Motocross
7 motocross legends who’ve lit up the sport
Find out more about the riders who’ve made a major impact on the sport of motocross.
Making this list wasn't easy. We all have our favourite riders of all time, regardless of their achievements. So to make our selection we studied the track record of every rider. These are the real legends of the Motocross World Championship.
In MX, as with any other sport, there have always been great athletes but only a select few were truly exceptional. After a 64-year history, here are the real Kings of Motocross.
Joël Robert
He didn't win as many world titles as Stefan Everts or Antonio Cairoli, but to many he's arguably the most talented rider in motocross history. His riding style was really special, always going on the inside of the turn and being able to control any slide with an incredible mix of talent and technique.
During his peak years, the Belgian was so dominant that he could do some genuinely unbelievable things, like stopping at the grandstand in the middle of the race to give someone a kiss.
Six-times MX World Champion
250cc (1964, 1968 and 1969 – CZ; 1970, 1971 and 1972 – Suzuki)
Roger De Coster
A versatile rider, he was not only the best in MX but also excelled in trials and Enduro – even winning a gold medal in the ISDE (International Six Days Enduro). De Coster had a fluid style, keeping everything under control. His level of fitness was legendary, so much so that the Belgian was able to up the pace during the last laps in order to win with a comfortable margin. Roger is so respected in the motocross world that he's simply known as “The Man”.
5 times MX World Champion
500cc (1971, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976 – Suzuki)
Eric Geboers
He was called “The Kid” because of his big brother, Sylvain Geboers, a top rider in the 250cc class during the 1970s. Later, Eric made history by becoming the first man to win the world championship in all three classes: 125cc, 250cc and 500cc. That earned him the title of “Mr 875cc”.
Georges Jobé, his team-mate, tried to achieve this feat for a number of years, but without luck. After his illustrious motocross career Geboers switched to four wheels, taking part in endurance races.
Five-times MX World Champion
125cc (1982 and 1983 – Suzuki)
250cc (1987 – Honda)
500cc (1988 and 1990 – Honda)
Georges Jobé
At the age of 16 he decided to give up a promising career in football to turn to MX where he was determined to make history. The Belgian achieved five world titles, but was also the first man to make a successful double jump. It happened in 1984, during the British GP, when Jobé flew over André Malherbe, his toughest rival. Photographer Nick Haskell was there to take the shot, which became an iconic image in motocross history.
Five-times MX World Champion
250cc (1980 and 1983 – Suzuki)
500cc (1987, 1991 and 1992 – Honda)
Joël Smets
“The Flemish Lion” was named after Joël Robert, who was his parents’ favourite rider. He began to compete a bit later – he was already 17 – but it was immediately clear that a new star had been born.
Lady Luck was not kind to Smets, who was forced to retire after suffering a serious knee injury during the Gaildorf GP in Germany. With 57 GP victories under his belt, Smets ranks third in the overall standings, just behind Stefan Everts (101) and Antonio Cairoli (75).
Five-times MX World Champion
500cc (1995, 1997 and 1998 – Husaberg; 2000 – KTM)
650cc (2003 – KTM)
Stefan Everts
Son of four-time world champion Harry Everts, Stefan has made history while always showing a perfect style. Everybody admired his incredible technique on the motorbike, riding standing up much more frequently than his rivals. Nobody could control the machine the way he did. During his career he was able to maintain an almost impossible consistency, in part due to his experience and talent. In 2003 Stefan Everts won in the three classes (125cc, MXGP and 650cc) during the same day in Erneé (France). He retired at the end of the 2006 season, the year he won 14 out of 15 GPs.
10-times MX World Champion
125cc (1991 – Suzuki RM 125)
250cc (1995 – Kawasaki KX 250; 1996 and 1997 – Honda CR 250)
500cc (2001 and 2002 – Yamaha YZF 450)
MX1 (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 – Yamaha YZF 450)
Antonio Cairoli
Tony Cairoli began to compete at the tender age of seven and he's not looked back since. No other rider has achieved more world titles in the top class.
Part of the secret of this incredible success comes from his association with Claudio de Carli and his squad: The Red Bull Factory Racing Team. Of course, nobody achieves what Cairoli has without supreme talent. There's no way to match his willpower and love for the sport.
The Italian enjoys the roar of the fans, the atmosphere, the emotion and almost every other aspect of his work.
Eight-times MX World Champion
MX2 (2005 and 2007 – Yamaha YZ 250F)
MX1 (2009 – Yamaha YZ 450F; 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 – KTM SXF 350)
MXGP (2014 – KTM SXF 350)