Joe Wallmann, one of Austria’s finest!

Words: John Moffat

Contribution and information: Hartwig Kamarad; Alfred Wagner.

Photos: Rainer Heise; Iain Lawrie; Malcolm Carling by permission of Nick Haskell; Harry Leitner; Hartwig Kamarad; Photo Collection Giulio Mauri Fontsere; Erich Diestinger.

Born in Berndorf, near Salzburg in 1948, Josef Wallmann, known simply to all as ‘Joe’, would take up motorcycle trials riding at the ripe old age of twenty, which is quite late for this type of sport. This was in 1968 at a trial organised by ARBÖ at Bad Goisern, Gmunden in Upper Austria. In this event he competed with a home-modified Puch moped on which he won the trial. Not bad at all for a beginner, but Joe was hooked and of course wanted to carry on winning.

By the end of the 1968 season, he became the 100cc Austrian champion. Joe continued to use his Puch until the end of 1970 when it was replaced by a 100cc Zundapp, again a bespoke machine, not factory built. Zundapp made enduro type machines as opposed to trial motorcycles. Joe was by profession a bricklayer and this employment kept him physically fit.

Wallmann continued to win his class at trial events and was by now fast catching the acknowledged King of Austrian trials, Walther Luft, who up until then, was virtually unbeatable. For sure, in this time period, Walther was the man to beat in Austrian trials.

On the twenty-fourth of September 1971 at the Alpenpokal Trial at Rosenheim in Bavaria, Joe was able to defeat Walther Luft in competition for the first time.

Bultaco time:

In the autumn of 1971, Joe purchased his first Bultaco Sherpa 250, four days later Wallmann was able to defeat Walther Luft again at the ‘Graz Trial’. Joe instantly gelled with the Bultaco, a brand he would remain loyal to until the end of his trials riding career in 1982.

Contacts:

In 1968 at the ARBÖ Trial in Bad Goisern, Joe had become friends with riders from Motor Sport Club – Gmunden. It was at that time, one of the few trial clubs in western Austria to also make a name for itself as a promoter of the ‘International Voralpentrial’. In 1970, Joe’s friend, Hartwig Kamarad, was approached by Motor Sport Club Rutzenmoos, the most successful motorsport club in Austria at that time and finance was readily available. The MSC Rutzenmoos tasked Kamarad with forming a trials team, with Castrol Austria providing start-up assistance and also financed the purchase of a Ford FK 1000 transport bus for Joe and Hartwig. The ‘Autoladen Vöcklabruck’ paid for insurance and taxes and took care of tyres and spare parts. Joe had arrived in another world, and the leap into the international trial scene was now possible. In order to finance the expensive trips to international trials in Italy, France, Finland, Sweden, the three remaining seats in the bus were made available to other Austrian competitors and could thus travel cheaply all over Europe.

Former German trials rider Max Braun from Munich said: “It was for me a great time together with Joe Wallmann, he is a gentleman and also his wife Hedwig is a very smart Person. He is a very fair Sportsman and a excellent Rider.“

For many Austrians such as Franz Trummer, Gottfried ‘Friedl’ Engstler, Hubert Erbler, Max Hengl and some others. This was the opportunity to get a taste of international trial events.

International:

In the autumn of 1972, Joe’s international participation in trials really got going, he finished in third position in the Lans en Vercors trial near Grenoble in France. His talent for trial ‘shows’ was already evident, and Joe drove cars for the first time at a racing exhibition of the MSC Rutzenmoos at a folk festival in Vöcklabruck.

From 1973 Joe worked as a salesman and as a ‘celebrity trials trainer to Austrian ski legend, Franz Klammer and many more. This was with the Bultaco importer for Germany and Austria, Horst Leitner, who also provided him with a Bultaco complete with spare parts, free of charge and paid success bonus.

Leitner was the first Austrian to compete in the Scottish Six Days in 1961, later he emigrated to the USA to develop a range of off-road motorcycles under the ATK Leitner brand.

Leitner’s Austrian headquarters were based at Bruck an der Mur in Styria, Austria and imported the range of Bultaco motorcycles for the country.

Joe Wallmann’s increase in performance was meritorious, he took part in many International Trials and European Championship competitions. This resulted in second places in Pinerolo, Italy; St.Leonard de Bois, France; Trial Beutal, France; International Clubman Trial at Aywaille, Belgium.

