Torsten Hallman talks about life as a factory Husqvarna racer during the pioneering years of motocross.
Husqvarna’s motocross legend Torsten Hallman gives a fascinating insight into a time when racers were their own mechanics, and travelling around the world wasn’t nearly as easy as it is today…
In this new Husqvarna Motorcycles video “Hero Talk” they take a look intimate at Torsten Hallman, the man who helped introduce motocross to the United States, passes on the spirit of Husqvarna’s glory days, and the perspective of a true pioneer of motocross to today’s young Husqvarna factory racers.
Mixing rarely seen footage of Hallman in action, the four-time Motocross World Champion delivers a personal insight into what it was like being a factory racer during the 1960s.
Working his way to the very top during a defining era of our sport, Torsten, who celebrates his 75th birthday today, offers words of wisdom to today’s factory racers – the very riders that will become Husqvarna’s future heroes – the riders who will write the next chapters in the history of the brand.
Torsten Hallman won his first Motocross World Championship title in 1962. During his 14 years as a Factory Husqvarna rider, the Swede went on to earn a total of four world championships and amass a total of 37 Grand Prix wins. Hallman came to the U.S. in 1966 at the hand of Edison Dye, and during his one-month stay, went on a nationwide motocross win-streak that caught the attention of motorcyclists everywhere. His never-before-seen style set a new standard for motocross, and ignited America’s love affair with the new sport.
Hallman went on to found Hallman Racing and eventually Torsten Hallman Original Racewear (THOR). In 2000 he was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, and in 2013 was again honoured by the AMA as a Hall of Fame Legend.
