Düsen-Büse - Büse the Jet!

Düsen-Büse - Büse the Jet!
Heino Büse, one of the fastest German enduro riders of the '70s.
Valli Bergamasche, 1980: Oay I of
the European Enduro Championship
series in Bergamo, Italy, The red Maico,
number 13 I, stands forlorn, as if
abandoned, in the middle of the 2nd
Special Test of the day. Heino Büse,
defending champion in the 750cc dass
and current se ries leader, crashed hard,
breaking his left wrist. The East German
Team managers (GOR) can barely
contain their joy upon learning this fact.
It appears now that Manfred Jäger,
currently in 2nd place and an East
German, has the title sewn up. But the
East Germans underestimated the
resolve of "Oüsen-Heino", for as long as
a theoretical chance exists for hirn to
win, he'lI never give up.
When Büse began his first enduro on a fan
cooled 50cc Kreidler in 1962, none of the
spectators in attendance could have known
that they were observing one of Germany's
future best ever riders beginning his career.
Recalling his first enduro, Büse states with a
laugh that the event winner was al ready
finished by the time he began his last loop!
Several years later, as a young Bundeswehr
(German Army) soldier stationed in Munster,
Büse met Burchard Lenz (see VMX . #41, pg
36). The Bundeswehr sponsored a team which
campaigned heavy, military Maieo M2S0B
machines in a special team dass. Soon, the
highly talented Büse, along with Lenz and
Rupprecht Lammers began receiving "special"
test machines from the German
manufacturers. These machines .were pure
factory built enduro racers, the only
commonality to their military machines was
that they too were painted in flat NATO
green.
By 1966, Büse was winning. His first great
success came along with Lenz and Lammers
when they won the German Club Team
Championship. Büse and Lenz rode Hercules,
while Lammers rode a Zuendapp. Büse, Lenz
and Lammers also represented the
Bundeswehr at the 1966 ISDT in Karlskoga,
Sweden. At the ISDT the trio competed on
factory machines provided them by Hercules
and Zuendapp. Their previous experience as a
team led them to winning best Club Team at
the 1966 ISDT. In an ironie twist, the three
uniformed German soldiers received their
Club Team Trophy at the awards ceremony
from a Russian Admiral: During the period of
the Cold War, this was an event that could
only occur at the ISDT!
By 1967, Büse caught the attention of the
Maieo factory, which offered him a 12Scc
rotary valve machine for the 1967 Europa Cup
(forerunner to the European Enduro
Championship) series, on whieh he finished
the season 2nd overall. Over the next three
years, Büse rode Maico and Jawa machines in
the 250cc dass. In 1971, he swapped back to
the 125cc dass where he had an unbelievable
22 dass wins in Motocross and Enduro events.
For this near unbelievable feat, Büse was
awarded ADAC's "Gold Sport Achievement
Far left: Düsen-Büse, 1977. Top eentre:Their
uniforms are now Barbour rlding gear - the
Gennan anny team (Büse left) at the ISDT
KarlskogalSweden talking with a Swedish
officer. Left: Clase up of the 12S ce Maico
rotary valve bike. Above: Speeding uphill on
the 350 Hercules at Kosice/CSSR (/977).
Bottom centre: Riding in the West German
Trophy team on the big Mako (ISDT /979
Lager StegskopflGER).
with Diamonds", the highest award the
German Motorsport representative can
present. Naturally, when it came to selecting
members to represent Germany's Silver Vase
Team for the 1971 ISDT at the Isle of Man,
Büse, who rode a 100cc Hercules, was at the
top of the list. During 1972, Büse remained in
the 125cc dass. He rode a Sachs, on which he
made life very difficult for the factory
Zuendapp riders.
Many have asked 'Why didn't Büse ever
ride for Zuendapp?" Simply put, Zuendapp,
which dominated the smaller displacement
classes for over a decade, chose riders who
were not only very fast, but also only very
smalI. Accordingly, if you weren't built like a
jockey, you didn't ride for Zuendapp. Also,
because Zuendapp machines dominated the
German Trophy teams until 1978, that's why
Büse was never nominated for a Trophy Team
until after that time.
In 1973, Büse switched to KTM. He was
unbelievably successful on the Austrian
machines: Top German rider at the 1974
Camerino, ltaly ISDT, top overall rider at the
1975 Isle of Man ISDT, German 500cc Class
Champion in 1975 and 1976, and 350cc dass
winner at the 1976 ISDT in Zeltweg,Austria.
