Over the years, Glen Dempsey has been deeply involved in the motocross world – first as a racer, then transitioning into a managerial and advisory role. From his early days competing in South Africa to racing in Europe, injuries eventually pushed him in a new direction. Now, Dempsey plays a crucial role in guiding riders, handling everything from contracts and sponsorships to logistics and career planning. We caught up with him to discuss his journey, the challenges of being a motocross agent, and the current state of the sport.
GateDrop: Glen, for people that don’t know, can you just introduce yourself to me and explain your professional journey coming into the motocross world?
Dempsey: Oh wow where do I start… so I’ve been in the motocross world since I was five, raced in South Africa, got to the highest level there and then it was actually a choice of whether to go and race in the US professionally or Europe. At the time I was in the same team as Greg Albertyn and it was Greg’s dad Tony who advised and said, look, if you’re going to make the step, go to Europe, that’s where you learn. Make the step to Europe first and then have a look at the US. So I followed that advice, I basically lived in the town next to where Greg lived, it’s a little town called Halen in Belgium. That’s where I started off, got a little bit of support from Kawasaki Belgium and raced Grand Prix’s that first year in 1995 for a Belgian Kawasaki team alongside Eddy Seel and Michael Gouverneur. Funny Eddy is now the racing head at Dunlop, he raced some Supermoto before that as well.
That was a big learning curve because I’d never been in those conditions and back then there were two moto’s, 40 minutes plus two laps, even in the Belgium champs. So, it was a very tough learning curve, different language, different weather, different culture and that was really where I was thrown in the deep end and had to do it on my own. I literally left with two bags from South Africa and then had to learn the hard way and certainly did. When we were racing it was great but then I got injured, broke my foot really badly in a French Supercross. I took eight months to get back and then rode the European championships in 1996 which was great and also got to race Bercy Supercross – that was a good learning curve but then I broke my neck at Geneva Supercross.
That was a tough, – almost a year off the bike and then I came back again but decided to get a day job at a motorcycle dealership and then race on the Belgian level. It was Hans Corvers who arranged the job for me and a spot on his Kemea team. I was with them for four or five years and it was brilliant until another injury and then I decided that’s it, I’m going to hang the boots up.
GateDrop: So you’re obviously a rider and then that transitioned into an agent role. How does that all happen? Do you remember who you had as a first rider and how you felt? How much research and stuff like that you had to do?
Dempsey: It actually came by accident. I’d decided to get out of Motocross. I’d had enough of the injuries; I’d been doing it 24-7 so decided I needed a new challenge and I started my own company in website development. I went back to school, did some studying at night, got my business license and it was by chance that I got a call from Gareth Swanepoel shortly after. My Dad was managing the Kawasaki team back in South Africa so Gareth had grown up through the Kawasaki ranks as well. I had followed Gareth’s career in SA through my Dad and then being South African kept an eye on him when he came to Europe.
GateDrop: Where you back in South Africa at that time too?
Dempsey: No, I stayed in Belgium. So, Gareth called up and I could hear he was battling in his current team at the time. He was based in East Germany, wasn’t happy and that’s where it all started. So he asked if I could help him? I was like sure because I knew the hardships I had gone through. I started with Gareth and then fast forward a year or two later, started working with Ben Townley and then from Ben came Josh Coppins and then Gautier Paulin and it just snowballed from there.
GateDrop: Can you tell me a bit about your role now that, fast forward many years, you’ve got lots of experience in it…. Is it an agent or an advisor role, what would you call it?
Dempsey: It depends which side of the continent you’re on. In America it’s an agent, in Europe it’s a rider manager/advisor. I am pretty much involved in all aspects of the rider’s career. So, it’s not just the racing part, in fact the riding part is the easiest. It’s the taking care of living (rental contracts, utilities contracts etc) it’s the visas, you know, dealing with South Africans and other non European’s is not easy. It’s not so easy to get visas or resident permits so we assist with all of that. Then you have all the insurances, medical team, doctors, physios, nutritionists, and then the contracts, endorsements. Outside of that you’re advising the guys on corporate structures, investing, buying houses and getting on the property ladder, arranging mortgages etc.. So yeah, it’s not just the racing, it’s really advising and managing from A to Z.
