamaha for team Mitsui.
Tragically, Dave Potter died at Oulton Park on August 31, 1981. On the last lap of the second heat of the event, he lost control while approaching the Cascades bend and crashed into a guard-rail at 95 mph. He had been racing for Ted Broad for six years and the death of one of racing's most-loved riders was such a blow that Ted withdrew from the sport.
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD) www.nabd.org.uk
