Bill Van Vugt is living a life that’s unlike most other people his age, and one which has seen him turn a longtime hobby into championship gold.

Last month, the 80-year-old Londoner brought home the +80 title at the 41st Dubya World Vet Motocross Championships at California’s Glen Helen Raceway.

It’s the latest chapter in a motocross journey that began when he was 40.

The affinity for motocross runs in Van Vugt’s family. His daughter and son, Jolene and Billy, are both accomplished motocross racers themselves, and Jolene is also an experienced stunt actor.

The London octogenarian sat down with London Morning host Andrew Brown on Friday to talk about his motocross accomplishments and what keeps him going back to the track at his age.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

WATCH | Bill Van Vugt, 80, wins world champion motocross race:

This 80 year old Londoner is a world champion motocross racer

Bill Van Vugt has been riding and racing motorbikes since he was 40. Last month, the 80-year-old Londoner brought home the +80 title at the 41st Dubya World Vet Motocross Championships at California’s Glen Helen Raceway. He joined London Morning host Andrew Brown to talk about the win and his passion for off-road motorbiking.

Andrew Brown: Congratulations, first off.

Bill Van Vugt: Thank you very much.

AG: I did not know that there was an 80+ class in motocross.

BVV: It started about four or five years ago in Glenn Helen, California. They added it to the list.

AG: How many people were you racing against?

BVV: There were five of us.

AG: What was the competition like? What did it feel like to participate in it?

BVV: It’s like with the younger guys. The gate drops, and you go, and then whoever gets over the first finish line first wins. There’s one day of practice, and then every day there’s a race, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and they take the overall.

It’s a closed track. Depending on the time you could go 10 minutes, 15, depending on your age, usually. Whoever finishes first after those 15 minutes is the winner of that particular moto.

AG: How long have you been doing it? … Why did you get into it?

BVV: I started when I was 40. Our son was interested in it, but he was 10 years old, so we both got a bike. We started off with the Hully Gully house league that was in Varna. We did that for a year, and then we signed up with a local club, and then they had races during the summer, probably maybe twice, three times a month.

That’s how it really all started. Eventually, I became better at it. In Tennessee, in August, they have a Loretta Lynn amateur event once a year. I went there to race the +50 class, and I’m actually the first Canadian to win that.

LISTEN | London octogenarian brings home world motocross title:

London Morning6:11Age is no barrier for 80-year-old motocross champion

Bill Van Vugt, a motocross rider from London, just brought home a world title at 80 years old. Van Vugt joined London Morning host Andrew Brown in the studio to talk about his victory at the 2025 Dubya World Vet Motocross Championships in California.

AG: How’s your body holding up?

BVV: It’s holding up pretty good for an older person, I guess. I mean, I’m still doing it, and we’ll carry on.

AG: Have you had to deal with any motocross-related injuries over the years?

BVV: Yeah, they do happen. I mean, it’s not if, it’s just when. Then you heal up again, and if it’s not serious, you carry on, or whatever you like to do after that.

AG: What’s your worst one?

BVV: Broken leg.

AG: How demanding is it on your body?

BVV: It’s challenging, for sure. You have to be in good shape if you want to compete. If you do it for fun, it doesn’t matter, right? But if you compete with other people, try to get a championship, you have to work out for it.

I usually bicycle and things like that, the usual stuff, and keep active all day, all week … I work every day. Walk around a lot.

AG: And your kids really embraced it, right? … What’s it like to watch your kids doing it?

BVV: It’s kind of stressful a little bit, because you know what can happen, but at the same time they’re good at it.

AG: Do you have a lot of places to practice around here?

BVV: There’s quite a few places in the London area, there’s GoreRd Motocross on Gore Road, then there’s The Pit in Thamesford, there’s also Swiona down the 401, and then you got The 15 in Woodstock.

It’s reasonably popular, but it’s not cheap either, if people want to do it competitively. If you do it for fun, you can go whenever you want to go. There are lots of younger people who go to the track and just ride with their parents or whatever.

AG: What do your kids and your friends think of you still doing this at 80?

BVV: They’re a little surprised, I guess. I mean, it’s not something that you see all the time.

AG: How much longer do you want to keep going?

BVV: It’s just day by day. You never know what the next year brings.