DocWob is a very well-known figure around the Grand Prix paddock, in fact Doc is pretty much well known all around the World. Having been a GP mechanic back in the day, then a goggle man in America and Europe and now running not only a very successful parts business, but also one of the men behind the famous VMXdN, run at the legendary Foxhill circuit on August 24 and 25.

We caught up with our old friend, who’s real name is Robin Walters, and he spoke about the growth of the VMXdN and veterans’ motocross in general. Some big news coming in the future about the veterans racing in the UK, but for now, we just speak about what is happening in 2024.

MXLarge: Tell me, when was your first trip to Foxhill?

DobWob: It would have been 1992, 93.

MXlarge: Around the same time as me.

DocWob: No, wait a minute, I was there with Colin Thomas in 1985.

MXlarge: When did Foxhill start, because I can’t even remember?

DocWob: Foxhill, started getting better around the time the 500cc GPs started tapering off and the 250s and 125s were getting good. The factories started pulling out support for the 500s, because they stopped selling them basically. It was early 90s, they started getting big at Foxhill, because as you know, the GPs used to be 125s in Germany, 500s in France or 250s in England, so they you suddenly they had the double headers at Foxhill, with the likes of Trampas Parker, Bobby Moore, Puzar, those guys never rode 500s, so the early 90s the events we remember so well from Foxhill.

MXLarge: I moved to Europe in 1993 and I had been to the Nations or USGPs before in the 80s, but my first ever European GP was Foxhill in 1994, the year Bobby Moore won and I remember just pulling up, setting up my tent on the spectator hill and leaving it sitting there for the day as I went off taking photos or interviews. It is a lot different now.

DocWob: Yes, back in those days, health and safety wasn’t like it is now. We have to be so aware of health and safety, access, fire, we have to jump through hoops with that stuff. Which is more drama than it used to be. I remember, you used to just tip up, park and nobody cared. I always wonder how they go so many people into Foxhill for the GPs, but nobody was keeping an eye on where people parked or pitched their tent. Farmers would give you fields, but now you have to have rules for people walking down the road. It’s a different time now kid.

MXlarge: As you said, the double headers were very special.

Docwob: The double headers in the mid-90s, when you had Malin winning there against Tortelli, Carl Nunn did well there, Brits often did well there and the place would just erupt, wouldn’t it. The valley would just be alive, and the commentary would all wind the crowd up and be it Malin or Nunn, they would just step it up.

MXLarge: I am a bit older than you, but we are a similar age and I had only arrived in Europe in the early 90s, so it was a really big deal for me, but that era, with Everts on the Honda, Tortelli, Vohland, Beirer, Albertyn, Chiodi, Puzar, Parker, what an era. The two strokes, it was just sensational.

Docwob: I was involved in the 1980s (as a mechanic in GP), but for me, it didn’t really pick up for me until the 1990s. It started getting really rock star like. Also, in American, McGrath came on board, and I know there were guys like Rick Johnson before, but for me, the 90s was a golden era for me. It seemed as though; you had McGrath and Emig in the states and Everts and Tortelli and a lot of factory involvement. Bigger crowds and, it was just great. Everyone likes the nostalgia from the 1990s.

MXLarge: For me, to continue to bring in new fans isn’t easy. I mean, we have a core fan base, but a lot of that is from our era, or even the 1980s. I see a lot of older people following motocross, similar to how it is in British Speedway, so I think all those people love events like your one, because for old bastards like us, that was a very time in our lives.

DocWob: Yes, but what might surprise you, we sell out of small, kids t-shirts. I think you might find there a lot of guys, who went to Foxhill as teenagers are taking their kids to the motocross.

MXLarge: Your type of event, or the Arenacross festival or the Arenacross series, its more of a novelty, or special event, rather than say the British championship, which, to be honest seems a bit boring compared to the old days, so less impressive for fans to go. The VMXdN gets a huge crowd, maybe because it’s a one-off event and not a drawn-out series?

DocWob: Unless you are following a series and know the rules and who had done what, then its hard to follow. I am an F1 fan and if you don’t pay attention about the tyre degradation and other things that are happening, you have no idea what is going on. So, if you come to Foxhill, it is a one-day event and it’s easy to follow each race. You can say this guy has won and this guy is second- and one-off events have that strength. We do have something coming next year, I can’t say what it is, but it will be big. This year we are doing Farleigh again, but there is more to come in 2025. I can’t tell what is coming.

MXlarge: Two or three of the veterans I have interviews recently, mention how cool it would be to have a World championship series for veterans, I think it might have been Jeff Emig who mentioned it or maybe Kurt Nicoll, but that would be cool, as long as it didn’t become to expensive for the riders. I mean, look at Loretta Lynn’s with the veteran races, so cool to watch.

DocWob: Veterans are getting bigger and bigger, and everyone is seeing what we are doing and not jumping on the bandwagon, but they can see its working. There are British championship rounds being cancelled because of lack of entries, yet when we open our entries, they are sold out within a few hours. Its like trying to get Taylor Swift tickets.

MXLarge: I guess, because it is a one-off, you can invest your money for the bike and a weekend of fun, and it isn’t too expensive, but if you are doing a full British championship series, then it can be expensive, maybe that is it?

DocWob: You know, with Foxhill VMXdN, we are the only race running in the UK on that weekend, which is also why we get a crowd.

MXlarge: It used to be like that in the 1980s wasn’t it, that if a GP was on, nobody else raced on that weekend?

DocWob: Back in the day, you couldn’t even go practicing, because everyone was at the Grand Prix, at Farleigh or Hawkstone Park or wherever. Now a GP weekends, people are racing all around the country on that weekend.

MXlarge: There is a lot going on in England, with the new British championship set-up for 2025, the expansion of the Arenacross series to other places around the World, obviously your VMXdN event and a bunch of other one-off races. It seems like we might start to see a bit of a boost for the British fans and riders in the coming years.

DocWob: Arenacross is a really good series, and it fills a massive gap, because there is nothing to do in the winter. A lot of people who follow Arenacross, don’t race, but an outdoor vets’ races, they have bikes, and race, but the Arenacross is more like a supercross crowd, which is good, because it brings people to our sport. Matt does an amazing job.

MXlarge: We see the British championship will be live streamed in 2025, which is huge in my opinion, and I know you live-stream your event. How big is that for the event and the sport in general?

DocWob: We have live streamed the races since day one. The first year we mentioned it late, because we didn’t want people not turning up and just watching it online, but its huge how. We have huge numbers from Australia, America, all around the World. For potential sponsors, it is impressive.