GateDrop: Who do you represent today? Obviously there’s Camden McLellan and Mikkel Haarup. Apart from those two, is there anyone else at national level or in America? Or is the main focus on those two at the moment?
Dempsey: No, the main focus has always been in Europe because that’s the stepping stone with guys coming through Europe. I do work outside of Motocross with Ross Branch. So he’s a Botswanan that’s racing the Dakar and Rally Raid series for the Factory Hero team. I’ve been working with Ross for the last four years. So it’s not only Motocross and then before we’ve had a few road racing guys, but mostly focussed in Motocross.
GateDrop: Just on Camden McLellan, obviously from the outside, it could have been seen as a little bit of a risk on the Triumph for the first year because nobody knew how good the bike was going to be… Obviously it didn’t take long to realize how good the bike was with Haarup getting the podium in Argentina. But are you happy with Camden’s progress since he signed that factory contract?
Dempsey: You almost have to take a leap of faith when it comes to a new project but in this case it was a calculated leap because having tested the bike, knowing the key people that are involved in the team it made it quite an easy decision. The bike is one thing, but having experienced people surrounding you is where the success comes. I think Triumph has done an amazing job especially with Vince and Thierry who have put together an extremely professional team to support their riders. So yeah, we saw what we saw with Mikkel and the success they had in their maiden year. It was Camden’s first year as well, and I think he did really well. Obviously now in the second year of his contract, a lot of pressure is on him but I’m confident he can handle it and make it happen. We’re only two GP’s in and obviously Cozar didn’ have the best conditions, although in Argentina, Camden showed a lot of potential. If you look at his weekend, he was battling with a start, had two riders fall in front of him on Saturday but he still managed to get a 5th. So, I think there’s a lot more to come from Camden, which we’ll see in the next few weeks.
GateDrop: I think you only started working with Mikkel Haarup last year, is that right? Or has it been a few years?
Dempsey: No, so just before, so the year before (2023). He came to me in Switzerland and said the same thing. He said, Glen, look, I need some help. Are you willing to take somebody else on board? I saw how dedicated and professional he handled himself so we agreed to work together and he obviously then got the Triumph deal.
GateDrop: He saved his best year of racing for his final year in MX2, but ultimately that didn’t lead to an MXGP ride for this year, unfortunately. Did he have many options? And then in the end, he signed to stay with Triumph, which is probably good long term so he is going to be a factory rider next year… But obviously it means we won’t see him race in MXGP this year… It’s quite a unique deal.
Dempsey: It’s a very unique deal, I don’t think it’s ever been done before. So yeah, there were other options. And unfortunately, some of them never worked out and the Triumph deal did. He is very motivated to do well we’ll see in the next month where he ends up. Like you mentioned, he’s got that factory 450cc deal to come back to Europe next year which is going to be great to see him mix it up with the big boys.
GateDrop: I did hear a few rumours before the Supercross season. He could have actually raced Supercross, but then he got injured himself. What can you tell me about that?
Dempsey: So, we were in the U.S. with him. He got to ride Supercross and he liked it. I mean, Mikkel is a very technical rider, very talented. So in that short period that he had on the Supercross track, he was showing some potential. Unfortunately, we know the dangers of Supercross, as you see with Jorge (prado) or any rider for that matter, even with Tomac injured and Mikkel got injured. So that sort of threw a spanner in the works on the Supercross side.
GateDrop: In terms of this year, do you think he can maybe do some Nationals, maybe some MXGP? Or is it still to wait and see?
Dempsey: You’ll have to wait for the press release on that one (laughs).
GateDrop: When it comes to riders, how do you manage the interest and contracts of these riders, without favouring one over another? Because obviously you have to stay non-bias. Have you ever been in a position that teams wanted both your riders you’ve been with? Is that tricky?
Dempsey: It’s a very good question. Luckily, in the 23, 24 years that I’ve been doing this, there’s never been a conflict. I’ll give two examples. One was at the time I was managing Ben Townley and Josh Coppins. Ben had won the world title in the 250’s and was coming up to 450’s but the contracts were set. Josh was a Yamaha guy, Ben was a KTM guy. So there was never any conflict. They lived in the same house and there was never an issue. Then I look at Camden and Mikkel. Both riders are in different stages of their careers. So they both had an equal opportunity to test the Triumph. The deals were set according to the rider so at no point was there favouritism or bias. It’s how the rider is, what the team thinks he can produce. There’s a value based on that.
