Greg Thomas was one of Australia’s top motocross racers in the late 1960’s and 1970s.  Born on 23 July 1952 in Perth, Western Australia, he became one of the country’s top motocross racers in the mid-1970s, after progressing through junior ranks – at a time when 125cc bikes were the smallest bikes available.

Greg’s most successful year was in 1975 when he was the Runner-up Australian 125cc Champion behind reigning World 125cc Champion Gaston Rahier from Belgium at the South Arm Road circuit in Sanford, Tasmania on 9 November.  That year, the BSA Motor Cycle Club rider also won the WA State 125cc Motocross Championship and was second in the 250cc and Unlimited titles. He was aboard a Suzuki and part of the Suzuki  WA Racing Team with sixteen-year-old sensation Allan McCarthy.

What made Greg’s Australian Championship ride in Tasmania so special was that the field was stacked with international riders, so normally he would have won the National title.  That year Rahier and a host of international riders toured Australia to promote the new Japanese lightweight motocross machines and World Championship Suzuki’s. The international riders included fellow Belgian Gerard Camal and Japanese development rider Masanori Ozeki, all on works Suzuki’s. Also present were Vic Allen (Scotland) on a string of Bultaco’s, Gualtiero Brissoni (Italy) on a SWM 125 and Ivan Miller (NZ, Yamaha).

Greg’s inspiring second placing in the 125cc class, split up the works riders of Rahier and Camal – making it a clean sweep for Suzuki’s.  His Suzuki WA team team-mate Allan McCarthy also shone at this event. McCarthy was the second Australian home in both the Australian 125cc and 250cc Championships, finishing fourth overall in the 125 class and fifth in the 250s.

With the sales boom of the early seventies beginning to significantly affect motocross, rider numbers during that era were at an all-time high with over 200 riders entering for open events in WA, resulting in multiple events being run at different circuits on the one day.

Between 1969 and 1977, Greg Thomas podiumed in the Western Australian state motocross championships seven times – three times in the 125cc class where he got two 2nd placings in 1969 and 1977 to go with his first placing in 1975.

During his sensational 1975 year, he was second in both the State 250 and Unlimited titles behind WA legends Shane Kirkpatrick and Allan McCarthy, respectively. In 1977, on top of his 125cc podium, he was third in the 500cc class behind Bevan Blakers and Graeme Smythe.