Joël Smets (born 6 April 1969) is a
Belgian 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 competi ...
racer and current Racing Sports Director for
KTM motorcycles.
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 1989 to 2005. Smets is notable for being a five-time motocross world champion, six-time Belgian national champion and was ''
Belgian Sportsman of the year'' in 2000.
His 57 career Grand Prix victories ranks him fourth overall among motocross world championship competitors.
International career
Smets was born in
Mol,
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
. Nicknamed ''The Flemish Lion'' during his career, Smets was named after his parents' favorite rider
Joël Robert
Joël Robert (26 November 1943 – 13 January 2021) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1962 to 1976 when the sport experienced a surge in popularity worldwide. A six-time world champ ...
.
He didn't start racing until he was seventeen years old and found his feet on the Grand Prix scene rather quickly. In 1993 Smets won the German Grand Prix, and finished the season in third place in the 500cc championship.
A year later Smets, riding the
Vertemati machine, won two Grands Prix and again finished third in the world. By 1995 and racing for the
Husaberg
Husaberg was a manufacturer of enduro motorcycles with four and two-stroke engines, the displacements ranging from 125 cc to 650 cc. Originally based in Sweden, its motorcycles were later manufactured in Austria by parent company KTM until the ...
factory he was set to clinch his first ever world title, winning the 500cc championship from American
Trampas Parker. The battle between Parker and Smets was a tense one with Smets wrapping up the title in the last round of the series in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
A knee injury during the 1996 season hampered the defense of his world championship and, New Zealand's
Shayne King claimed the championship crown. Smets came back from his injury to win two consecutive 500cc world championships in 1997 and 1998. He also represented Belgium at the 1998
International Six Days Enduro
The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), formerly known as the International Six Days Trial (ISDT), is the oldest 'off-road' motorcycle event on the FIM Calendar.
The ISDT was first held in 1913 at Carlisle, England. It has occurred annually, a ...
, a form of
off-road
Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events w ...
motorcycle Olympics, and won a gold medal by winning the 400cc four stroke class. Smets' title defense in the 1999 season was marred by eight mechanical failures as he finished third in the championship.
Smets joined the KTM factory racing team for the 2000 500cc world championship and dominated the competition by winning 12 out go 16 Grand Prix races, including eight Grands Prix in a row. He finished second to
Stefan Everts
Stefan Everts (born 25 November 1972) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and racing team manager. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1988 to 2006. Everts is notable for winning a record 10 Fédération Internatio ...
in the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
In 2003, competed in the newly formed MX1-GP championship for machines with 450cc four stroke engines. He rode a KTM to a second-place finish behind Everts in an exciting season of racing. Smets also contested the MX3 class for motorcycles with a 650cc engine capacity in 2003, winning that title, picking up his 57th Grand Prix victory and his fifth open class world championship leaving him ties with
Roger De Coster
Roger De Coster (born 28 August 1944) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a ...
.
Smets joined
Sylvain Geboers' Alstare
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...
Team for the 2004 season but, suffered a major injury at the season opening round in the Mantova International. The injury saw him miss his assault on any title in 2004. The 2005 season was another season he would not reach his true potential as he battled to match Everts on the track. He did win races, but could never get that Grand Prix overall. He announced his retirement from international competition at the age of 37 after injuring his knee at the Gaildorf circuit in Germany.
Smets retired with 57 Grand Prix victories. At the time of his retirement, his 57 career Grand Prix victories ranked second only to Stefan Everts 87 victories at the time.
As of 2019, he ranks fourth all-time behind Everts (101),
Antonio Cairoli
Antonio "Tony" Cairoli (born 23 September 1985) is an Italian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2002 to 2021. Cairoli is notable for winning nine Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, FIM M ...
(86), and
Jeffrey Herlings (84).
Smets was also a member of victorious Belgium teams at the
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 ...
in 1995, 1997 and 2003.
At the beginning of the 2006 season Smets teamed up with MTM Suzuki to race in international races and the Belgium national championship races. After the 2006 season, Smets retired from international and national racing altogether. At the start of the 2007 season Smets was managing a small team. By mid season Smets had moved to
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
to work on development of their new 450cc enduro machine, which saw Smets competing in some rounds of the
World Enduro Championship
The FIM Enduro World Championship, formerly known as the World Enduro Championship, is the world championship series for enduro, a popular form of off-road motorcycle sport. The championship currently features three classes (E1, E2 and E3), along ...
.
After retiring, he managed the Belgian Motocross des Nations team for 11 years. In 2015, Smets was named Racing Sports Director for
KTM motorcycles.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smets, Joel
1969 births
Living people
Belgian motocross riders
Enduro riders
Sportspeople from Mol, Belgium