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Eric Geboers
Eric Geboers (5 August 1962 – 6 May 2018) was a Belgian professional motocross racer and racing driver. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1980 to 1990 riding for the Suzuki and Honda factory racing teams. A five-time world champion, Geboers is notable for being the first motocross competitor to win each of the three world championship classes (125cc, 250cc, and 500cc). His 39 career Grand Prix victories ranks him fifth overall among motocross world championship competitors.
In 1988, he was named the recipient of the Belgian National Sports Merit Award. In 2011, Geboers was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. Geboers died in a drowning accident in 2018.
Geboers was born in Neerpelt, Belgium on August 5, 1962. His father was an amateur motocross racer who owned a petrol station that also sold automobiles, mopeds and scooters. He was the youngest of five brothers with Sylvain Geboers being the oldest, 16 years his senior. Sylvain Geboers had ridden for the ČZ and Suzuki factory racing teams and finished in the top three of the 250cc motocross world championships for five consecutive years between 1968 and 1972.
All five brothers followed their father's lead by becoming motorcycle racers and a supporter's club was formed out of a desire to help further their racing careers. For nearly 30 years, from the beginning of Sylvain's career in the early 1960s to the end of Eric's career in 1990, the supporter's club remained active by raising funds through subscription fees and by organizing tours to watch the brothers compete.
Geboers began racing professional motocross in the 1980 125cc Motocross World Championship for the Suzuki factory racing team with his brother Sylvain serving as Eric's team manager and mechanic. He made an immediate impact by winning the 1980 125cc French Grand Prix in only the second Grand Prix of his career. He went on to win two more Grand Prix races in Germany and Czechoslovakia to finish the season ranked third in the championship behind Harry Everts (Suzuki) and Michele Rinaldi (TGM).
The 1981 125cc Motocross World Championship developed into a four-way battle between Geboers, Everts, Rinaldi and Marc Velkeneers (Yamaha). After the first ten rounds of the championship the four competitors were 12 points apart. Everts won the last two Grand Prix races of the year to claim his third consecutive 125cc Motocross World Championship while Geboers won three Grand Prix races to improve to second place in the championship behind Everts.
In 1982, Geboers overtook the early championship leader Velkeneers and went on to dominate the second half of the season by winning five of the last six Grand Prix races to claim his first 125cc Motocross World Championship for Suzuki. He successfully defended his title for Suzuki in 1983 by winning 15 out of 24 heat races and six out of twelve Grand Prix races during the 125cc Motocross World Championship. At the 1983 125cc Coupe des Nations event he finished second to Belgian teammate Velkeneers as the top individual points scorers to help the Belgian team win the event.
Suzuki's decision to withdraw their team from the Motocross World Championships at the end of the 1983 season led Geboers to sign a contract to become a member of the powerful Honda HRC factory racing team that included the reigning world champion André Malherbe as well as David Thorpe and André Vromans. While with the Honda team, he was given the nickname The Kid by Honda team manager Steve Whitlock due to his small stature. The 1984 500cc Motocross World Championship saw an elevated level of competition with Geboers facing off against his Honda teammates Malherbe and Thorpe as well as Håkan Carlqvist (Yamaha) and Georges Jobé(Kawasaki). The 1984 500cc season is prominent for featuring all three of the previous year's world champions – Carlqvist (500cc), Jobé (250cc) and Geboers (125cc). While the 1984 season would be dominated by Malherbe, Jobé and Thorpe, Geboers managed to win the 500cc Dutch Grand Prix and scored three second-place results before an injury forced him to miss the last three races of the year. He ended the season ranked fifth in the championship. Geboers improved to third place in the 1985 500cc motocross world championship behind his Honda teammates Malherbe and Thorpe.
Eric Geboers
Eric Geboers (5 August 1962 – 6 May 2018) was a Belgian professional motocross racer and racing driver. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1980 to 1990 riding for the Suzuki and Honda factory racing teams. A five-time world champion, Geboers is notable for being the first motocross competitor to win each of the three world championship classes (125cc, 250cc, and 500cc). His 39 career Grand Prix victories ranks him fifth overall among motocross world championship competitors.
In 1988, he was named the recipient of the Belgian National Sports Merit Award. In 2011, Geboers was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. Geboers died in a drowning accident in 2018.
Geboers was born in Neerpelt, Belgium on August 5, 1962. His father was an amateur motocross racer who owned a petrol station that also sold automobiles, mopeds and scooters. He was the youngest of five brothers with Sylvain Geboers being the oldest, 16 years his senior. Sylvain Geboers had ridden for the ČZ and Suzuki factory racing teams and finished in the top three of the 250cc motocross world championships for five consecutive years between 1968 and 1972.
All five brothers followed their father's lead by becoming motorcycle racers and a supporter's club was formed out of a desire to help further their racing careers. For nearly 30 years, from the beginning of Sylvain's career in the early 1960s to the end of Eric's career in 1990, the supporter's club remained active by raising funds through subscription fees and by organizing tours to watch the brothers compete.
Geboers began racing professional motocross in the 1980 125cc Motocross World Championship for the Suzuki factory racing team with his brother Sylvain serving as Eric's team manager and mechanic. He made an immediate impact by winning the 1980 125cc French Grand Prix in only the second Grand Prix of his career. He went on to win two more Grand Prix races in Germany and Czechoslovakia to finish the season ranked third in the championship behind Harry Everts (Suzuki) and Michele Rinaldi (TGM).
The 1981 125cc Motocross World Championship developed into a four-way battle between Geboers, Everts, Rinaldi and Marc Velkeneers (Yamaha). After the first ten rounds of the championship the four competitors were 12 points apart. Everts won the last two Grand Prix races of the year to claim his third consecutive 125cc Motocross World Championship while Geboers won three Grand Prix races to improve to second place in the championship behind Everts.
In 1982, Geboers overtook the early championship leader Velkeneers and went on to dominate the second half of the season by winning five of the last six Grand Prix races to claim his first 125cc Motocross World Championship for Suzuki. He successfully defended his title for Suzuki in 1983 by winning 15 out of 24 heat races and six out of twelve Grand Prix races during the 125cc Motocross World Championship. At the 1983 125cc Coupe des Nations event he finished second to Belgian teammate Velkeneers as the top individual points scorers to help the Belgian team win the event.
Suzuki's decision to withdraw their team from the Motocross World Championships at the end of the 1983 season led Geboers to sign a contract to become a member of the powerful Honda HRC factory racing team that included the reigning world champion André Malherbe as well as David Thorpe and André Vromans. While with the Honda team, he was given the nickname The Kid by Honda team manager Steve Whitlock due to his small stature. The 1984 500cc Motocross World Championship saw an elevated level of competition with Geboers facing off against his Honda teammates Malherbe and Thorpe as well as Håkan Carlqvist (Yamaha) and Georges Jobé(Kawasaki). The 1984 500cc season is prominent for featuring all three of the previous year's world champions – Carlqvist (500cc), Jobé (250cc) and Geboers (125cc). While the 1984 season would be dominated by Malherbe, Jobé and Thorpe, Geboers managed to win the 500cc Dutch Grand Prix and scored three second-place results before an injury forced him to miss the last three races of the year. He ended the season ranked fifth in the championship. Geboers improved to third place in the 1985 500cc motocross world championship behind his Honda teammates Malherbe and Thorpe.