Glory Days: Kurt Nicoll
March 30, 2007
It’s better to regret something you did than something you didn’t do. Try telling that to Kurt Nicoll. The forty-one year old Brit was the nearly man of World Championship motocross in the late 80s and early 90s, but it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort that saw him as the bridesmaid so many times. Bad injuries at bad times along with a few controversial decisions left Kurt without that FIM gold medal that he probably deserved. Kurt Nicoll was, and don’t believe any different, still is an out an out racer. His personified professionalism during his racing career and in turn probably alienated some motocross fans who incorrectly classed him as arrogant, simply because he was focused. He was there to win and did what he had to do to try and accomplish that. Clearly that hard working ethic continues to drive the man on after racing as Kurt continues to make KTM one of the big players in off road motorcycle sport in his role of KTM Sports Manager. He may never have won a World Championship and he probably gets aggrieved with the likes of us reminding him of that fact, but Kurt Nicoll contributed a lot to British Motocross (the MXDN victory in 1994 for one) and we should be thankful of the memories. Here he reflects on the good times and for him the Glory Days of an illustrious career.
My first ever GP qualifying. My bike broke on the first lap and I finished up winning qualifying on the last couple of laps!
Dave Nicoll (FIM official, ex-GP Factory BSA rider and Kurt’s father)
This was the first GP for Kurt and his mechanic Colin Wright (Alec Wright’s son). It was a wet heavy mud all round the track. Saturday the bike stopped at the bottom of the circuit and Kurt struggled for some time to drag it up the hills. Finally he ran back to the paddock for his second bike and only got back out on the track for the last two laps and went for it. I have photos of this GP at Payerne, Switzerland, and also Kurt’s original riding bib for that race.
My first GP podium at the final race of 1984. I passed Malherbe to get third overall on the last lap when he was cruising to World Title!
Dave Nicoll
Kurt made steady progress through 1984 on an air-cooled KTM when all other factory bikes were water-cooled. He always gave 100% to the finish flag and was never phased by any big names, whatever the situation. This was the first year that his brother Arran was mechanic and he continued working with Kurt until the end of his MXGP career.
Heerlen, Holland 1987 and my first GP victory. Dad and I became first father and son to win MX GPs before Stefan started!
David Thorpe (3-time World 500cc Champion)
Heerlen wasn’t really a sand/dirt track that suited Kurt’s style in his early years, he wasn’t the best in the deep traditional Dutch sand at that time! He was dominant from the beginning, he battled hard all day, for Kurt and his Dad it was a special moment. It’s good to have days like that and they deserved it for the sacrifices you have to make.
Dave Nicoll
It was a well-deserved goal after years of tremendously hard work. It seemed a long time coming but in fact it was only eight years after his first schoolboy race. Obviously a satisfying result for the family to be the first father and son combination to win an MXGP. Also, with Arran there as mechanic it was a special day for all of us and I’ll never forget it.
Winning all three motos in Luxembourg GP 1992. I felt sure that I was carrying the momentum to win the title at last GP that year. As it was I didn’t of course!
Matt Allard (MOTO magazine contributor)
Kurt was obviously always in the shadows of Thorpey during the 80s and this was his chance to make his own piece of history. Ultimately he did what he had to do, but in typical Jobe fashion, Georges upset the party. In the end it was the closest Kurt came to winning a title. But let’s be honest, if he’d hung around in the 500c class he would have. Instead, Kurt went 250 racing for a few years. Sweden’s Marcus Hansson won the 500cc title in 1994, and will probably go down as one of the least remembered World Champions in history. Meanwhile Kurt was racing legends like Everts and Albertyn. Credit to him for that.
Dave Nicoll
Kurt went from Luxembourg to the last GP at Roggenbourg thinking he had to win all three races again to become World Champion. He did exactly that, but Jobe was second three times and won the Championship by two points. It was difficult to take for everyone but especially Kurt.
The 250/500 race at MX des Nations 1992, Australia. I won the race beating Bayle for the first and only time (he crashed but...). It was the first MXDN that I enjoyed. At this time I was in prime form.
Jeff Perrett (MOTO magazine assistant editor)
I often thought that during the year leading up to that MXDN I’d get sorted, save some money and go out to Oz to watch the lads and stay for a month or so. Of course being 19 like I was at the time I just pissed it all up the wall on stuff I didn’t really need but had to have, like women for example. I wish I’d managed at the time to find the balance in life to go. I really believed that the British team would struggle badly with heat and just go along for a jolly. Kurt proved me wrong and since that day I’ve never doubted a British MXDN team’s commitment going into the event. Bayle was the master and easily the best rider in the World at the moment in time so when I saw that Kurt had beaten him I knew he went there and gave it his all. I’d always classed Kurt as a rider who was clearly a tryer but after that I knew he had more than just that going for him. I honestly thought he was in with a shout for the World Championship the following year, but as we all know that never happened for him then or the time before. If it wasn’t for a few small incidents that turned out to be massive he would’ve be a World Champion at some point in his career. Shame, he worked really hard.
Jamie Dobb (ex-British and 125cc World Champion)
Sult and also I got to see the ‘real’ Kurt for the first time, and we have remained good friends ever since. It was a very enjoyable experience as you’d expect going to all the way down there.
Roggenbourg 1994 – of course, how many memories do you need!
David Thorpe
As Team Manager Kurt’s name was the first on my list, I had no worries with him, he was very much a team player whenever the MXDN came around. I think the fact that my Dad and I lent him a factory HRC engine for the weekend put him on a high even before we arrived. The race is now well documented, but Kurt rode with great professionalism in the second heat, he was the backbone of the team that day.
