Arthur Lampkin, an English motocross and enduro star in the 1960s, died Saturday after a battle with cancer. Trials Magazine reported he passed peacefully in his sleep. He was 87 years old.

Lampkin was a factory rider for the Birmingham Small Arms Company, competing in national trials and motocross series. He won the British Motocross Championship 500cc title in 1959, followed by the 1961 250cc crown. The latter also saw him finished runner-up in the Motocross World Championship for 250cc.

Described by the Gloucester Citizen as a “master of trials and scrambling”, Lampkin won the 1963 Scottish Six Days Trial and the Scott Trial in 1960, 1961, and 1965. In 1966, he won a gold medal with Team GB at the International Six Days Trial. His experience also extended to the FIM Motocross Grand Prix and Trophée des Nations, claiming back-to-back wins at the latter for Great Britain.

His younger brothers Alan and Martin would also race in trials, the latter claiming the 1975 FIM Trial World Championship. Lampkin’s son John also won in the series, while his nephew Dougie is one of the greatest riders in the discipline’s history as a 12-time world champion.

“Having passed away peacefully with his family close by, Arthur will be fondly remembered for his aggressive riding style on track and his straight talking off the bike,” reads a statement from the FIM. “The World of motorcycling has lost a true character who was unique in every way.

“The FIM family extends its deepest condolences to the Lampkin family and his many friends, Arthur will be sorely missed by the entire global motorcycle community.”

Arthur John Lampkin: May 30, 1938 – February 21, 2026

Featured image credit: Coventry Evening Telegraph (August 3, 1966)