World Number One - 22 Years

Posted on May 12, 2022

22 years of motocross around the World and our question is, who is the best rider in the World in each of those years. Of course, it is difficult to say who was the best in some years, because the AMA champion and the MXGP champion didn’t always get to battle.

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For instance, Stefan Everts and Ricky Carmichael met on just four occasions with two wins each, however, I would say only the 2003 and 2005 races could be counted, as the first two occasions Everts was on the 250 and RC on the 125 (Everts won both easily). In the two occasions they met on similar bikes RC went 1-1-1, so those 2003 and 2005 seasons I go with Carmichael being the number one in the World.

For me Carmichael was number one in the World in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2005 and I give Everts the number one spot in 2001, 2004 and 2006. The reason for me picking Everts came from his achievements in those seasons, a brilliant comeback from injury in 2001, beating another legend in Joel Smets. Carmichael was also a champion in 2001, beating Kevin Windham by eight points. Everts also went 1-1 at the MXdN at Namur in 2001, an event Carmichael couldn’t attend due to 9/11.

Of course in 2005 RC dominated everyone in USA and also at the MXdN with 1-1 performances and in 2006 it was Everts who had a near perfect season and went 1-1 at the MXdN. Two legends with similar stories in those two seasons.

For me the 2007 rider of the year was a small bike champion in Ryan Villopoto, due to his amazing battle with Ben Townley in the AMA 125cc motocross championship and his stunning MXdN performance at the Budds Creek circuit, where he made easy work of the GP riders. I just can’t put MX1 champion Steve Ramon or anyone else above Villopoto in this season.

A year later and James Stewart totally dominated his rivals in USA and while his competition wasn’t super strong, winning ahead of Tim Ferry, Andrew Short, Micheal Byrne and Cody Cooper, he showed at the MXdN that he was the man, winning a moto and leading the other until dropping to the rear of the field, but it was obvious the fastest man on the planet in 2008 was Stewart.

King Cairoli arrived in the 450 class in 2009 and quickly wrapped up the MX1 championship. Cairoli also won the opening moto of the MXdN beating AMA Outdoor champion Chad Reed, before being taken out in the second moto. For me, Cairoli was the man in 2009.

In 2010 it was Ryan Dungey who took control of the World number one spot with his second AMA outdoor championship and domination at the MXdN at Thunder Valley. There didn’t seem much in it between Cairoli and Dungey in those two years.

There was no doubt, the man of 2011 was Ryan Villopoto. The 2007 number one won both the AMA supercross and motocross championships, beating Dungey and Chad Reed in both, and also showed amazing speed at the MXdN, finishing with 4-1 results and leading Team USA to victory, their last in this event and to be honest, I think had Villopoto continued to race, the American’s might have won more since 2011.

Just like Villopoto the previous year, Cairoli was stunning in 2011, easily winning the MXGP championship and also going 1-1 at the now famous MXdN of 2012. Cairoli easily dominated the best American riders and all the leading GP riders.

It was that man Villopoto again in 2013 as he won both AMA titles and while he didn’t attend the MXdN, it would be impossible to not place him as the number one in the World. In 2014 I gave Cairoli the number one spot again, as he wrapped up his eight World motocross championship, joining legends like Roger De Coster, Eric Geboers, Joel Smets and Georges Jobe in a very select group.

2015 it was Romain Febvre who was left over after several leading riders, including Cairoli and Villopoto crashed out of the MXGP championship. Febvre though showed what a class he was by going 1-1 at the MXdN in France and not only leading France to victory, but also showing the World that he was the man in 2015.

With Villopoto retired and Tim Gajser joining the two time World champion list in MXGP, it was Ken Roczen who was in my opinion the number one rider in the World. The German who had already won an MX2 championship and the 2015 AMA 450 motocross championship looked strong all year. He wouldn’t race the MXdN, although no rider stood out in that year, with Herlings, Febvre and Anderson all winning a moto.

2017 and Cairoli was again the man, winning his ninth World championship. While Cairoli was the man to win, that young Dutchman Jeffrey Herlings was in his shadows and in 2018 completely dominated the MXGP competition to claim his first World number one spot.

Tim Gajser winning World titles in 2019 and 2020 was the man as he claimed 1-2 results at the MXdN in 2019 and then went 2-1 in the MXdN of 2020. Yes, the Slovenian had arrived and his place in World motocross was secure.

Again Herlings showed his brilliance in 2021 when he won the battle of the ages, leading home 2015 World number one Roman Febvre and 2019 and 2020 World number one Gajser in the greatest GP championship of all time.

Of the riders from the last 21 years, Carmichael and Cairoli were number one on four occasions, Everts, Villopoto on three ocassions and Herlings and Gajser two times each. Stewart, Dungey, Roczen and Febvre scored the World number one on one occasion each.

In the last 22 years, 10 AMA riders have held the number one spot in the World and 12 GP riders. Obviously the last eight years, GP riders are considered the best in the World, while the early 2000's it was the AMA riders who were often considered the best.

World Number One

2000 Ricky Carmichael

2001 Stefan Everts

2002 Ricky Carmichael

2003 Ricky Carmichael

2004 Stefan Everts

2005 Ricky Carmichael

2006 Stefan Everts

2007 Ryan Villopoto

2008 James Stewart

2009 Antonio Cairoli

2010 Ryan Dungey