Jeff Perrett
Everyone says it was Malin’s ride that won us the MXDN that year. It’s easy to forget that Kurt’s first ride also gave us a great foundation to win and both Rob Herring and himself backed it up with calm, assured rides under pressure in the last race. My memory is not so much of Malin trouncing every other 125 rider but Kurt letting LaRocco through towards the end of the final moto. Imagine what that must have felt like? I bet he was grinning from ear to ear under that crash helmet. Sometimes the best team doesn’t win but Britain deserved the victory. Kurt was the best 500cc rider on the day and I’m sure in a straight up battle would’ve beaten LaRocco but he rode with his head not just his heart and stayed professional. That’s one thing you can always say about Kurt, he’s always professional.
Colin Reed (RWJ Honda Team Owner)
Obviously, Roggenbourg was a high for everyone, but I felt particularly happy for Kurt. Several years before he’d lost the 500cc World Championship there at the final race of the year, it was one of the most disappointing moments I’ve seen in motocross. He lost the Championship by one or two points and I really wish he’d won it, but it was not to be and ultimately the opportunity never came back round that way for him. I’ve always admired Kurt for the effort and determination that he put into his racing. He wasn’t the most naturally gifted rider, but the effort he put in overcame that. He wanted to ride with us in 1996 but for reasons I can’t divulge I wasn’t allowed to offer Kurt the ride at the time. That was disappointed because we would’ve been a British-based HRC team with at the time Britain’s top rider and we could’ve won the World title. I know we won it with Stefan and I wouldn’t turn the clock back because winning is winning, but it would’ve been nice wouldn’t have it!
The 250GP at Gaildorf in 1995. On the last lap I swapped positions with Everts four times. I ended up second, but was riding freely and at 100%, which was not normal!
Dave Nicoll
Kurt always suffered arm-pump and was very intense. Kurt’s ability to adapt from 500cc to 250cc surprised many people, although there was never any doubt in his mind.
Jeff Perrett
Gaildorf perfectly suits Stefan’s stupidly smooth riding style and he’s very hard to beat around there. Kurt took it to him that year and finished off the GPs strongly. It looked like he took all his frustrations on the year out in that one race. Gaildorf is a scary hard pack track and they were going fast – and I mean bloody fast!
The 125/ 500 moto of MX des Nations 1997. This was my last race as a professional before I retired (I didn’t know that then) and everyone wanted to see who was fastest. Emig or Everts? Instead they over-watered the track and I led from start to finish!
Jamie Dobb
This was a great race for all involved, because after Kurt’s awesome first moto it gave the team the confidence to get the podium.
Matt Allard
I guess you could describe Nismes as half supercross-style and half Euro-style. Part of the track is flat with table-tops and doubles and the other part is all off-cambers. And with it being in the south of Belgium it’s hard-pack. All eyes were on Emig and Everts, but it was Kurt who led from start to finish on a ridiculously over-watered track (presumably to favour the locals). I remember Emig at the end doing a TV interview and looking up to the skies ruefully, before commenting that he “couldn’t actually remember it raining last night,” or something like that. But let’s not take anything away from Kurt. On that day, in that race, he was the quickest guy on the planet. It was the same for everyone.
The Superfinal, Farleigh Castle British Championship 1999. I hadn’t raced for two years and I came back to Farleigh and finished second behind Rob Herring. It was nice to show myself and everyone that I could still race!
Dave Nicoll
The Farleigh Castle British Championship in 1999 I co-promoted with Frank Dixon and the West Wilts Club, it was a very successful event. I persuaded Kurt to come out of retirement and again he showed his positive approach and ability to rise to the occasion. He actually led the race until two or three laps from the finish when Gordon Crockard passed him. He proved his ability to himself that day.
Jeff Perrett
I remember being slightly pissed off that Kurt was riding at Farleigh that year but in the end I’m glad he did. I’d got injured mid season and this was my comeback meeting. Any chance of a repeat top-five finish in the Championship that year had gone, but I wanted to qualify well because some of my sponsors from Animal were there. I just thought ‘crap, I’m going to be another position down the starting line now he’s back’. I thought he’d be good to follow in timed training as we were kind of in the same boat, but it was obvious that he’d still be doing plenty of riding and couldn’t hang with him at all. I never could before, Christ knows what made me think I could after nearly four months off a bike. So after a few laps of trying to follow him I got the arse with it all and just forgot about trying to do well and instead tried to have fun. I did just that and it was good to be back, so I kind of always secretly thank Kurt for that. He was on it again that day but then that’s Kurt all over. I can never remember a time when he wasn’t giving it everything, unlike me which illuminates our career paths somewhat I guess!
Winning the AMA Supermoto title in Las Vegas in November 2004. It was two days before my 40th birthday and with minimum training and maximum fun I achieved something that I never could have dreamed was possible!
Dave Nicoll
Fantastic achievement. Arran also went over to mechanic for that event. My wife, Barbara (Kurt’s Mum) says every year, “do you think he will ever stop racing?” I am not sure when that will be because I know that once a competitor, always a competitor. I still take every opportunity to win at anything!
Jeff Perrett.
I watched this on TV and thought ‘I’ve never seen Kurt Nicoll so happy’ – It slightly inspired me that here is someone who has been racing a bike his whole life and is now still finding ways in the sport to challenge himself. Watching Wardy and Kurt slide around on the streets of Las Vegas definitely got me fired up for a moment there. It also reminded me about my time at the Diamond Cabaret totally nude gentleman’s club at 3177 S Highland, just back off the strip and how I really must get back there soon. Like I said Kurt only inspired me for a moment before the thought of Vegas itself took over!
Jamie Dobb
I knew this meant a great deal to Kurt and to pull it of with so little sleep and such a huge hangover was awesome. What a 24 hours that was!
Send this article to a friend
