FORMER World Motocross Champion Dave Thorpe is to race a Honda Africa Twin at this year’s Weston Beach Race.
Dave Thorpe is perhaps better known these days as the man behind the Honda Off-Road Centre in Wales, which is where he gets spends time riding and teaching off-road novices on the Africa Twin.
During that time he also raced (and won) Weston but this year’s challenge is a fresh one for Thorpe who won four world and six British motocross championship titles during the 80s. Thorpe will line up on Africa Twins with former British Champion and GP MX racer, Stephen Sword.
It shows a certain amount of confidence in the Africa Twin that the pair would enter the bike in this notoriously difficult race but having checked the rules, the Honda-men decided to give the annual beach race shot, but not take to too seriously: “It’s a unique event for the UK, as there is nothing quite like Weston. I’ve seen it grow, and I love how it’s all about the people; you can have a world champion racing against a normal club rider. It’s a huge spectacle to watch and of course the start is a real eye opener.
“We looked into it and decided to race the Africa Twin. Sure, as a race team (Buildbase Honda MX team) we have our riders that are looking for a win, so we will try not to get in their way, but for Stephen and I it’s about showcasing the Africa Twin and having some fun. Clearly we won’t be out there to win, as we will be just trying to survive.”
Beach racing is a tough sport and the three-hour event at Weston is famously difficult on bikes and riders. “The first hour will be fun, the second hour will be a challenge and the third will be hard work. We’ll just be aiming to stay on and enjoy it,” concluded Thorpe.
The Weston Beach Race is a mighty event that draws spectators in huge numbers to Weston-Super-Mare. This year’s event takes place 7-9th October
