DAVE THORPE – BRITISH LEGEND

There is no doubt, Dave Thorpe is the King of British motocross. With three World 500cc championships to his name, not to mention 22 Grand Prix victories, Thorpe is one of the sports all time greats. When you consider his oppositions was names like Eric Geboers, Andre Malherbe, Georges Jobe, Kurt Nicoll, Hakan Carlqvist and Graham Noyce, you know his championships came after big fights and tight struggles.

“I can always remember going to the races with my dad as he rode locally,” Thorpe said of his younger days. “My little bike would be on the back of the trailer. I'd watch him race and then after I’d get to ride a little bit and that was really my treat. You work all your life to be somewhere and when you finally get there and realise that the history books will say that you’re a World Champion, no one can take it away."

A funny story which started the fire to really burn was a day Thorpe attended a training school with MXGP paddock legend, Roger Harvey, who is now an important part of the HRC team, of which Tim Gajser has won five World motocross championships. Thorpe remembers chasing Harvey around at that training day. Harvey was a top ten GP rider in the 125cc class, and the experience showed Thorpe, even at a young age, he had the speed.

“At the end of the day we got to ride the whole track which I'd ridden lots before and Roger (Harvey) rode with us, when he came past me, I wondered if I could keep up with him. At the time, Roger was doing 125cc Grand Prix, so I set off behind him and lost a little bit, gained a little bit and we went over the finish line, he carried on, and I thought, I'll carry on with him. And then I thought, I wonder if he knows I’m here.  Then when we started to come back through the trees, I saw him having a little look, so he knew I was there. We carried on around, I kept up with him and then we got to the finish line again, he carried on but I’m not going to lie my tongue was on the tank!"

Of course, a big part of the career and victories for Thorpe was the stunning HRC factory machines. Bikes that were truly ahead of their time and a level above all the other factory machines in the GP paddock.

“It was without doubt the bike that was four or five years ahead of its time and HRC built a bike that in the wrong hands was an animal, the power was quite frightening at times. I was forever just making my bike more mellow, because I used to rev the bike a lot. If you look at André, Eric and me, we all had the same opportunity in testing, but we kind of all went in different directions, my bike was a four speed; theirs were always a five speed. At that point I realised that if I worked really hard away from the bike, I’d got some pace and that’s where I thought that I'd love to be world champion.”

And now, long into retirement, the name Dave Thorpe still reminds us all, what a legend of the sport he was. As big as his motocross success was, it is now the modest and polite manner of the British legend that makes him some admired by everyone in the sport.

Photo Credit: Adam Duckworth/Honda