The course of Uppie Bos` career between 1985 and 1990.

In the province of Friesland only Tjalle Reitsma was a match for the Dutch top in grasstrackspeedway. But the plumber from Bolsward got company from two new talents.First there was Hielke de Graaf who had a sudden breakthrough in 1984 and then came Uppie Bos from Langezwaag who had a comet-like start of his career and came third in the Dutch championship of 1985.By that he became a new favourite in national grasstrackspeedway. Not only he's conspicuous for his sportsmanlike way of racingbut especially for his spectacular style of overtaking everyone else on the outside of the bend.

When Uppie was eighteen years old ( in 1984 ),
he made his debut on a `special` trackbike without brakes
that was fuelled by methanol instead of petrol.
Shortly after that he got promoted to the seniorB-class as a result of his great achievements,that is winning every race he ran in. And at the end of that season,winning the second place was good enough for a breakthrough to the `special` class of senior- and international riders.

The ` H-3` he gained as a 20-year old, meant an opportunity to ride international.
His first race on a European level was in Joure, May of 1986,
where he secured himself of a position in the finals of the European Championship,
held in August that year in Eenrum,by coming in fourth.
In that, for Uppie, first European championship he ended up an excellent ninth place,
a great achievement! In the Dutch championship of that year he came third.

1987: Dutch championship: third position, European championship(held in Nandlstad): 6th position.

1988: after a great start ( excellent performances in the first 3 races)
Uppie unfortunately couldn't compete for a period due to a severe injury caused by a crash during races in Mussel.
As a result he had to be content with sixth position in the Dutch- well as the European championship.

1989 Is a very successful year.
Uppie has become a favourite of the public because of his speed and skill.It`s the year in which he really became one of the top riders of Europe.
He's receiving more and more invitations for races in Germany,
Belgium and especially France, in which he competes very well against professional riders like Kent Noer, Frank Kehlenbeck, Thierry Hilaire and John Bostin in the socalled ` open competions`
Due to the growing interest and more media coverage, like the Veronica-network programs on sports in general and cars/motors in particular,
the public came in increasingly larger numbers to the grasstrackraces.
Uppie almost became a ` W.D.` ( well-known Dutchman) in August of 1989 after a good coverage of the European semi-finals in Uithuizen including an exclusive TV-interview with ` the talent from Langezwaag`. Veronica found out that for spectacular and exciting motorsportfootage they didn't necessarily have to go to America.
The other national media also took more notice of grasstrackracing,
a sport that already was (and still is) very popular for years in the north of the Netherlands.

Translation by Frans Greidanus en Hans VanderMeer

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