You know, when Team Netherlands nearly cracked a victory at the 2006 MXoN and lost in the dying seconds of that Maggiora event, I was gutted. Standing there with my son, we cheered on, with just a few corners to go, the Dutch would finally win this event.

When Tommy Searle pulled over on the last lap of the third race, to let Romain Febvre pass, because he didn’t want to get involved with the battle for the MXoN win, he in fact handed Team France the win.

I know, I am Australian, but having lived in Holland now for 25 years, having been married to a Dutch woman (now divorced) and having four Dutch children, I am part Dutch. Proud of it and can get a little teary eyed when the Dutch National Anthem is played, be it at a GP, a football match or pretty much anything else. Sure, deep down I am an Aussie, but I have adopted Holland as my second home.

Now, last year, the Dutch again got robbed of taking their first ever victory at the MXoN, when Glenn Coldenhoff and Jeffrey Herlings kicked the ass of every single other nation, going 1-1-1-2, but unfortunately, Calvin Vlaanderen picked up an eye injury again Team Netherlands finished second, his scores 34/DNS.

So in 2016, 2017 and 2018 they have been the runner-up, and in 2019, they are the favourites to finally move up a step on the podium.

Now, as we come into the 2019 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations, four Dutch (well one South African) are in brilliant form. Herlings and Coldenhoff having won the last three GPs and went 1-2 last weekend in Turkey, and the MX2 boys, Roan Van De Moosdijk and Calvin Vlaanderen are finding the podium on a regular basis of late. The Dutch are not just slight favourites to take out their first MXoN win, but HEAVY favourites.

I said it last year at Redbud, but that makes me really nervous. Despite the two near victories in 2016 and 2018, and despite their riders in magic form, we all know the Nations doesn’t always help the form riders or the favourites. 

We know the deep sand will be perfect for the Dutch, we all know a massive crowd will attend this race, and as we saw last year in Assen when Herlings won his first World MXGP championship, they raised their usually well behaved character to wild, screaming spectators, something we usually only see from the British, French, American or Italian fans.

So, it all looks like the perfect weekend for Holland in three weeks’ time, but I am very, very nervous, because nothing is really perfect, and I just hope the Dutchies can finally take home the Chamberlain trophy. 

I know I will be standing, listening to Wilhelmus van Nassouwe, as the King of The Netherlands hands the riders their gold metals and that legendary winner trophy, and without doubt a tear in my eyes and satisfaction that I was there to witness history being made.

Ray Archer image