Dave Thorpe interview - The Brits

 

Leading into the opening round of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship, which will be played out at the magnificent Matterley Basin circuit in the south of England on February 29 and March 1, we decided to give the greatest British rider of all time, Dave Thorpe a call.

Now we have interviewed Mr. Thorpe a number of times, talking about his career, but this time, we decided to ask him about the other leading British riders he either watched, raced, or on some occasions managed in his team.

Thorpe obviously also runs his own team in the British Motocross Championship, the BuildBase Honda team. We also asked him how things are leading into the new season, for the team.

MXlarge: Firstly, I wanted to ask how the dynamics of the team are, because you have a really nice team for 2020 with Jake Nicolls and Tommy Searle. How are they doing together, two strong characters?

Thorpe: Well, we have three also with Steven (Clarke) as well, and we have had a good winter to be honest. We were in Spain before Hawkstone Park and we are off to Spain again now. The guys have been good, and the bikes have been amazing. We have had a good winter for riding and testing and slowly getting ready for the season. Hawkstone was a bit early, because the first round of the British is a long way off.

MXlarge: Do Jakes and Tommy practice together and can you tell who is faster at the moment?

Thorpe: It is funny really, because there is a little thing on social media between the two. Jake has this amazing facility at his house and Tommy would drop a note if he saw Jake riding there with other people and jokingly ask for an invite. The other day we had a practice bike at Jakes and Tommy’s mechanic picked it up and Tommy wrote we had to wait an hour (to pick the bike up), surely is worth an invite now. We had that little bit of banter and it is brilliant. The answer to your question about who is quicker, when we were in Spain, and I am not sure if they do it consciously or not, they don’t really ride too much track time together. Normally one is in and one is out, and I was there back in the day (during his career) and do you really want to put yourself up against somebody when you are focusing on the testing and the engine? You want to focus on what you are doing rather than lap times; it is all part of the sport really.

MXlarge: If you look at it, Tommy has the better credentials, but Jake is a bit of a bulldog isn’t he and doesn’t want to give the better credentialed guy the upper hand.

Thorpe: Yes, but we see them as equals, they get the same testing time, the same time from everybody. At the end of the day, they will be judged on their end of season results.

MXlarge: Obviously every year this time I do an interview and ask you stuff about your career. I thought maybe this time we do something different and ask you about British riders that might have had an influence on your career, or guys who you have worked with, or the current crop of GP riders. So, my first question is, did you see the first British World champion Jeff Smith race (two-time World motocross champion)?

Thorpe: No, I did see him race and I was young. More my memory is Vic Eastwood, Vic Allen, John Banks, Andy Robertson and Stuart Nunn. When I was a little lad, my dad used to take me to the race and get there early to get in for free, and he would just say, I see you back at the car at four o’clock. I was 8 years old and you wouldn’t do that now.

MXlarge: Tell me, because I was talking to somebody the other day about it. If I see Jeff Leisk, or any of the leading Australian riders from when I was younger, I am really nervous to approach them, because they were my heroes, but I can easily talk to you, or Stefan (Everts) or any of the great champions. Now you are one of the all-time greats, but do you get nervous talking to some of the older British riders, from when you were a kid?

Thorpe: No, because I was really lucky as a kid, because my Dad worked in a big motorcycle shop, that sold Bultaco’s. My Dad used to take me to the shop, and I would sit in the corner and watch everything going on, so I was always around those guys, and they have always been helpful and kind.

MXlarge: Who was your first favourite British rider?

Thorpe: It would have to be Graham (Noyce), without and shadow of a doubt. As a youngster growing up, when Graham won his World title in 1979 for Honda, it was a massive thing.

MXLarge: How old were you then, like 15?

Thorpe: In 1979 I was 16 or 17.

MXLarge: Tell me about him, I remember him in his Honda gear and how cool he looked. I remember you once told me that Graham also taught you things no to do, because he did have that party boy character, but that wasn’t all he taught you was it?

Thorpe: You say that, but Graham had an amazing work ethic, and while he liked to have a lot of fun and a bit of a party, he worked hard, and he raced hard, and right until the end. You could never fault his determination. When he broke his leg, shortly after he won his World championship, that was really unfortunate. When you look back on your career and I am sure he does, there was a championship that got away then.

