Sylvain Geboers (born March 28, 1945) is 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 ...

former 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 competiti ...

racer and motocross racing team manager. 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 1968 to 1977.

Motocross career

Geboers was born in

Mol, Belgium Mol () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Mol. In 2021, Mol had a total population of 37,021 inhabitants. The total area is 114.19 km2. Mol is a popular holiday resort, w ...

. He was one of the top motocross racers of the late 1960s and early 1970s, finishing in the top three of the F.I.M. 250cc motocross World Championships for five consecutive years from 1968 to

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

. Although he was often overshadowed by his ČZ and Suzuki teammate,

Joël Robert Joël Robert (26 November 1943 – 13 January 2021) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1960 to 1976 when the sport experienced a surge in popularity worldwide. A six-time world cham ...

, he was a respected competitor known as a sand track specialist. Geboers played an integral role in the introduction of the sport of motocross in the United States by participating in the fledgling AMA Trans-AMA Motocross Series. The championship was an international series established by the American Motorcyclist Association as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. He won the

1971 Trans-AMA motocross series The 1971 Trans-AMA motocross series was the second annual international series established by the American Motorcyclist Association as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. The motocross series was an invitational based on ...

championship. Geboers was also a multi-time

Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the "Olympics of Motocross". The event has been staged since 1947, where the team of Bill Nicholson, Fred Rist ...

and Trophee des Nations champion. After retiring from professional racing in 1977, Geboers managed Suzuki's European motocross team until 2016 when, he turned over his duties to Stefan Everts. As team manager, he guided Eric Geboers,

Georges Jobé Georges Jobé (6 January 1961 – 19 December 2012) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1979 to 1992. Jobé is notable for being a five-time FIM motocross world champion and a nine-ti ...

Greg Albertyn Greg Albertyn is a South African former professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1988 to 1994 and in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1995 to 2000. Albertyn is notable for being the first South Afri ...

, Donny Schmit,

Mickaël Pichon Mickaël Pichon (born 13 February 1976) is a French former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1992 to 1994 and in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1995 to 1999, before returnin ...

, Steve Ramon and Stefan Everts to world championships. A

References

1945 births People from Mol, Belgium People from Balen Sportspeople from Antwerp Province Flemish sportspeople Belgian motocross riders Motorcycle racing team owners Living people {{Motorcycle-sport-bio-stub