Will Koppen, at the age of 73, still drives the sidecar.

Will Koppen finds that you have 'to do nice things in live'. That's why in the past she drove rallies and stars-days, that's why she made travels to Spain, Italy, Israel and Turkey. As woman alone. Twelve years ago she though it would be nice to live in a residence for elderly people, but she was still not ready for it. Also because she was not allowed to play the French-horn. Now she can do, in her house in De Bilt (The Netherlands). The horn lays in the living-room, the dog Dempsey lays on his carpet and her BMW R45 with sidecar stands next to the house. "Actually it is too light, with only 27 pk (horse power)". Will Koppen is 73 years old.

Will Koppen had to go to the sun. "Because of my health", she says. That was shortly after the war. She went hitch-hiking to the south of France. "But it becomes too much if afterwards you have to walk for miles. A car was too expensive and biking too tiring." So I bought a motorbike, a Z¸ndapp 200 from 1938. "With that one I drove many miles. Completely alone driving to Madrid for the FIM-rally, for example. Nowadays I would not dare anymore. You start thinking more". That was in 1948. The motorbike did not came because out of the passion, that came later. The motorbike and Will Koppen became friends. She became member of the Motor club Zandvoort and functioned regularly as track-director. "They wanted to have men, but women also could do it", she explains. "We did many things with the club. I still have a picture of me driving through a burning arcade. Why? Just like that. For fun.


Will on the Velocette.
Liberation-day in front of her house.

Will Koppen developed an adventure-spirit which was not usual for women in that time. "Well, I drove motorbike. Perfect, no? I don't know if I was so different from other women." But, at the 'girls-high school' she did not feel at home (they taught languages. I was not a language person, had a technical interest) . In 1953 she was the only woman who inscripted at the 'TrophÈe de Monaco', a ralley of 1573 kilometers from Amsterdam to Monaco. On an Adler M 250, a t.-stroke twin. "Together with an english dutchman I went to the Adlerfactory where they gave me a specially for me prepaired "6-days-motor", with an other forefork - because that drove more light - a screen, a big fueltank, and a top lying exhaust pipe. Because of the ground-distance, you understand."

Rally victory

In 1953 and in 1954 she won the 'Coupe des Dames' during the 'TrophÈe de Monaco'. "You had to finish the rally, not came later than 2 hours after the winner and not pass the penalty-points-limit. What? Sleeping? Nothing of that. All in one time. In the morning at 7 o'clock leaving from Amsterdam and arriving the next afternoon at 4 o'clock in Monaco. The most difficult moment was at sunrise. To keep your eyes open......"
After that first victory the motorbike had to go back to the factory. That's why she ordered a new one her self for the next year. "With an other fore fork - because that drove more light - and everything that the other also had". It became her Arabella.
In 1954 she was not the only woman. "But some of them did not arrive, drove the wrong direction, or had saddle pain. Me not. I had a perfect saddle.. There were many stories about me: somebody was driving in front of me and an other behind me. To help me. Pure jealousy. I only shrugged my shoulders.
She takes a 'Libelle' from 1955. "Look that's the bike of '54: PH-71-40. I'm still looking for that one. If somebody knows where it is.... That Adler had a lot of ingenuity. But you only notice if you don't have it anymore.
After the rally Will drove on to Italy to attend another rally. She went together with a Lambretti-driver, but he had an accident. One day later she joined him in the same hospital after an almost collapse with an Italian child. "They put my foot in plaster, but did it completely wrong. Still I have problems with it. Some people said that I had the accident on purpose to be in the same hospital as the other. That people can make up something like that".
She takes her scrap-books. "I'm a little chaotic", she says during she turns over the pages. With every picture she knows a story. Tells with a smile or a serious face. "Look this, the picture in the mountains. Beautiful. A pity that we had to drive so fast. A lot of things we did not see".

Mens-world

Not only in the world of the rally the young Will Koppen felt hat home. On a special Francis Barnett-trail motor she drove the trial of Markelo in 1955 ('I had lessons of Jan Kooiman, the Dutch champion') en on the circuit of Zandvoort she showed her perfect steering skills. As a woman in a mens-world.

With the Adler on Zandvoort.

