André Malherbe (21 March 1956 – 24 November 2022) was a Belgian professional Grand Prix

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 The 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 ...

s from 1975 to 1986, most prominently as a member of the Honda factory racing team where he won three

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

500cc Motocross World Championships. In 1984, Malherbe 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 sport ...

Motorcycle racing career

Born in

Huy Huy ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the '' sillon industriel'', the former industrial backbone of Wall ...

, the son of a motorcycle dealer, Malherbe began racing at an early age and earned his racing licence in 1973. He rode a Zündapp to win the 1973 FIM 125cc European motocross championship, and repeated as champion in 1974. Malherbe finished the

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

season third in the 250cc motocross world championship. Malherbe moved up to the 500cc world championship in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

and finished the season as the highest scoring KTM rider in sixth place. He joined the

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

factory racing team in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

and improved to a third-place finish behind Honda teammate Graham Noyce and Suzuki's

Gerrit Wolsink Gerrit Wolsink (born 3 March 1947) is a Dutch former professional Grand Prix motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1968 FIM Motocross World Championship, 1968 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki f ...

in the 500cc world championship. In 1980, he captured his first 500cc world championship as a member of the Honda factory racing team. Malherbe successfully defended his title in 1981 and in 1984 he won his third 500cc world championship for Honda. Malherbe won 72 individual heat races and 39 Grand Prix victories during his world championship racing career. He won three 500cc motocross world titles (1980, 1981, 1984) and four Belgian motocross national championships (1972, 1977, 1983, 1985). He was a member of two victorious Belgian Trophée des Nations teams (1977, 1980), and three victorious Belgian

Motocross des Nations The Motocross of Nations (MXON), also known by its original French name (''MXDN'') 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 ...

teams (1977, 1979, 1980). At the time of his retirement, Malherbe's 39 Grand Prix race victories placed him fourth on the all-time winners list. After his motocross career ended, he competed in the 1987 Spa 24 Hour round of the

World Touring Car Championship The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sing ...

. He then began to compete in

rally raid Rally raid is a type of off-road motorsport event competed with different types of vehicles. Along with shorter Baja (cross-country rally), baja rallies, rally raid constitutes cross-country rallying. Both the Fédération Internationale de l'Aut ...

s. While competing in the

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

Paris to Dakar Rally he crashed and suffered serious injuries that left him

paralyzed Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, r ...

Personal life and death

Malherbe died on 24 November 2022, at the age of 66.

References

1956 births 2022 deaths Sportspeople from Huy Belgian motocross riders People with paraplegia Belgian racing drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers 20th-century Belgian sportsmen {{Motorcycle-racing-bio-stub