GateDrop: For people that have no idea, what way does it work when a team in the paddock likes one of your riders? Do they have to come to you? Do they go to the rider first? Can you just tell me a little insight about that? How it works when a team is interested?
Dempsey: It varies. Of course, if they know that I represent the rider and there’s a relationship there, they come directly to me. But other times, they’ll go to the rider and the rider says: Hey, Glen represents me, here’s his details and give him a call.
GateDrop: When it comes to contracts, I think back in the day, there probably wasn’t too much to them. But as everything, evolution and stuff happens, what’s a contract like now? Pages and pages. Can you go into a bit of detail what exactly is in a contract?
Dempsey: They have improved over the years. Again, there’s a big difference between a U.S. contract and a European contract and that’s purely in the liability. I guess the U.S. loves their 30-page contracts. Europe used to be a basic four or five page, but now thats gone up. But no, it is normal stuff. I can’t go into too much detail about it but the European contracts have got better over the years.
GateDrop: I believe nowadays, there’s more focus on the teams that put clauses and options in. Is this true? And what kind of clauses and options can be considered in contracts these days?
Dempsey: Yeah, that has changed. What I see different in latter years is that teams like the options which is a bit of a tough one on the rider, because it gives the team the option and not the rider the option. So depending on where you’re at, if you can negotiate that option in favour of the rider, that’s better. But generally, we see the factories taking the option that they get to choose.
GateDrop: And after Covid, a few years ago now, did that have any impact in contracts or anything, or not so much?
Dempsey: Not really. I mean, some teams use it as an excuse to bring the values down. But if you look at the industry and Covid, it actually increased. It rectified itself thereafter. So I can’t say it was that much of a difference.
GateDrop: Has there ever been a contract, obviously you can only control so much, things happen out of your control. Have you ever had a contract that didn’t go to plan and maybe it ended up a legal matter? I mean, a few years ago, everyone knows what happened in the paddock between Fantic and Yamaha… Has there been anything like that? It must be pretty stressful…
Dempsey: I’d like to say in my case, never. So we try and avert the issues or problems before they start. So touch wood, no, I’ve never had any legal issues in that respect.
GateDrop: I think you live in Belgium now. What’s it like? I mean, that’s home for you now. But what was it like when you first moved there? And when it comes to MXGP, are you contracted to go to all the rounds or what rounds do you go to?
Dempsey: I generally do all the European rounds. So I try and get to most of those. So after living 30 years in Belgium, I decided to move to the south. So I’m actually based out of Portugal now. I’ve been in Spain for two years and now I’m in Portugal for two. So I am very happy there. It’s very much like South Africa weather-wise. I still have a business interest in Belgium. So I’m an owner at Gear2Win, which is located close to the Lommel track so I do get back to Belgium a lot. Belgium is always going to have a special place and it’s the motocross mecca of Europe.
GateDrop: The paddock, unfortunately, is getting smaller. I think it was like five teams have left from last year, which is quite sad… But does that make your job more difficult? The riders don’t really decrease, but the teams do…
Dempsey: It certainly does make the job more difficult. I mean, that’s just basic mathematics. When there’s more riders and less teams, the rider is always going to be the guy that comes off worse. Looking at the MX2 line up at the first European GP in Cozar, there was only 20 riders on the line, there’s definitely a problem. I think Infront Moto Racing, they need to look at it. You can’t have the first Grand Prix in Europe and only have 20 riders on the line. They have really got to look at it. It’s not easy.
GateDrop: Plans for the future? Are you content with the way things are at the minute? Or maybe you want to get involved with more riders in the paddock?
Dempsey: Good question. I like to have a lot of focus so not having too many is good. Focusing on the guys that we have, we always like to give 100%. So, at the moment, no. But as has happened in the past, it’s never a case of going looking. We always get a knock on the door to, hey, can you help? And then yeah, if it gels and you see potential, then for sure we’ll get involved.