"The stars-days I was allowed to ride, but they kept me away from the races. That was a men sport, come on! I think they were afraid of the reactions of the men. It didn't interest me what they thought. I would have loved to participate. I'm just born too early. During one of that days I got a 80-star, driving an overall time of 89,24 kilometre/hour. That little difference with a 90-star......."
After her accident in Italy, she considered that a sidecar would be more 'safe'. "I became a tourist." She visited countries like Italy, Spain, Turkey, Yugoslavia and Israel. In Israel she worked for a year drawing houses. "Technical drawing was my hobby. And of course I had to live and eat. When I came back to The Netherlands I went studying. It didn't work out."
Al that time Will Koppen was alone. Single, as they call it. "I didn't find my true love. I had a friend with whom a travelled with to Naples on the old Z¸ndapp, but he got a job in Indonesia. I was not ready for that".
Back in The Netherlands her live changed drastic. She started doing 'stupid' things. Getting married and stopping with driving motorbike are part of that, she says herself. "Because of getting married I stopped driving. I got children and, well, a motorbike you can not put down of your bed. So we bought a Skoda Felicia Sport. Cabriolet".

The remounting

But the Skoda went away. Just like her husband. It was not an easy time, but she shrugs her shoulders when she tells it. Will Koppen is in peace with it. Maybe also because her daughter has the same passion for the motorbike as her mother. "in 1987 we bought a motor together", she shines. "A 250 Honda. She still didn't had her drivers license, but when she did, right away she went of to Turkey in summer."
Some times she also drove the Honda, but she didn't like it. "Such a high gravity centre."
But the dead flame was alive again. "Sometimes I went to the meetings of Adler in Frankfurt, I am honourable member. I went there by car. There I could drive some rounds on an Adler. Well, then the desire does the rest.
6 Year after the start of her daughter mama Koppen remounted the motorbike. "Via a friend I got a Velocette LE 200, but it still was not it. When I stopped driving I had an Adler with sidecar and now I wanted again a sidecar. One year later, 1994, I found a BMW R45 from '82. It has a MZ-sidecar from 1065. But actually it is too light for it. it only has 27-pk (horse power)."
For her it is the most normal thing in the world, but a small frÍle woman of 73 years old is something special. Also because of the passenger. The dog Dempsey came to stay a week with her. Will grins a moment to the grey, tail wagging, life enjoying dog. "That was 4 years ago and still he is here. When I had the Velocette, he was sitting in a little supermarket basket. He fits exactly. Now he sits in the sidecar. In the beginning he was all the time standing. Hours! He also had a glasses, but stopping a moment - glasses gone. Now he lays down when the speed is over 80 (kilometres). His age? I don't know. He comes from a home of lost animals. It is an all peoples lover. Everybody in the neighbourhood knows him. And when I take him with me on the bike he always attracts the attention. When I stop somewhere he puts on the' alarm'."
Last year the BMW drove about 5.000 kilometres and the last season even more. Sometimes she brings the combination to a historic motor race, but her goal are mostly tour rides. "But I see mostly men. Where are the women? With the grandchildren maybe? Or they are afraid of their hair?" Will Koppen is not afraid of that. Driving the motorbike is part of the 'nice things in live'. And those you have to do. "Because there are already so many tiresome things."

Last February she's got a new valve of the heart. In the care-residence, the rehabilitation was very bad organised, she says. That's why she mounted the BMW again and went to the Weerribben. "There, I made a tour with the Classical Sidecar Club. Everything together was about 350 km. Probably a little bit too much."
How long she will go on driving she does not know. Next year she still will make her kilometres, she thinks "Then BMW exists 75 years. I will be in my 75ths year of living. So maybe you will see me again with them."
But there is also doubt. "The traffic is so hectic, nowadays. And there is so much stress." In a few days a handy neighbour will take off the sidecar and the parted combination will do their winter sleep. For how long is unknown. But if Will wants, the handy neighbour will put the parted combination in one part in no time. Because you have to do nice things in life.


[Back to front-page]
[Fire Baptism - 1949]
[Seeing Napoli and ........ back! - 1950]
[IVe Trophee International Motocycliste de Monaco - 1953]
[Ve Trophee International Motocycliste de Monaco - 1954]
[5 Days Of Rest - july 1954]
[Unforgetable Eilat - 1957]
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