With the World Vets Motocross set to be run on July 20 and 21, a long list of legends will be racing at the Farleigh Castle circuit. Now, we all know names like Sebastien Tortelli, Jeff Emig, James Dobb, Doug Henry, Kurt Nicoll, Rob Herring, Tommy Searle, Billy Mackenzie, Mike Brown, Mark Eastwood and many more will make this an exciting weekend, but maybe the biggest legend of the weekend is in fact, the magical Farleigh Castle circuit itself.

For tickets for the World Vets Motocross on July 20 and 21, you can go HERE. The chance to attend this magnificent circuit, a place that so many legends made their own. A special place and on July 20 and 21, its your chance to relive some of those magical memories.

A regular on the Grand Prix calendar back in the day, all the way back to the 1960s and a place that legends were made with British heroes like Jeff Smith, Vic Eastwood, Graham Noyce and most of all, Dave Thorpe giving the always huge spectator turn-out something to celebrate.

Thorpe had some of his greatest moments at Farleigh and with the World Vets Motocross just around the corner, we gave Thorpe, the greatest British motocross race of all time a call and asked him about his memories of the legendary circuit.

MXLarge: Dave, you have told me so many great stories about Farleigh, but I remember you telling me a story about how you were on your way to the start-line and got very emotional from the reception you got from the fans. That was Farleigh, right?

Thorpe: Yes, that was Farleigh in 1985. The championship was coming down to the final stage between Andre (Malherbe) and myself. I mean, the crowd that day, I cued for 15 minutes, and I thought I got there early. It was just buzzing the whole day, absolutely buzzing. There was a fair amount of pressure for the home guys at their home GP, as there always is. On the way down to the start line, they all had their hands out, so they were banging hands, and they were cheering, and it just got the better of me really, just for a split second. You want to do it for yourself, but also for the fans and emotionally, sometimes it is hard to control. I had to take my goggles off to wipe my eyes.

MXLarge: I can imagine you have had that after winning moto or a championship, but had you had it before a race?

Thorpe: No, never and I hadn’t been in that situation before, you know, fighting for a championship. I had won the British Grand Prix at Hawkstone Park the year before, but at that point, I wasn’t really a contender. Farleigh that year, I was a contender. Farleigh holds some great memories for me. A lot of people forget, I won my first Grand Prix race there on the Kawasaki and I have had some great times there and really happy memories. Not least, because it is a typical British track, it has cambers, it is grassy, the dirt and we always get a massive crowd.

MXLarge: The one you crashed and came through the field, which is one I have read a lot about and people still talk about that race, some 40 years after it happened.

Thorpe: Yes, that was in 1985. I went into the first turn, not at the sharp end, just behind the first few and as you know, it’s a dogleg around that tree. Merv (Anstie) got tapped on his inside, which pushed him straight, which pushed me straight and next thing I know, I was pushed through the ropes and ended upside down and in the crowd. At that point, any Grand Prix rider will tell you, you have a quick flash in your mind about the last nine months of work gone down the drain. I managed to pick myself up, I did have man jump the fence, and I yelled to him not to help me, because as you know, you cannot have outside assistance. Fortunately, the bike fired into life quickly and I got lucky really, because it started to rain and the people at the front were maybe cautious and me from the back, with all the adrenaline, there was no caution. I rode 10/10th those first few laps.

MXlarge: Was that your greatest race ever?

Thorpe: I would say, yes!! You don’t see that very often in Grand Prix, somebody coming from the back to the front that quickly. I was ever so conscious that if a guy got 10 or 15 seconds ahead, they were a hard guy to pull in and you see that now also. If you can narrow that gap quickly, then everything can be worked out.

MXlarge: Last question and thanks for your time, Dave It seems like you don’t do any of that type of veteran races anymore. Would anything bring you back, or are you done with racing forever?

Thorpe: You know Geoff, I am lucky, with the things I have at the moment, with the schools, the Off-road centre and the adventure riding, I get my fix from riding weekly. My dad is also a big part of why I don’t race, because if I mention to him that I might race, he looks at me and says, “what are you doing that for Dave.” And that is what he says, and I look at him and I realize he has a point. I am at a good place, I can run, I can cycle and swim and do nice things with my family. When he says you don’t need to do that Dave, I get it. Racing is a distant memory now.