The Motorbike Archives

The Grand Prix season consists of 12 events spread out across the breath of Europe - with one sojourn to America - and to win the Championship, a rider had to fend off the competition, illness, mechanical plagues and mental letdowns from spring until fall.

FIRST GP: AUSTRIA

Three-time 500 World Champ Andre Malherbe started his title defense in Austria with double moto victories. Dave Thorpe showed the consistency he is famous for with two easy seconds. Another British rider, Jem Whatley, shocked everyone with dual thirds.

American rider Danny "Magoo" Chandler went 4-DNF.

SECOND ROUND: FRANCE

David Thorpe dominated France, but Magoo got the gold. Thorpe led the first moto only to blow a tranny with a few laps left.  Magoo, who had routed Malherbe in a rousing battle, eagerly jumped on the first moto victory and backed it up with a second to earn his first GP overall, Malherbe went 2-DNF, while Thorpe won the second moto for a DNF-1.

ROUND THREE: SWEDEN

When the GP circus hit the Scandinavian climes, Eric Geboers romped to a double moto win in Vasteras, Sweden. The former 125 World Champ looked like a threat to his Honda teammates, Thorpe and Malherbe. Thorpe bested Andre with a 2-2 outside of Stockholm, while Malherbe took a 4-3. Danny Chandler was a consistent 5-4.

FOURTH EVENT: FINLAND

Eric Geboers continued his rapid rise to the top of the charts by winning the Finnish Grand Prix at the airport circuit outside of Helsinki. Geboers' 2-1 nipped Honda team­mate Andre Malherbe's 1-2. Magoo was a close third in the first moto but fell victim to the flu in the second moto and was carried from the track. The third member of the Honda team, David Thorpe, took up Magoo's position in third overall with a 4-5.

American Danny LaPorte rode the Fin­nish Grand Prix and scored a strong fourth in the second moto.

ROUND FIVE: ITALY

After four rounds, Andre Malherbe had 122 points, Eric Geboers was two points behind, and David Thorpe was 12 GP points adrift. Magoo was a distant fourth.

Thorpe got a big lift in Italy when he won both motos, and Malherbe DNF'd the first moto with a flat tire. Geboers went 2-4 and was still two points behind the Grand Prix leader, but that leader was now David Thorpe.

Magoo's season began to unravel. His KTM shock linkage broke, sending him flying down the track and out of the next three GPs. Shoulder and ankle injuries lingered the rest of the season.

SIXTH NATION: SPAIN

Andre Malherbe was only 13 points in the hole and began to elevate himself by winning both motos in Spain. Georges Jobe, the former 250 Champion who is the Kawasaki team leader, came to Andre's aid by placing himself in second place for both motos, be­tween Andre and the howling hounds of Thorpe and Geboers. Thorpe now led his Belgian rival, Malherbe, by only one point. Geboers had a bad day in Spain with a 3-DNF, but it was to get much worse for the spunky little Belgian.

AT THE HALFWAY POINT: BACK AT THE RANCH

With six of the 12 nations already visited, the World Championship was solidly in the hands of Team Honda. Thorpe led with 180 points, Malherbe had 179 points, and Eric Geboers was close with 165 points. The next closest pursuer hadn't cracked the cen­tury mark yet. But the tough countries were still to come. The deep sand of Holland, concrete adobe of California, summer humidity of England, rabid fans of Belgium, bad organization of Luxembourg and the fateful showdown in Switzerland. The story continues…

SEVENTH ROUND: HOLLAND

Sand is a difficult problem to master, but in Holland Andre Malherbe was on top of it. Unfortunately, David Thorpe came away the victor. After a first-moto victory at Valkenswaard, Holland, trouble sent Andre reeling to a fourth place in moto two. Thorpe, ever consistent, picked up the pieces, the marbles and the Dutch gold with a 2-1. Thorpe was now six slim points ahead of his rival. Their relationship as friends and teammates was reaching low ebb. For the third Honda teammate, Eric Geboers, the season had reached its lowest ebb. A broken ankle ended his chances for the title. With Geboers out because of an ankle injury and Magoo having to miss Italy, Spain and Holland, only Thorpe or Malherbe could win the crown.

EIGHTH INNING: UNITED STATES

David Thorpe won the 500 World Championship at Carlsbad. The young' Brit didn't win the race, nor did he take an insurmount­able points lead over Malherbe, but his per­formance in America crushed Andre Malherbe. From the USA on, Malherbe knew that in order for him to win, something bad had to happen to Thorpe.

There were two shocking surprises at Carlsbad. First, Geboers showed up to ride. His broken ankle had been pinned and screwed together, and the brave little Belgian had come to try. His 7-5 is testament to his courage. And secondly, Magoo, who was triumphant at Carlsbad in 1982, didn't even finish two laps before mechanical problems forced him to retire from both motos.

