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Content in this edit is translated from the existing Dutch Wikipedia article at nl:Will Koppen; see its history for attribution.
| Will Koppen | |
|---|---|
 Will Koppen at the start of the 4th Trophée de Monaco 1953 | |
| Nationality |  The Netherlands |
| Born | Will Koppen January 7, 1924 Overveen, NL |
| Died | October 22, 2002 De Bilt, NL |
| Current team | Private solo rider |
| Previous series | |
| 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955 | Madrid, Monaco, Schio, Zandvoort |
Willy Koppen (Overveen January 7, 1924 - De Bilt October 22, 2002) was a Dutch motorcycle racer who was one of the first women participating at international motor races during the nineteen fifthies.
Early years edit
Koppen grew up in Overveen in a non-motorcycling family, but very close to the Zandvoort Circuit where she also was riding. She is holder of the “80 star” of the circuit and drove her brand new Adler motorcycle to 130 km/h. In order to afford her hobby, she worked as a nurse or secretary during winter time and then could be fully focused on motorsport in summer time. She was her own mechanic and, as an autodidact, she learned how to maintain and adjust an engine. In 1949 she obtained her motorcycle license and started to gain experience by driving through the Netherlands on a borrowed Saroléa motorcycle. In 1950 she bought her first motorcycle, a Zündapp DB 200, with which she made her first long distance trip to Naples. [1] In 1951 she made an other long trip to southern France and Switzerland in 1951, where she gained experience in mountain driving.
Racing career edit
Koppen took part in the FIM Trophée in Madrid, Spain, in 1952 for the first time. In 1953 she became the first woman to win the Coupe de Dame of the 1600 kilometer non-stop rally of the FIM Trophée de Monaco, a 32-hour rally with time, speed and fuel consumption penalty points regulation. She drove an Adler MB 250 Motor. [2] The following year, in 1954, she was the only woman to cross the finish line, leaving many men behind in the final results.[3] At both rallies she drove as a private solo driver, without a team nor team support. In 1953 she drove a factory Adler MB 250 engine, provided by the Adler Company. Having a crankcase protection and overhead exhaust pipes, as on the later Adler MB 250 S, made it suitable for the fast windy corners in the Alps. In 1954 she drove her own Adler MB 250. After the race she broke her foot in a motorcycle accident in Italy, but right after she participated at the ninth Alpine Rally in Schio, Italy.[4] In 1955 she was provided with a trial enduro bike from the English motorcycle manufacturer Francis-Barnett, so she could participate in rough terrain competition. Unfortunately, the KNMV did not allow her to participate in road races. As a woman she only got permission for the junior trails and junior reliability rides.
Other motor activities edit
In addition to racing, she became known for her long distance solo tours throughout Europe into Turkey and Israel. Her long journeys were reported in the Dutch media such as the Dutch magazine MOTOR. [5] Her first motorcycle was a 1939 pre-war Zündapp DB 200 [6], which she disassembled, reassembled and adjusted three times as a self-taught constructor, before setting out on her first long journey to Naples.
Personal edit
After her active sports career, she got married and had two children. After twenty-five years she picked up motorcycling again and continued to do so until her death. First she drove a Velocette LE and then the BMW R45 with MZ sidecar came along, with her dog Dempsey always accompanying her. In 1999, to celebrate her 75th birthday and that she had started motorsport 50 years earlier, a race of honor with classic motorcycles [7] was organized. She was an honorary member of several motorcycle clubs in Europe.[8] [9] Her last ride was on her MZ sidecar, during an impressive parade of antique motorcycles that paid tribute to her on October 26, 2002, after she passed away October 22 at the age of 78.
Races edit
| Year | Activity | Motor |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | FIM Trophée San Sebastian, Spain | Zündapp DB 200 |
| 1952 | FIM Trophée Madrid, Spain | Zündapp DB 200 |
| 1953 | FIM 4e Trophée de Monaco | Adler MB 250 |
| 1954 | FIM 5e Trophée de Monaco | Adler MB 250 |
| 1954 | 9e Alps Rally Schio, Italië | Adler MB 250 |
| 1955 | Trial enduro reliability rides | Francis-Barnett |
References edit
- ^ The personal symbol Will Koppen used in her travelogues was the motorcycle seen from above (probably the first emoji ever)
- ^ Koppen, Willy (1953-11-20). "Who is next? (ED. Wie is de volgende?)". MOTOR (Dutch motor magazine). Vol. 47 (40 ed.). pp. 1380' 1381' 1382'.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Van één van onze, verslaggevers (1954-12-31). "Will Koppen rides rallies as if nothing (ED. Will Koppen rijdt rallies alsof het niets is)". De Telegraaf. p. 17.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "9th Rally of the Alps, Chio".
- ^ Koppen, Willy (1957-01-18). "Poseidon". MOTOR. Vol. 3 (44 ed.). pp. 67' 68' 69'.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Zündapp DB 200".
- ^ vd Mast, Rein (1999-01-17). "Ererit Will Koppen". Old But Tough Motorclub (ED. Oud Maar Sterk Motorclub). Vol. 64 (1999 ed.). pp. 11' 27'.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ vd Mast, Rein (1993-06-24). "Heroes of the past: Will Koppen". The Motorcycle (ED. Het MotorRijwiel). Vol. 7 (1994 ed.). p. 44'.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ vd Mast, Rein (1998-06-24). "Heroes of the past: Will Koppen". The Motorcycle (ED. Het MotorRijwiel). Vol. 34 (1998 ed.). pp. 53'.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
Concern regarding Draft:Will Koppen edit
Hello, CarolaEC. This is a bot-delivered message letting you know that Draft:Will Koppen, a page you created, has not been edited in at least 5 months. Drafts that have not been edited for six months may be deleted, so if you wish to retain the page, please edit it again or request that it be moved to your userspace.
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Thank you for your submission to Wikipedia. FireflyBot (talk) 17:02, 27 January 2023 (UTC)
Your draft article, Draft:Will Koppen edit
Hello, CarolaEC. It has been over six months since you last edited the Articles for Creation submission or draft page you started, "Will Koppen".
In accordance with our policy that Wikipedia is not for the indefinite hosting of material deemed unsuitable for the encyclopedia mainspace, the draft has been nominated for deletion. If you plan on working on it further, or editing it to address the issues raised if it was declined, simply and remove the {{db-afc}}, {{db-draft}}, or {{db-g13}} code.
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Thank you for your submission to Wikipedia! Hey man im josh (talk) 18:27, 27 February 2023 (UTC)
- {{Ping|Hey man im josh}}
- Hi Josh, thanks for notifying. Actually, I don't understand why it still is in draft mode, surely I failed in submitting. The page exist also in Dutch and Spanish, where it worked out fine. I checked out the Help:Maintenance page and tried to correct it, hopefully worked out well this time. CarolaEC (talk) 23:24, 27 February 2023 (UTC)