Famous Faces - Part 9
Tuesday 20 December: At the MXoN in France there were famous faces I recognised, there were some I didn't. Tony Cooksley was talking to this guy, I had absolutely no idea who he was.
James 'Jamie' Dobb
Born in Derby, England in 1972, Jamie is a
former British motocross racer.
Amongst his achievements, he was crowned 125cc
(now MX2) Motocross World Champion in 2001 and was a top rider in the AMA
motocross and supercross series during the mid 1990s.
Born into a motocross family, Jamie excelled
at youth level, winning a host of domestic and European youth motocross titles.
He turned professional in 1987, aged 15, signing a contract with the factory
Cagiva team, widely acclaimed as a future world champion.
In 1989, he won his
first major adult title, the British 125cc Motocross Championship, winning the
250cc category in 1990. In 1992, he was offered the chance to race in America,
for the Pro-Circuit Kawasaki team, headed by Mitch Payton. During his five-year
stint in America, Dobb would race for Pro-Circuit Kawasaki, Suzuki America and
the Honda of Troy team. Whilst not winning any major titles, he was one of the
series' top riders, winning an AMA National at Southwick.
Unfortunately, injury affected his 1996
season, and he was left without a ride for 1997. Disenchanted with the sport,
he briefly pursued a modelling career in New York, before receiving an offer to
return to Europe, competing for the Suzuki UK team.
Dobb excelled on his return
to Europe, winning the 1998 British 125cc Motocross Championship and a best
finish of 5th in the World 125cc Motocross Championship in 1999. His good
form saw him move to the factory KTM team in 2000, a move which gave him the
momentum to challenge for the 125cc world title. He was second to fellow KTM
rider Grant Langston in 2000, before dominating the 2001 championship, securing
his, and Great Britain's, first title in the 125cc World Championship.
Dobb's
title victory was a welcome relief for British motocross in 2001, with much of
the domestic season cancelled due to the country's foot and mouth outbreak.
Dobb moved to the MX1 Class in 2002,
but injury and an uncompetitive KTM 250 machine, meant that he was unable to
challenge Stefan Everts for the title. After a lacklustre 2003 season, he
returned to MX2, with the RWJ Honda team for 2004. However, unable to mount a
serious title challenge, Dobb retired from professional motocross mid-way
through the 2004 season.
Since retiring from motocross, Dobb has pursued
a successful business career in sports management. He is currently mentoring
his motocross protege, MX2 factory rider Tommy Searle, as he seeks to emulate
Dobb in MX2.