DAVE THORPE - MY RIDE, MY LIFE
It was in the ‘80s that David Thorpe wrote his name in the book of motorcycling racing legends: he was crowned 500cc Motocross World Champion not just once but three times in 1985, 1986 and 1989 competing against the likes of Eric Geboers and André Malherbe, the legend talks about this time...
Growing up, two wheels wasn’t the only thing in Dave Thorpe's life, for an eventual three-time 500cc motocross world champion, it was football. An opportunity with Queen’s Park Rangers nearly lead him down a path away from motorsport.
So two wheels it was for David where his parents helped him on the road to success, his dad was always his mechanic and his late mum, who didn’t tend to come to the races, moulded him into the person he is today to tackle the mindset of winning and losing.
It was a course at Hawkstone Park training school when he was just 13 years of age which was a defining moment in his life as the legendary Roger Harvey was his instructor one day.
It was in the ‘80s that David Thorpe wrote his name in the book of motorcycling racing legends: he was crowned 500cc World Champion not just once but three times in 1985, 1986 and 1989 competing against the likes of Eric Geboers and André Malherbe.
Racing for Honda Racing Corporation on the RC500, it was a bike that wasn’t for the fainthearted.
As Honda UK’s Crendon Fastrack Honda Racing motocross race team boss, the change from rider to team manager hasn’t always been plain sailing and the adjustment was difficult at the beginning.
Running a team is not the only thing keeping him busy, his Adventure and Off-Road Centre based in Exmoor National Park also has ties with Honda, the brand that have been so prominent in his life. What came to him was an idea to be able to try out off-road bikes, a sort of ‘try before you buy’ that you can do with road bikes at a dealership.
Riding his Honda Africa Twin is something he enjoys and a trip to the volcanic landscapes of Iceland was one of the most exciting two weeks of his life that he’s had on a motorcycle as he joined Monster Energy Honda Team riders, 2020 Dakar winner Ricky Brabec, Adrien Van Beveren and Nacho Cornejo for Honda’s Adventure Roads event.
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