When Hercules decided to re-enter the
European Enduro Championship se ries, Büse
was at the top of their list of riders to pilot
their new 350 Class 7 speed flagship. He
accepted their offer and immediately won the
Championship that same year. However, the
relationship with Hercules was doomed from
the start. Whereas neither KTM nor Maico
were a competitive threat in the woods, his
biggest threat came from within. During the
talian leg of the European Championship
event at Valli Bergamasche, ltalian Gianpaolo
Marinoni was entered to support Büse in the
350 dass. Instead of blocking for Büse, he
passed him and put him six seconds down in
second place. Hermann Popp, then the

Hercuies Team Manager, recalls: "The ltalian
'Playmotor' Team also campaigned Hercules
factory bikes, but they were badged as export
DKWs. Marinoni wasn't in the points hunt for
the European Championship, yet he took this
opportunity to make himself look good for the
ltalian press. However, if Marinoni's OKW
would luve had a burned out taillight bulb, this
would have cost him so many penalty points
that he and Büse would have to swap Ist and
2nd pi aces." Marinoni's teammates smelled a
rat, and from then on they allowed no-one in
the vicinity of his 350. The Hercules team had
it all planned out from the start; they planned
to ride at Bergamo wearing red jerseys similar
to the 'Playmotor' Team colors, in order to
trick the ltalian spectators to think they were
ltalian riders and gain their support.
By 1978, Hercules management wanted to
foeus on winning a MX championship, and
withdrEw their enduro teams from competition.
The machines were competitive as reflected in
the EL ropean Championships garnered by
ltalians Perego and Gualdi. In spite of their
successes, and the fact that the 1979 German
ISDT would have made a great marketing
opportunity for their enduro line, management
decided to pull their support for their German
and ltalian teams, and to cease enduro
motorcycle production at the end of 1978.
For 1979, Maico immediately stepped up
and offered Büse a factory 250cc for the
German Championship, and a 504 ce for the
750 ce European Championship. And for the
first time, on German home ground, Büse was
a member of the German Trophy Team at the
1979 ISOT in Lager Stegs kopf. He eouldn't
have ended up having a better season at Maico:
German 250ee Champion, European 750ec
Champion, 750cc Class ISOT Champion, as
weil as leading the German Trophy team to a
second place finish, just behind the ltalians.
In 1980, Büse intended to defend his
European 750cc Title, but when it came to
defend the German 250cc Championship, he
was transferred by the factory into the 500cc
class. This seemed to go weil for Büse. And
then came the shock at Bergamo. Büse had a
comforcable lead over East German Jäger going
into the 4th round in ltaly, but his personal ethic
wouldn't allow him to ride a "safe race". Up
until his stunning crash, Büse was bar to bar all
day long, battling with ltalian SWM rider
Guglielmo Andreini for the overall. The ltalian
spectators were stunned at the ferocity of their
competition, but for Büse, it appeared that the
European Championship was all but lost.
Yet, an even greater surprise was in store
for the MZ Team, when Büse showed up three
weeks later at the Austrian event at
Neumarke. ready to race. The MZ appeals fell
on deaf ears, because Büse had supplied the
race officials with a letter from the famed
Belgian surgeon Or. Joan Oerweduwen,
clearing him to race. After he finished in
second place behind Jäger, the East German
press reported that Maico had "bought" all the
riders in the 750cc dass,so that Büse wouldn't
lose any points. According to an East German
. Top left: Fighting (or seconds in the special
test. Top centre: Ridlng the 500 cc Mako to
w;n the Germon championship in 1980. Above:
The way ISDT winners troveled ;n the Sixties:
(octory bikes on 0 trailer, pulied by 0 Glas
compact car. Far left: Top rider on Hercules'
new flogship - the GS 350 7 speed (1977).
Left: Comeback with 0 broken wrist in
NeumarktlAustria to de(end the title. Bottom
centre: Servicing his Maico 1980.
newspaper, "Sports equality is also a
purchaseable commodity in the eapitalist
economy." r,:Ne muse. however, remember
that this exchange occurred in the middle of
the Cold War, and motoreycle raeing.
especially enduros and the ISOT, were the
front lines of this war between West and East.)
Büse was eventually able to keep Jäger at a
distanee to win the final ever European 750ee
class Championship, as weil as the German
SOOee Championship.
After winning the 1982 500ec German
Championship again, Büse hung up his heimet
and walked away from racing. Maico
production machine quality control difficulties
had placed the company in such a perilous
financial position that the Swabian motorcycle
eompany was foreed to eease production and
close their doors.
Heino Büse was then 39 years old. He
ended his eareer in the same manner that he
eompeted. "I just didn't see a chance to get a
eompetitive maehine anymore" he reealls
today. And raeing for 2nd plaee has never
been his motto. Büse has won six German
Enduro Championships on KTM, Hercules,
and Maico, twO European Championships on
Maico, twelve ISOT Gold Medals, the Overall
at the 50th ISOT at the Isle of Man in 1975,
in addition to innumerable local MX and
Enduro events. There has never been any
doubt that Büse hasn't earned his nickname
of "Büse the Jet"!
Once retired from racing, Büse used his
contacts within the racing community to
create one of the largest motorcycle racing
and accessory companies in Europe. From a
"one man shop" where he sold high quality
racing gear to his former competitors, Büse
now supplies over 3000 dealers in Europe
with products bearing his name.
Words by Leo Keller
Photos (rom Heino Büse, Lenz, KTM,
Zweirad Union archive