MXlarge: I remember being a kid at the races and seeing Roger De Coster on the podium at a big race in Australia. He looked so cool and he had the podiums girls around him all looking flirtingly at him. Can you remember moments like that with Noyce, because he was also a pretty good-looking man and knew how to get the girls attentions?

Thorpe: Oh, absolutely. One of the big races I used to attend as a kid was the Hans Grand International, held on Good Friday. You used to have Graham, Roger, Sylvain Geboers, Joel Robert and the riders they had them was amazing. I used to look at them and they just had something, that extra little bit everywhere. It was an early season race and I always used to think they are probably not pushing, but it was just amazing a little kid growing up.

MXlarge: Kurt Nicol was, I think the guy who without doubt should have won a World championship and never did. What is your memory of Kurt?

Thorpe: Oh, Kurt, in the beginning, when we were all on Hondas, that was the bike to be on and it helped all the Honda riders, we had a big advantage. The World championship that got away from Kurt was when he broke his leg in Holland. He would have had a title there and people forget he was remarkable in the 250 class. His work ethic was second to none and what he finally understood what was needed in physical training, then he really dialled himself in.

MXlarge: Obviously you won championships and Kurt didn’t, was there any sort of animosity or fighting on the track between you two?

Thorpe: No, I would imagine Kurt was one of these guys, I mean, I remember seeing a picture of Kurt with a punching bag and my face was on it. He had that mentality, but for me, I am an aggressive person, but I didn’t need to do that type of thing, because it was all in my head. We had some skirmishes and some words when we were younger, but as we grew up racing against each other, it was always pretty good really.

MXLarge: What you see in sportsmen, when they retire, the level of respect for their rivals is usually massive.

Thorpe: Yes, and I like that. When Eric (Geboers) and George (Jobe) were alive we had a great relationship and that is the key for me. You race hard all your life and then you can be friends and laugh and joke.

MXLarge: After Kurt there was Maler and what about Maler, because I saw him racing at Vimmerby in 1990 at the Motocross des Nations and I remember thinking, wow, this guy is good. He seemed to have the talent without question?

Thorpe: I mean, at that time, you had James Dobb and Paul Malin in the British scene and they were super competitive, and James went on to win a World title and Paul went on and almost won a World title. I guess, anybody who runs top four or five in the World championship is very good and anyone who wins a World championship has that extra bit. When James was focused, he won a World championship and that will never be taken away from him.

MXLarge: It is funny with James, because I followed the 125cc championship when you had the Honda team, and he rode for you. What I remember from James was he made excuses when things didn’t go right and sometimes seemed not that fit. Like you said that year he won the championship, even the year before against Langston and Brown, he was so fast, and the following year in the early going in the 250 class, he was really focused and on it. What is your opinion of James back then?

Thorpe: You know, if you look at a lot of peoples history, taking away people like Stefan, or Pichon, who did it week in and week out and there were other people who had signs of brilliance, and with James when everything was good, it went really good and when it went bad, it went really bad. When he was really on it, he was amazing.

MXlarge: Was James difficult to deal with when it went wrong?

Thorpe: No, James rode for me and he would be the first to admit his physical condition wasn’t that great, but when he went to KTM, he really started to understand the benefits of being in good shape.  With Maler, I don’t know for sure if he ever really had the raw speed. While James maybe had more of a package.

MXlarge: Since James won in 2001, Britain hasn’t had a World champion and you could only really put Tommy Searle in the list of guys who came close but didn’t get it. He had like 14 GP wins and battled Herlings in 2012.

Thorpe: I think the thing with Tommy, if you look at his career, he finished second in the World and then went to America. Had he stayed in Europe, would he have won a World championship, who knows. That was his window of opportunity. Riders make decisions for the reasons that suit them.

MXlarge: I guess Ben Watson is the guy who has a chance to win a World championship from the current crop of Grand Prix riders. There is a lot of older guys, but do you think Ben is the next guy with a chance?

Thorpe: Ben is definitely in with a chance. He is in a difficult class, and he is in a brilliant team, which is important, and he has the potential to do it. With the age restrictions it is difficult, with a lot of pressure when they get to around 22, but he has potential to do it, and he has the right team, and that makes a difference.