We can't move forward onto this weekend in Arnhem without remembering the past and of course, the Dutch Grand Prix was often played out at the famous Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard. Since 1974 until 2020, many of the Dutch rounds were held here and it become a favourite stop for many of the paddock people, but not more so than a young Dutchman who won there for the first time in 2010 and the final time in 2020.

Call it Herlings house, or maybe the circuit KTM owned. Jeffrey Herlings has won an incredible nine times in 11 years at the eurocircuit of Valkenswaard, only missing out in 2017 and 2019, those going to Gautier Paulin and Antonio Cairoli. Nine wins at any one single circuit is another record owned by the Dutchman.

But it isn’t just Herlings who has shown amazing skills at the eurocircuit. Antonio Cairoli has seven wins there, one with Yamaha and six with KTM and KTM have pretty much dominated most of the races in the last 20 or so years and their hold on the MX2/125cc class is just ridiculous.

Grant Langston started the KTM domination at Valkenswaard with victory in 2000, and then KTM riders won again in 2001 (Erik Eggens), 2002, 2003 (Steve Ramon both years), 2004 (Ben Townley), 2008 (Tyla Rattray), 2009 (Rui Goncalves), and then Jeffrey Herlings in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 

Just to show it wasn’t all about Herlings, Pauls Jonass won on a KTM in 2017 and 2018 and don’t bet against Jorge Prado continuing that streak in 2019, before Tom Vialle won the final Valkenswaard GP win 2020. 

The GPs didn’t race at Valkenswaard for a couple of seasons, and Antonio Cairoli gave Yamaha a win in MX2 in 2007, but for the rest, it was all KTM. So, from 2000, until 2020, KTM had won an astonishing 20 times out of 21 races in the MX2 class.

In the 250cc class, it was back in 1974 that Suzuki factory team owner Sylvain Geboers topped the 250cc Grand Prix, while Harry Everts finished in third place and would the following year win the World 250cc championship.

Geboers would end the 1974 season in 11th place, and that victory in Holland would be the great rider's last big win on the International scene. For many the sand of Valkenswaard means more than just any race circuit.

It would be 18 years before the 250cc class would return to Valkenswaard and in this new era another Everts would show good speed around the twisty, tough sand track. A young Stefan Everts (the new World 125cc champion) had moved to the 250cc class in 1992 and shocked the world with victory around Valkenswaard.

He would then add victories at the eurocircuit in 1994, 1995, 1996. Other riders to win in the 250cc class at Valkenswaard were Greg Albertyn in 1993, Marnicq Bervoets twice in 1997 and 1999, Sebastien Tortelli in 1998, Frederic Bolley in 2000, and Mickael Pichon in 2001 and 2002.

In 2003 Pichon won the MX1/MotocrossGP class after a hard battle with Stefan Everts. The two collided mid-race, breaking the front spokes on Everts bike. It was a time when Pichon rode the best, taking the first three GPs of the season easily and looking likely to win the title (which eventually went to Everts).

Everts would win the MX1 class in Valkenswaard in 2004, making it win number five around the tough sand track and thus ending his love affair with the Dutch circuit.

In the 500cc class it was another story, the first was held in 1980 and Andre Vromans won, although the 500cc class didn't venture to Valkenswaard as often as the 250cc class, and there would only be a handful of Open class winners around the Valkenswaard circuit, those being Dave Thorpe in 1985, Dirk Geukens in 1989, Billy Liles in 1990, Marnicq Bervoets in 2000, Joel Smets in 2001 and 2002. Smets won his second Valkenswaard Grand Prix leading home Bervoets and Everts. Smets would add a 650cc win in Valkenswaard in 2003.

In the 125cc/MX2 class the history of Valkenswaard is mixed, in 1981 Marc Valkeneers won with 3-1 results, Harry Everts was second with 3-2 results, but the news of the day was the 1-DNF result by Eric Geboers.

The DNF by Geboers would cost him the title as Everts won with a 15-point cushion 211pts to 197pts. In 1987 the Dutch golden boy Dave Strijbos would claim victory with 1-1 results, while two other Dutchman Pedro Tragter and John Van Den Berk finished second and third. It was the golden era of Motocross in Holland.

As previously mentioned, Langston started the MX2/125cc victory streak for KTM when he won in the 125cc class in 2000, Erik Eggens won in 2001, Steve Ramon won the 125cc class in 2002 and 2003. In 2004 Ben Townley dominated the Dutch GP, going 1-1 for victory.

Valkenswaard missed two years on the Grand Prix series, and when it returned in 2007 it was Josh Coppins and Antonio Cairoli who would win in the MX1 and MX2 class, giving Yamaha a double victory.

In 2008 Ken De Dycker took a 1-1 victory in the MX1 class and Tyla Rattray produced a win in the MX2 class. Jonathan Barragan would score a shock victory in the MX1 class in 2009 and Rui Goncalves would win the MX2.

Jeffrey Herlings began his amazing domination of the MX2 class in Valkenswaard with wins in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. He lost for the first time ever at Valkenswaard when he finished second to Gautier Paulin in the MXGP class. Just back from injury, it was too much to ask for him to stay undefeated at the eurocircuit.

Pauls Jonass would be the first man to win MX2 at Valkenswaard after the Herlings domination, going 1-1 in 2017 and he came into 2018 as the heavy favourite to win again, and he did just that, beating home future World champion Jorge Prado in the process.

Another KTM hero Cairoli would do the same, winning the MX1 class in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2019 giving him seven GP victories at Valkenswaard.

Since that 2014 victory, Cairoli hadn't stood on top of the Valkenswaard podium until his stunning victory in 2019, the French took over the sand of Holland, with Gautier Paulin winning in 2015 and 2017 and Romain Febvre in 2016.

Of course, Herlings continued his Valkenswaard love affair with his eighth victory at the circuit in 2018. A victory that placed him in the record books once again, as the most successful rider at one single circuit (Everts and DeCoster both won seven times at Namur).

In 2019 with Antonio Cairoli and Jorge Prado in hot form, it was difficult to see KTM not take even more wins and add to their already impressive record around the white sand of Valkenswaard. 

Cairoli did win, and joined Everts and DeCoster with seven wins at a single circuit and ended just one behind Herlings at the Eurocircuit for wins there. Prado won in MX2 in 2019 and a year later and the final Valkenswaard (and just before Covid hit), it seemed justice, that Herlings left the eurocircuit with his ninth and final victory there, while Tom Vialle won in the MX2 class. Again, a KTM  domination.

We miss you Valkenswaard. Rest in Peace.

Ray Archer image