A British Invention – Perfected by the Americans
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FEATURE STORY: HISTORY OF THE MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS PHOTO: PETER KITCHINGMAN A British invention – perfected by the Americans As Motocross was invented by the Team racing is the yardstick of the British, it was only fitting that they Motocross des Nations. would dominate the early stages of the Although there have been minor Motocross des Nations. changes over the years, the initial But forty years down the track the sport formula proved the right one which has has been perfected by the Americans. attracted and held great public And incredibly, they have won the last enthusiasm. eleven contests. The present formula, where three riders The sport began in the 1920’s. But it compete from each country on 125, 250 was not until after World War II that it and 500cc machines, was introduced in really began to emerge with a surprising 1985. Prior to this, all riders rode only degree of vitality and life. 500cc machines. By now the sport was clearly established Riders contest two races each and points in Europe. are awarded to all riders who finish – 1 for first, 2 for second, and so on. And as early as 1946, the first ever International team event was staged in Although three Motos are contested Duinrell, Holland. with two capacity classes competing at a time, points are individually allocated This event was somewhat of an per capacity class. exploratory nature. And the Nation with the lowest points is The Motocross des Nations was established in 1947 after the sport was firmly established in It was organised for 500cc machines as deemed the winner. every European country. after the war, these were the machines most readily available. And competitors Predictably, Britain, the sport’s founder, represented Britain, Belgium, and would dominate the early stages of the Motocross des Nations. Holland. The Swedish Husqvarnas were becoming Aided by Japanese Suzukis, the seventies The first International was run without The British had excellent and highly increasingly successful against the British were completely dominated by Belgium, official status. competitive machinery at their disposal, BSA’s and between 1955 to 1974, the winning seven times. plus many riders had reached high Swedes won 7 times. But its success persuaded the FIM Belgium’s Roger De Coster – the winner standards through their expertise in the The British won for the last time in 1967, of many World Individual 500cc (Federation Internationale Motocycliste) trials world. to grant official recognition to the sport taking their total victories to 15, a record Championships, led his country to six of of Motocross. However, the Belgiums were close rivals, that remains unbeaten today. these victories. winning in 1948 and 1951. The following year, the inaugural And many people still regard him as one Motocross des Nations was held in But the Swedish broke through in 1955 But this ended the era for British/ of the greatest motocross riders of all Wassenaar, Holland with official to take their first victory. Swedish rivalry. time. Belgium has produced many world champions, including George approval from the FIM. The Belgians soon took the place of the This marked the beginning of a new era Jobes, Harry Everts, Andre Malherbe, British in the dual for supremacy against And so, the historical Motocross des which would see a total domination and Eric Geboers. the Swedes. Nations began… between the English and Swedish. …continued on page 2 FEATURE STORY: HISTORY OF THE MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS …continued from page 1 Team USA domination in the eighties At the end of the eighties, Russia and Motocross was introduced to America Czechoslovakia were the only other by servicemen returning from duty in countries to ever score victory in the Europe. Motocross des Nations. But it lived in an atmosphere of Both were recorded on their home disorganised chaos until the AMA 2019 terrain – Russia in 1968 and (American Motorcycle Association) Czechoslovakia in 1975. launched the Trans-AMA series. Russia’s victory was without the British, The great European riders were invited Belgian, Dutch, Swedish, and Italian to participate with substantial dollar teams in protest against inducements. Czechoslovakia’s invasion. And from that moment onwards, But 10 years later, the Russians proved America became the “Garden of Eden” they were capable of beating the world’s for the European and Japanese best, when they won for the second manufacturers. time in Germany – 1978. The greater financial resources for the In 1981, the Motocross des Nations was riders and rich sponsorship has enabled to take a dramatic turnaround. the Americans to become new world leaders. From this point on, the event has been completely dominated by the United But to their credit, 13 consecutive States of America. victories since 1981 is the greatest achievement in the history of the This is indeed quite a remarkable feat, Motocross des Nations! especially in the light that the Americans had probably never even heard of By John Steyntjes motocross until the seventies. WORLD MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS1947 - RESULTS 1975-78 1939 84-85 1982 at Manjimup Western Australia was the first time in the history of the sport that the Motocross des Nations was held outside of Europe. RIGHT: The American team convincingly won to make it twelve wins on the trot. The USA team featured: Billy Liles (500cc), Mike LaRocco (250cc) and Jeff Emig (125cc)..