Joe and Hartwig had by now changed clubs again and now run under the AMC Attnang banner and were supported by the US oil company, Pennzoil. The trial ‘shows’ became more and more robust with Joe riding his Bultaco across cars and at the town hall square in Attnang-Puchheim also over the roofs of moving cars.

Around this time Joe travelled to events in a blue Hanomag van with a rather amusing large decal on the rear doors. It was a sitting bulldog with its paw raised in a ‘thumbs-up’ pose with the text ‘Bultaco-Bull’ underneath.

As early as 1977, an Austrian motorcycle trade magazine commented on Wallmann’s skills: “soon Wallmann will drive a figure eight on the roof of the car and a hairpin bend in the interior of the car.” At World Championship events, Joe was more and more often in the top ten and thus points and advanced to the best German-speaking trial pilot in the World Championships. He was able to finish other International Trial Classics such as the Trial in St.Martin, Belgium and the Tatra Trial in Poland taking top honours.

Scottish Six Days:

At the Scottish Six Days in 1975, Joe entertained spectators during the machine examination at Edinburgh’s Gorgie Market with an impromptu display, by riding his Bultaco up to a brick wall, landing his front wheel on the wall, then static balancing before flicking the bike off the wall, feet securely on the footpegs. His first appearance at the Scottish Six Days, was financed by ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk), the Austrian national public broadcaster.

In 1976, Joe took part in the prestigeous TT Leathers sponsored ‘Superstars’ trial in England at Pately Bridge, Yorkshire. The event attracted the best trials riders in the world at that time.

Reflecting in conversation with A-Trial, Joe Wallman said: “I experienced my personal highlight in 1977, on the Thursday of the Scottish Six Days Trial. It was problems all day. I had to change the wheel bearing and mend a plate and then continue. At stake was with a day victory with 4 marks and the tenth place in the six-day final results. But the fourth place at the World Championship run in Kiefersfelden, almost on my doorstep, in 1980 was also very nice.”

Joe Wallman was best on day on the Wednesday of the 1977 SSDT jointly with Martin Lampkin, Marland Whaley and Rob Shepherd, winning the ‘Comerfords’ trophy. Joe was tenth overall on 93 marks.

In the 1978 Scottish Six Days, Joe was again riding the 325cc Bultaco and was positioned in 19th place on 195 marks, in this year, Martin Lampkin won the trial on 99 marks, the event was now taking more marks from riders than before. At the 1978 SSDT, Wallmann was also part of the Best Foreign team, ‘Team Austria’ which consisted of Joe, Walther Luft, Freidl Engstler and F.W. Trummer, winning the ‘Scotia Trophy’.

At the World Championship trial in Kiefersfelden in Germany, Joe achieved a fourth place finish. This would be his best individual result at World Championship level. In the meantime, Horst Leitner had expanded his importership activities with Bultaco and became importer for the German market. Joe started riding in the German Trial Championships to help promote the Bultaco brand. However, due to the financial collapse of Bultaco in 1979, Joe then switched to the Italjet, developed by Bultaco mounted 1979 World Champion, American, Bernie Schreiber in 1980.

Werner Linz in later years took over the import company and dealership. Joe became three times German Vice Champion and three times South German Champion.

Joe’s first attempt at a record for an entry into the Guinness Book of Records was in 1980, at an event of the Motorclub Laakirchen when he rode across a VW bus, his record thirst for the Guinness Book was not yet quenched, and in 1983 he drove across a larger coach bus of the post office in Laakirchen on the occasion of the market celebrations of the town, it even brought him a dinner with the the then Federal President Dr. Kirchschläger, who was on site for these celebrations.

About twenty years ago, Joe became interested in Classic Trials, mostly riding on a Bultaco, he won the A-Cup title, the Classic European Cup taking place in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Austria with four victories, but his great love belongs to the 2-day Trial des Vestiges in Moudon, Switzerland. Now living with his wife, Hedwig at Obertrum, near Salzburg.