David Bailey and Broc Glover's dominance of the USGP took some fire out of the World Championship ovens, but the battle moved on.

GP NUMBER NINE: GREAT BRITAIN

Thorpe came home with a points lead and a vow to maintain that lead. At Farleigh Castle he did just that as he and Malherbe split first and second. The quality of the field had deteriorated behind Thorpe and Malherbe, and that favored Thorpe. There was no one left who was fast enough to come to Malherbe's aid and push the British rider downfield. In Great Britain, Michelle Margarotto, Mervin Anstie, Kurt Ljungqvist, Michael Heutz and Werner Siegle all scored top ten points.

Magoo Chandler DNF'd both motos.

ROUND TEN: BELGIUM

The Belgian Grand Prix at Namur is only 12 miles from Andre Malherbe's ancestral home. He was expected to win there. The first moto was the "Malherbe Show" as he cleanly won after holding off a valiant challenge by the still-injured Geboers. But Geboers crashed and was taken to the hospital to have his broken ankle looked at again, and Thorpe rode home a safe second. In the second moto under a falling drizzle, Thorpe passed Malherbe on the first lap and disappeared. For the second week in a row, the two contenders tied, with the victory going to Thorpe.

Magoo went 5-4. And in his first top ten finish of 1985, Hakan Carlqvist finished third in the second moto.

ELEVENTH GP: LUXEMBOURG

Geboers couldn't start at Luxembourg because of his ankle; Georges Jobe dropped out with a broken nose (sustained during practice), and young Jem Whatley, who had looked so good at the beginning of the season, broke his wrist, also in practice. Thorpe and Malherbe were on their own, and they put on a show in the first moto with a back-and forth seesaw battle. Thorpe finally won the first moto. Leif Persson, on a works Yamaha, was third in the first moto, with Magoo fourth.

The second moto in Luxembourg was the same exciting, take-no-prisoners battle, a duel to the death, but the victory went to Malherbe, and for the third GP in a row, the two riders tied on points. With one race re­maining, the Championship was firmly in the hands of Thorpe. Malherbe wished him ill fate, but it was not to be.

LAST ROUND: SWITZERLAND

As the 500cc World Motocross Championship reached its climax in Wohlen, Switzerland, David Thorpe knew he had the Championship won. In the three Grands Prix following Malherbe's collapse of determination in America, each rider had three wins and three seconds.

"There are only 15 points between us," said Malherbe before practice in Switzerland. "One mistake from David or a little bad luck, and I will be back in front. I feel I can win the GP. The World Championship will go to the last moto!"

Thorpe had a strategy planned. "I've been preparing for this final GP in the same way as the others, and I will ride my normal race. Playing it safe causes you to lose concentration and can cause all kinds of problems. I only have to watch out for Andre, and he will be in front of me."

THE FINAL CHAPTER: MOTO ONE

Heavy rains the night before and during the race left the mountainous Wohlen track a sticky morass of mud. With the pressure on the two stars, Leif Persson surprised everyone by hole-shotting the first moto.  (Yamaha's team was all but useless this season. Carlqvist and Persson spent as much time in the recovery room as on the race track, and neither man was in the top ten.) Eric Geboers started in second, broken ankle and all; Thorpe was third and Malherbe was fourth.

Thorpe decided he didn't want Malherbe behind him. There had been a growing sentiment of bad blood between the likable Englishman and the brooding Belgian, and Thorpey didn't want to risk a replay of 1980, when Malherbe took out Brad Lackey at the final GP in a first-turn shunt. But rather than move over and let Andre by in the pouring rain, Thorpe attacked. IT SHOCKED THEM

It shocked Malherbe, and he didn't respond. Thorpe was quickly past Geboers and Persson and pulling away. If Thorpe won the moto and Malherbe finished fourth, Thorpe wouldn't even have to ride moto two. He'd be champ. But on the final lap Eric Geboers stalled his motor, and Malherbe finished third. They had to go another round.

THE BRITISH FANS GET UNRULY

Malherbe had to win the second moto, and something devastating had to befall Thorpe. The British fans were celebrating even before the start of the second moto. But when Malherbe holeshot and Thorpe crept around the track as if something was wrong, they stopped their cheering.

The British rooters yelled at Thorpe to pick up the pace. They feared mechanical problems. They feared that Malherbe might come up behind Thorpe to lap him and do something. They feared every nook, cranny and mud bog at Wohlen. Thorpe's attack attitude was replaced with a creepy-crawly approach. He was going to win the 500 World Championship, even if it took a snail's pace to do it.

Malherbe won the moto, but nobody cared. Thorpe won the title, got carried around. on the fans' shoulders, had the Union Jack draped over his shoulders, and cried tears of joy.

And when the shouting and parading were all over, something had happened. Britain got its first World Championship in five years; Andre Malherbe's dream of seven 500 titles was put on hold for another year (plus four); Eric Geboers was carried back to the hospital (he had regained third place in the standings by riding a third of the season with a broken ankle); and Honda had finished one-two-three in a press agent's dream.■

DAVE THORPE

MXA: Congratulations on your first 500 World title. How does it feel to be King David?

