King David ‘Torq’s Moto’
The Torq Moto Podcast Show driven by Talon welcomes three-time 500cc World and multiple British champion David Thorpe as this week’s guest. With so much to talk about with hosts ‘Jeffro’ Perrett and Doc Wob on his amazing career and his opinions on the here and now of motocross this will be the first instalment of two for the Dave Thorpe interview.
No doubt about it, Thorpe is the ‘King’ of UK motocross royalty as Great Britain’s most successful rider on the world stage and here in the first episode he talks about the journey to the very top and that first world 500cc crown back in 1985. The trio discuss the early years of his career and how it all started as a young kid living in Surrey and the influence of his parents, particularly his father Keith who was his mechanic for virtually all of his racing career. ‘DT’ talks about the finer details of his youth and amateur career that feature in his recently released book 'No Regrets…. well almost’ and the decision to focus on motocross instead of football that set him on the way as a motocross icon and those epic and glory days of 500cc World championship motocross in the eighties.
All the good stuff on his career up to the end of 1985 is here, from his time racing for Honda with dispensation to race the AMCA at 15, through to his first stint with Kawasaki and working with Alec Wright before going back to Honda and signing with HRC and the pressures and expectation that came with that. Dave talks openly about potentially losing his HRC factory ride in the latter part of 1984 before turning it around in style by winning the last six races of the season, starting with a 1-1 victory at the British GP at Hawkstone Park that ultimately secured his ride with Honda and gave him the platform to go on to win his three world titles and repay their faith in him.
Episode one of the ‘Dave Thorpe’ Interview on the Torq Moto Podcast Show driven by Talon is available on Apple and Spotify and will be aired on the Torq Moto KZfaq channel this Thursday at ????. Episode two picks up Dave’s career from the beginning of 1986 with the target of that #1 on his back to his thoughts on current day motocross and his role with Honda and will drop next month.