As we all know, there is one country that stands head and shoulders above any other when it comes to success in the FIM Motocross World Championships, and that country is obviously Belgium. More World titles than any other, more Grand Prix wins than any other and of course at the very top of all the records of our sport, “The King” Stefan Everts.

While Belgium now slowly slips into oblivion when it comes to having World motocross champions or even GP winners, we should never forget what this country gave us in the last 50 years. Their first World champion way back in 1958 when Rene Baeten won the 500cc World title, beating the tough Swede Bill Nilsson, who was our first ever World champ in 1957.

Of course, Belgian riders had already started making their mark at the start of the 1950s with Victor Leloup, Augste Mingels and Baeten dominating the European 500cc championships in 1952, 1952 and 1954. It was the back end of the British domination of the motocross world, and just before an official World championship had begun.

Baeten would only win four GPs once the World motocross championships became official, and Mingels just one. It would take a few years before Belgium returned to the top of the GP podium as the Swedish riders dominated the sport, before names like British legend Jeff Smith and East German legend Paul Friedrichs would take over the sport.

In 1964 though Joel Robert, the first true Belgian legend arrived on the scene and defeated legendary Swede Torsten Hallman for the 64 World 250cc championship. Robert would put together 50 Grand Prix victories and six World titles and would hold the record for most GP wins and most World championships over a 40-year period, until some kid called Everts decided to grab everything and the records.

In between those two legends a number of Belgian riders would rule the World. Picking up one title after another. Roger De Coster with five 500cc championships and 36 GP wins. In many people’s eyes they still rate De Coster the best Grand Prix rider of all time, although his statistics tell another story, the sport developed maybe the most because of De Costers involvement.

When I came into the sport as a young boy, it was De Coster and Robert who were the kings of GP motocross and when I moved to Europe in the early 1990s, Belgian riders dominated the all-time lists, with seven Belgian riders in the all-time GP winners list and Belgian riders the top six in history for World championships.

Now, as we sit in 2022, names like Cairoli, Herlings and Gajser enter those lists and start to drop the legendary Belgians down the World order. For an old purist like myself, I find that really sad, because for me, as a kid or a young journalist, Belgian motocross was everything and names like Robert, De Coster, Rahier, Malherbe, Jobe or Geboers belonged right at the very top of our sport.

There is some hope that the Belgian name continues in GP motocross and records are broken in the future. 22-year-old Jago Geerts scored his 13^th Grand Prix victory last weekend at Maggiora and is just one GP win behind Sylvain Geboers, four wins behind Jacky Martens and six behind Marniqu Bervoets. 

Geerts could easily end this year inside the top ten all-time Belgian GP winners, which is a pretty cool feat in itself. Adding a World title, would send that small country tucked between Holland and France into a frenzy.

If he can climb in amongst names like Geboers, Jobe, Rahier or Malherbe, that is another question, but I am pretty sure the World of motocross would only enjoy such a journey. We need Belgium back, we owe it to them to support any type of return to the winners list.

Top 14 GP Winners List

1. Stefan Everts 101

2. Joel Smets 57

3. Joel Robert 50

4. Eric Geboers 39

5. Roger De Coster 36

6. Gaston Rahier 30

7. Georges Jobe 28

8. Andre Malherbe 28

9. Harry Everts 23

10. Clement Desalle 23

11. Marniqu Bervoets 19

12. Jacky Martens 17

13. Sylvain Geboers 14

14. Jago Geerts 13

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