Torsten Hallman (born 17 October 1939) is a
Swedish former professional
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competit ...
racer and business
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
. He competed in the
Motocross World Championship
FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...
s from
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of ...
to
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
.
A four-time world champion, Hallman led a contingent of Swedish riders that dominated the motocross world championships in the early 1960s.
His battles with Belgium's
Joël Robert
Joël Robert (26 November 1943 – 13 January 2021) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1960 to 1976 when the sport experienced a surge in popularity worldwide. A six-time world cham ...
were considered some of the best in the history of the championships.
Between 1964 and 1968, the pair finished first or second to one another in the world championship four times.
Hallman played an integral role in the introduction of the sport of motocross in the United States.
After his racing career, He established a successful off-road racing apparel company.
Hallman was recognized for his influential role in the development of American motocross in 2000 when, he was inducted into the
AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles, ...
.
In 2012, he was named an
FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.
Motorcycling career
Born in
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Located north of the capi ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
, Hallman was part of a group of Swedish riders such as
Bill Nilsson,
Rolf Tibblin and
Sten Lundin who dominated the sport of motocross in the early 1960s.
Perhaps one of the best Swedish riders, Hallman competed in the 250cc motocross Grand Prix world championships.
His battles with Belgium's
Joël Robert
Joël Robert (26 November 1943 – 13 January 2021) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1960 to 1976 when the sport experienced a surge in popularity worldwide. A six-time world cham ...
were considered some of the best in the history of the championships.
Hallman ended his riding career with 37 Grand Prix victories and four 250cc motocross world title for the Swedish
Husqvarna factory.
In
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
, Hallman was hired by the
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization esta ...
factory to help them develop new motocross bikes.
He was instrumental in Yamaha's decision to purchase the patent for an innovative single shock rear
suspension
Suspension or suspended may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Suspension (topology), in mathematics
* Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics
* Suspension of a ring, in mathematics
* Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspe ...
that would eventually be called the monoshock suspension.
The suspension design helped
Håkan Andersson win the
1973 250cc motocross world championship for Yamaha and would go on to revolutionize the sport.
After his racing career, he began to sell motocross pants and gloves at the races to help supplement his income. Innovative Hallman racing products were available in the mid-1970s via catalogue, and were very popular throughout the United States. This eventually led to the formation of THOR Motocross (Torsten Hallman Original Racewear).
THOR grew to become one of the leading off-road racing apparel companies in the world.
In 2000, Hallman was inducted into the
AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles, ...
along with Joël Robert.
Motocross Grand Prix Results
European Motocross Championship
Motocross World Championship
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hallman, Torsten
1939 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Uppsala
Swedish motocross riders
Date of birth missing (living people)
20th-century Swedish people
21st-century Swedish people