The Salzburg daily newspaper, Salzburger Nachrichten reported in 2012: – Health problems in the form of severe back pain and also the time strained by family and profession, forced Wallmann to hang the sport on the nail in the mid-1980s. About ten years ago, the upper centre finally found a chiropractor who redeemed him from his pain. “It was incredible to suddenly be pain-free after more than 30 years,” the now 64-year-old remembers. However, Wallmann did not return to the trial. “The independence of self-employment simply demanded a lot of my time,” he says. It was only two and a half years ago that his long-time friend and trial colleague Hartwig Kamarad put him on a machine again when Wallmann felt the old enthusiasm flare up again. And since then he has won. The most tough competitor is almost 30 years younger. In the 2012 season, Wallmann won the overall ranking in the international classical trial Alpine Cup and also in the Austrian classical music A Cup. His toughest competitor Markus Adamec is almost 30 years younger. “I just enjoy getting around with the old machines,” Wallmann says modestly. In the classic competitions, exactly this is possible, after all, the trial vintage cars with around 90 kilograms weigh more than those of the current professionals. “And with participants between 30 and early 70, the age range is probably a slightly different one,” laughs Joe Wallmann, who will now remain the trial even longer. [1]

Joe Wallmann when riding competitively was very much an ‘old school’ rider, when the motorcycle and rider stops, then that is five marks of a reward. Wallmann did not take to the new way of allowing stopping in a section, which was pioneered in Spain.

Joe Wallmann: “I stopped competing in competitive trials in 1982. In 1980 Ulf Karlson became world champion. It was the last title for a driver from my generation who still drove without using the clutch. There was no problem with standing still. After that, the new driving style prevailed, which came from the young people of the time like Eddy Lejeune. For trial events up to class three (yellow route), the ‘non-stop rule’ is the most sensible rule anyway. The riders jump around in places where ‘driving’ would be much better and more successful. However, they would then have to learn and master basic techniques, such as correct loading and unloading.” [2]

In the Austrian trial website, A-Trial, they asked Joe: Aside from tables and rankings, what other fond memories do you associate with trial sports? Joe replied: “In 1972 we were in Finland for the first time to take part in the World Cup races there and in Sweden. Suddenly none other than Yrjö Vesterinen appeared. Yrjö took us to the most beautiful places, we were able to drive freely and collected cranberries during training. Walther Luft fried the mushrooms he found. It was this community that brought a lot of fun!” [3]

Joe is now 75 years of age and has a knee prosthesis and a new heart valve, but his goal is to start in Moudon at the age of 80!

It proves, you just can’t keep a good guy down, but that’s Just Joe!

Austria Trial Champions:

1969 – OSTG Trial Cup: 100cc – Joe Wallmann; 200cc – Walther Luft; Over 200cc – Walther Wolf.

1970 – OSTG Trial Cup: 100cc – Joe Wallmann; 200cc – Walther Luft; Over 200cc – Walther Wolf.

1971 – Osterreichisher Shell Trial Pokal: Walther Luft

1972 – Osterreichisher Shell Trial Pokal: Walther Luft

1973 – Osterreichisher Shell Trial Pokal: Walther Luft

1974 – OSK Pokal: 250cc – Franz Trummer; Over 250cc – Joe Wallmann

1975 – OSK Pokal: 250cc – Franz Trummer; Over 250cc – Joe Wallmann

1976 – Stattsmeister: Joe Wallmann; OSK Pokal: Franz Trummer

1977 – Stattsmeister: Joe Wallmann

1978 – Stattsmeister: Gottfried Engstler

1979 – Stattsmeister: Gottfried Engstler

1980 – Stattsmeister: Franz Trummer

1981 – Stattsmeister: Walther Luft

Bibliography/Research:

A-Trial, The Home of Classic Trial, Austria (website) [2]; [3]

Salzburger Nachrichten Verlag (Austrian daily newspaper) [1]

Hartwig Kamarad/Trial Museum Ohlsdorf, Austria.

‘Six Days in May’ – Twenty Five Years of the Scottish Six Days Trial 1970-1994 – Jim McColm (1995).

Article copyright: John Moffat/Trials Guru 2024

Photographic Copyright: Individual photographers as captioned.

Apart from ‘Fair Dealing’ for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988, no part of this article may be copied, reproduced, stored in any form of retrieval system, electronic or otherwise or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, mechanical, optical, chemical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author as stated above. This article is not being published for any monetary reward or monetisation, be that online or in print.