Dave: I'm very, very happy with my title, but I think it will take a couple days before realise what happened to me. At the moment I'm too confused and mixed up from everything that has happened in the last hour. What a race!

MXA: Tell us about it.

Dave: I felt very confident before the first-moto start, and when I came into the lead, it wasn't very difficult anymore. I was expecting Andre at any moment to be on my rear wheel, but it didn't happen. I heard he had some visibility problems. He threw away his goggles halfway through the race. In those weather circumstances it means that you are out. The mixture of dust and mud burns your eyes.

In the second moto I knew I was only one point away from the World title, but when Andre holeshot the second moto, I knew it was going to be difficult to beat him. For the first time I started racing very defensively. With no more than six laps to go, I was becoming more and more nervous. I never raced so slow, and I never made so many mistakes. The last two laps seemed to go on forever. When I passed the checkers, it was like heaven.

MXA: How difficult was it to beat one of your own teammates? After Valkenswaard, Malherbe said you rode “dirty”.

Dave: I get along pretty well with Andre and Eric. We talk to each other; but that's it. In the race they are just competitors, and in my case they happened to be the strongest men to beat. Andre and I were the strongest riders in this World Championship Take all the equal points standings and you have a new record in MX history I won the World Championship, and that's it!

MXA: And Honda scored a unique one-two-three in the 500 World Championships.

Dave: Well, Honda won the manufacturer's title and placed one-two-three in the final points standings. This is just the crown on their many years of hard work. Honda didn’t favour any man. The three of us received identical support throughout the season, and their "team tactics" worked out better than expected, I think.

MXA: What will your first 500 World title mean to England?

Dave: Well, Motocross has been getting more popular in the last couple of years, but as far as the media, it doesn't mean anything. This year BBC (the British television network) covered the English Farleigh Castle 500 GP but that was the one and only time in a complete season. I think, with winning the World Championship, there will be some changes in the near future. If the sport would be recognised by more people, I think indirectly it would help it grow.

MXA: Malherbe said in the beginning of the year that he wanted to win seven 500 World titles.

Dave: Well, to do that, he will have to beat me (laughs).

DANNY CHANDLER

MXA: In the beginning of the season, you shocked the world by winning the French GP, but after that, you dropped far back in the points standings. What happened?

Magoo: At the Swedish GPI scored a 5-4 and in Finland a 3-DNF. In Italy the connecting bolt from the suspension linkage came off during the race. I almost jumped the bike in half. After that crash, I was out for the Spanish GP the week after. I tried again in Holland, but during the Saturday qualifiers, I couldn't stand the pain, so I decided not to race and got packed for Carls­bad. Well, Carlsbad was just another bad experience.

Two weeks later we traveled to Great Britain. I wanted to do well for all the people who helped me come to Europe, but it turned out as disastrous as the previous races. I DNF'd both motos. It was the fifth GP in a row where I didn't score one simple point. In Belgium and Luxembourg things worked out pretty well. On the Citadel of Namur, I had a good start but made a little mistake in the woods. I dropped back to seventh place and came back to fifth. In the second moto I started around eighth place and moved up to fourth. Hakan Carlqvist was in front of me. I was third overall, and that made me feel good again. But the Citadel is such a unique place. When I made my first lap during practice, I thought I lost my way kept thinking, "Where is the track?" Compared to Namur, Carlsbad was a piece of cake And then came Luxembourg, and Dave Thorpe told me it was a "schoolboy's track " It was very narrow and bumpy. I had two good starts and was third overall again, But in Switzerland I was really unlucky During the free practice on Saturday morning, some guy crashed into the fence, and a part of it landed on my hand. At first I thought I had cut off my finger. My hand was swollen, and it was impossible to race on Sunday I stayed in Wohlen as a spectator and watched Thorpe win the World Championship. I was happy for him.

MXA: During the 1985 World Cham­pionships, Thorpe and you seemed to get along pretty well with each other.

Magoo: Thorpe is a good friend now. He's a very nice guy, and so is his dad. When I had the Swiss accident, he came to see me right after practice. It made me feel better.

MXA: In the final points standings you finished seventh. Are you now telling yourself, "That's it, enough is enough. No more Europe for me anymore"?

Magoo: No, not at all. I think I proved I could do much better than that. I was a little bit unlucky, but I didn't race a bad season. I'll come back next year; and I'll be more motivated than I was this year. I made a lot of friends, and I want to thank all my spon­sors and the people who helped me to realize my European trip.

MXA: Why did you cut your hair in that Mohawk?

Magoo: (Starts laughing) Well, I made a bet with Eric Geboers. He said that I wouldn't dare to do it. I said that for 100 bucks I'd do it." And that was it!