From 1988 until 1991 Jean Michele Bayle won an incredible two World motocross championships and three AMA championships, two in motocross and one in supercross. Five major titles in just five years and then he was retired and moved to road racing.

Born April 1, 1969 in Manosque, France, Bayle began riding motorcycles at age 6. In 1985 at age 16 he entered the 250cc class at the Bercy Supercross, racing aboard a Kawasaki and while his Bercy results were not impressive, this was his first taste of racing against an international field of competitors, including many AMA Supercross stars of the time.

In 1987 Bayle earned 3rd-place in the World 125cc Championship and then in 1988, he went on the win the World 125cc Motocross Championship. A year later after consulting with Honda Racing’s Roger DeCoster (also an AMA Hall of Fame member), Bayle planned to race a limited season in the U.S. aboard a 250cc machine, then race in the World 250cc Championship, and then return to the U.S. to race in the AMA 500cc Motocross Championship.

Bayle acquired an AMA competition license and trained in California, then entered and won the AMA 250cc Motocross race in Gainesville, Florida. He then campaigned and won the World 250cc Championship. Ironically, the Frenchman became World Champion while licensed as a U.S.-based AMA competitor. He followed up with a win at the AMA 500cc Motocross race in New Berlin, New York, and finished that season ranked fifth overall while racing against such notable contemporaries as Jeff Ward, Jeff Stanton and Rick Johnson, among others.

In 1990 Bayle returned to the U.S. to race in the AMA 125cc Motocross Championship, where he earned three overall wins and was ranked fourth overall in points. He contested the AMA 250cc Supercross Series, earning five wins and finishing as runner-up for the title.

In 1991 Bayle and Honda set their sights on winning the AMA 250cc and 500cc Motocross Championships, as well as the AMA 250cc Supercross title. Bayle went on to earn three wins and the title of the six-race AMA 500cc Motocross Championship (the remaining three races were won by Jeff Ward). He also won the AMA 250cc Motocross Championship and took the AMA 250cc Supercross Series title with eight wins.

Possibly the most gifted rider the sport has seen he path to glory was as dominant as it was short, and many see him as the greatest motocross rider the sport has seen. Our friend Lex Valasakos gave us this interview and it is worth a read.

MXLarge: Why did you retire so young?

Bayle: Why did I retired so young, well, racing in America for me was the peak of my career. My goal was to be American champion. I had been World champion in Europe 125cc and 250cc and my life was to be American supercross champion. When I did that in 1991, it was such a high, I knew I could not do better than that. My heart I was already planning something else, I wanted to go road racing. I had a lot to do. It was hard to race in America because I was the first European to race in America and it is easier now, because the World is more open, but then it was really closed. For me, it was okay, this is done, and I did what I wanted to do.

MXlarge: When did you start riding?

Bayle: I started riding a motorcycle for the first time at 10 years old and after riding and riding and riding I got better and better and I don’t know if it was just that or practicing every day, but it was easy for me to ride on a supercross track, I didn’t feel I had to work hard and maybe people were jealous, because they were trying hard and trying to go my speed, but I didn’t have to work hard. Some people had to work hard, and I made it look easy and I understand if people were jealous of that. I worked hard to get better when I was young.

MXlarge: What riders did you enjoy watching when you were younger?

Bayle: I studied many riders and David Bailey was my hero. I also have Ricky Johnson, I was looking at him, and winning everything. When I came to America, my goal was to beat him. He was at the top of his career, so for sure I wanted to beat him badly.

MXLarge: If you could pick a team and a rider from any era and make a team, who would it be?

Bayle: Oh, I would find it difficult to beat Roger De Coster, so I take Roger De Coster with me. That is the first one and after that I would work with him and the bike isn’t that important, it is the people and if you are in a team and the people are positive and all working hard, then the wins will come.

MXLarge: How important was Roger De Coster to you in your career?

Bayle: Roger was particularly important for me. First, I was racing in Europe and he knew my goal was to race in America, and there was a big wall in between. It was exceedingly difficult to find a team in America, but Roger opened the door for me with Honda, he was also happy to bring somebody from Europe to the supercross championship. Roger loved racing and he did not care where you were from. When I raced in America Roger helped me a lot, also with the fans. I always tried to protect myself and it was not easy racing in America, because people were not so nice to me and I was always trying to be to myself, putting a wall between me and the fans. If I went too far, Roger would tell me to be nice to people and show them you are happy to be here, and that wasn’t always easy for me, but Roger helped me a lot with that. I am still very friendly with Roger because he did a lot of things for me. If we talk about Pourcel, he did the same thing I did, because for French people coming to America to race, it isn’t easy and when you put a wall between you and the fans, you are always alone.I think Pourcel went too far. He was a good rider, but he went too far and made it too far between him and the people in America. He was not good with the fans. I am French and I am French, but sometimes I felt bad how it ended with him.

MXlarge: Who did you enjoy racing the most in motocross?

Bayle: Jeff Stanton yes, Stanton was the best guy to fight against and he was always clean and particularly good Bradshaw was also good, but he was sometimes trying too hard and dangerous. We had many fights with Bradshaw, but you never knew what he was going to do. With Jeff (Stanton) you could fight with him, but he was never going to do anything crazy.