Kurt Nicoll might be one of the front men for the World Supercross championship and many current fans might know him for that, or his role as a team manager for KTM for many years, or maybe even his supermoto success in America, but Kurt Nicoll is not only the son of Dave Nicoll, who was himself a very good GP rider, but also a multi-time World number two in the 500cc class in the 1980s and 1990s. He also has 13 Grand Prix victories to his name and multiple successes at the Motocross des Nations.

Nicoll will line up at this years Worldvetsmotocross.com, at the Farleigh Castle circuit in the UK from 18th to 20th July, and while he might be closer to the end of his racing career than the start, he still has a very competitive nature and is driven to do the very best he can do.

Catching up with old rivals and friends like Jeff Emig, Doug Henry, James Dobb, Rob Herring, Mike Brown and many more, it’s a special weekend for anyone who has been around the sport for some time. We caught up with Mr Nicoll and asked him about his career, and the enjoyment of racing at Farleigh Castle.

MXLarge: Farleigh Castle coming up again. This will be your third event, right?

Nicoll: Yes, I have raced both.

MXlarge: How was the progress from racing the first one and the second one, because I heard the event has really build some momentum in the two years it’s been run?

Nicoll: Yes, it was noticeably better. The first year was built as World Vets, but a lot of question would it succeed with the modern bikes, rather than the old bikes. I think it was so good the first year and everyone raved about it and every lineup was packed. More spectators and it just felt like it doubled in size, and I am sure it will again for this year. It is a really fun, event and I am looking forward to it again this year.

MXlarge: It seems like more of a family friendly motocross festival, unlike some of the other vets’ races, which are more like a full-one serious, racing vibe.

Nicoll: Yes, I think the one at Farleigh, the World Vets is more a family feel to it. I am 60 years old, and I don’t want to race younger riders, I want to race people my own age generally. I definitely look forward to racing people from my era. It is just a really enjoyable weekend, chatting with old friends and getting to also race around a famous circuit like Farleigh. I love it.

MXLarge: Farleigh has a lot of memories for you, doesn’t it?

Nicoll: Yes, I mean, Farleigh was the first GP race that I won, and I always did well at Farleigh. I love going back there. It is one of the iconic tracks. A track like that will never be used for a Grand Prix again, because things have moved on. It is nice to look back at old tracks like that, like Namur, Wohlen, Payerne and those places are gone, and Farleigh still remains. I think it is fantastic that we can all get together at a place like Farleigh Castle and reminisce and still be able to love what we are doing.

MXlarge: Funny thing, I did an interview with Jeff Emig a couple of weeks ago and we spoke about some of the highlights of his career and he kept on bringing up Kurt Nicoll, Roggenburg in 1994, Nismes in 1987 and this vets race you did recently At the vets race in America, you beat him in both motos and he called you his nemesis. . I think you are in his head, and you got his number for the World Vets in Farleigh in July.

Nicoll: That’s funny.

MXlarge: I know you were always very good at the Nations, and we all know you won with Team Great Britain in 1994, but how many times did you win individual classes at the Nations?

Nicoll: I won in 1992, 1993, just those two overall individually. I also won a moto in Nismes in 1997 and of course, as you mentioned, we won as a team in 1994. The only reason Jeff and I remember Nismes, because it was billed as who is the fastest guy in the World between Everts and Emig. They had way overwatered the track, as you would remember and I got the holeshot and it was slippery, and muddy and rocky and neither of them could beat me and I was for sure, not the fastest man in the World.

MXLarge: Speaking about the track being really wet and you getting the holeshot, I remember your dad speaking about his single GP win in Luxembourg, where he took the holeshot and the track was really dusty?

Nicoll: Yes, exactly, but the complete opposite, where he just dragged his feet in the dust.

MXLarge: Winning the Nations in 1994, was that the highlight of your career?

Nicoll: Yes. It is something nobody can take away when you win an event like that. What you said about nobody knows who I am now, and you are correct, but everyone still remembers that win, because Great Britain hadn’t won in like 30 years and they haven’t won since.

MXLarge: A lot of the American riders who won with Team USA place a Nations win ahead of their AMA championships wins, which shows what a huge event it was and is?

Nicoll: It is the biggest event on the calendar, even now and I don’t know, its weird, such an individual sport, yet a team event is the highlight. Maybe we crave that team event, because usually we race individually.

MXlarge: You finished second in the World on four occasions. Some riders who have often finished second, like Marnique Bervoets or Sylvain Geboers, they had trouble with that. Is there any regret there, that you never won one of those years?

Nicoll: No, I don’t have any trouble now, because it’s a long time ago. Overall, I won a lot of championships, if not World championships and all through my career I have won championships. It would have been nice to get a World championships, to be in the record books, but there are things I did in my career I wouldn’t change now. I had those four second places in the 500 class and then moved to the 250 class and had I stayed in the 500 class, I would have been overwhelming favourite. I wanted to move to the 250 class, because it was a challenge. Had a raced another four or five years in the 500 class, I would have won one, but I wouldn’t want to have missed out on those three or four years in the 250 class, because it had turned into the premier class back then. It was great times, and I was successful, but finishing on the podium and not winning a World championship is a hole in my CV, buy it doesn’t bother me now.

MXlarge: When you speak about that era, I mean, obviously the 1980s with the factory Honda era, Geboers, Thorpe, Malherbe and Jobe was a huge era, but the 1990’s in the 250 class, was a pretty special era wasn’t it, Everts, Tortelli, Bervoets, Vohland? Was the 250 class even more difficult than the 500 class?

Nicoll: It was a lot deeper when I did it. The 500 class in the 80s had the star riders, Thorpe, Malherbe, Jobe, Geboers, Carlqvist, so many big names, but it wasn’t a really deep class. Those top four or five were good, but then there was a gap, while the 250 class, it was very deep. In 1993 and 1994, it was Albertyn, Everts, Bob Moore, so many good riders and they could all win, but also finish 12th in a GP.

MXLarge: You are still racing; I watched some of the vets race you did recently with Jeff Emig and Doug Dubach. It looked like Jeff was being a bit careful and you too, but Dubach was really pushing hard. How do you face racing now as a veteran?

Nicoll: I am very careful as is Jeff and Doug too, but maybe, on his days, he will hang it out and he has raced a lot at Glen Helen. I still enjoy the gate drop and the feeling of racing. I really enjoy racing guys like Jeff and Doug, who are very skilful from the past.

Find out how to get your tickets right here: World Vets Motocross