René Baeten (10 June 1927, in

Herentals Herentals () is a city in the province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Herentals proper and the towns of Morkhoven and . In 2021, Herentals had a total population of 28.194. The total area is . Saint Waltrude is the patron saint ...

– 5 June 1960, in Stekene) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

racer. He competed in the

Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

s from 1947 to 1960. Baeten is notable for winning the 1958 500cc Motocross World Championship. In 1958, Baeten was named the recipient of the

Belgian National Sports Merit Award The Belgian National Sports Merit Award is an annual award handed out to a Belgian sportsperson or -team for exceptional merit. Players can only win the award once during their career, making this trophy one of the most prestigious in Belgian sports ...

. In

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

and

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

, Baeten finished second in the 500cc European motocross championships to

Auguste Mingels Auguste Mingels (24 March 1921 – 20 May 1973) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1947 to 1957. Mingels is notable for winning two consecutive F.I.M. 500cc European motocross champi ...

. In

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

, the F.I.M. upgraded the competition to world championship status, and again Baeten would finish in second place, this time to

Bill Nilsson Bill Nilsson (17 December 1932 – 25 August 2013) was a Swedish professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1952 to 1967. Nilsson was the first 500 cc motocross world champion after winning the inaugur ...

on an AJS motorcycle. In 1958, Baeten would ride an FN motorcycle to claim the 500cc motocross world championship, defeating Nilsson and

Sten Lundin Sten Lundin (20 November 1931 – 3 June 2016) was a Swedish professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1955 to 1966. Motocross career Lundin won the F.I.M. 500cc motocross world championship in 1959 ridi ...

. He was honored for his achievement with the 1958 Belgian National Sports Merit Award. Baeten was killed in a racing accident in 1960.

References

1927 births 1960 deaths People from Herentals Sportspeople from Antwerp Province Belgian motocross riders Motorcycle racers who died while racing {{Motorcycle-racing-bio-stub