c.1996 Monark Moto Cross Sten Lundin World Championship Work...

Estimate

£8,000 - £10,000

c.1996 Monark Moto Cross Sten Lundin World Championship Works Replica, 498cc. Registration number not registered. Frame number OW 61 MK. Engine number GSX 32 1996 12.
There is no paperwork with this machine.
Sten Lundin (1931 – 2016) was a Swedish professional motocross racer, he competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1955 to 1966. Lundin won the F.I.M. 500cc motocross world championship in 1959 riding a Monark. In the 1960 world championship, he finished in second place, two points behind Bill Nilsson. In 1961 he recaptured the 500cc world championship riding a Monark which had been re-badged as a Lito. Lundin was also a member of the victorious Swedish team at the 1955 Motocross des Nations.
In 1954, Monark entered eight bikes in the International Six Days Trials and won eight gold medals. The Monark used the 498cc Albin engine originally developed for the Swedish army in 1942. The Albin engine was simple, reliable and very slim. Nils-Olov Hedlund, a master engine builder and former road racer mated the Albin top-end to a BSA Gold Star transmission.
The Albin-powered Monark has the most unique history of any motocross bike ever made. It was an incredible machine and spawned its own competition. Monark was the first Swedish manufacturer to get involved in Grand Prix motocross, starting in the late 1950s. They built a total of five Monark GP works bikes from 1957 to 1960.
As each of these bikes was used and abused, the parts from the original bikes were taken off and used on the newer bikes. Each bike was individually designed by Monark; no two bikes were the same. No bikes were ever sold to the public, and all that survived are accounted for today.
When Monark race team manager Lennart Varborn unexpectedly died during in the 1960 season, Monark withdrew from Grand Prix racing out of respect for his legacy. As a consolation to World Champion Sten Lundin, Monark gave Sten Lundin his 1960 Grand Prix bike.
The Monark baton was picked up by Monark insider Kaj Bornebusch, who built 35 handmade works bikes and renamed the brand Lito (after the Lithograph company he owned). Sten Lundin signed on with Lito, painted his Monark green and won the 1961 World Championship on the same bike he won the 1959 title on.
Our vendor decided to build this replica c.1996 and obtained a rare Albin engine in Sweden, it was unused. He commissioned Tony Burgess (frame builder for Eric Cheney) to build an exact replica from the original drawings. Bespoke alloy tanks were made as were many other parts.
Since completion it has been dry stored and will need commissioning before use.