With Stefan Everts nearing the end of his final season as a World Motocross GP competitor, it seemed appropriate to take a look back over the career of one of the most dominant riders ever to lap a European motocross track. With Everts looking to be on track to take his 10th world title this year in the MX1 category, let’s take a look at how the other 9 came about.
Everts’ first professional title was the Belgian 125cc National championship, in 1990 – the same year he finished third in the 125cc World championship. The following year (1991) saw him successfully defend his title in Belgium, while at the same time contesting and conquering the 125cc World MX championship – taking 5 GP victories on his way to becoming the youngest world champion ever (at that time).
Everts moved to the 250cc class in 1992, but was held back by an injury which kept him out of a few races that season. In 1993 he won the Belgian 250cc National championship and finished second in the 250cc World championship – a placement he would repeat (on the World level) in 1994.
1995 was the year most consider to be the beginning of the Everts era – the Belgian took 5 GP wins on his way to his first 250cc World championship. In 1996 he switched from Kawasaki to Honda, and repeated his 1995 performance – again taking 5 wins and the title.
Everts made an even more dominant display in 1997, this time standing on the top step of the 250cc podium nine times on his way to becoming World champion. Everts also took the win at the 1997 Motocross de Nations, defeating racers from dozens of nations to demonstrate yet again that he was truly a world-class racer.
The 1998 250cc World championship came down to the last race, but in the end, Everts was defeated by blindingly fast Frenchman Sebastien Tortelli, despite Everts’ 9 wins that season.
1999 and 2000 marked a dark period in Everts’ career – he spent both seasons sidelined by injury, and some journalists speculated that he might never return to championship-winning form.
Showing the tenacity that has marked his entire career, Everts proved them wrong by coming back in 2001 (this time aboard a Yamaha) to win 7 GPs and take yet another title – becoming the first rider in World MX GP history to win titles on all four Japanese brands. Everts has continued true to form since then, winning the World Championship every year since 2001 (as well as taking two more wins in the Motocross des Nations), and it seems that this year will yet again see him leave victorious at season’s end.
If Everts does indeed take his tenth World title this year, it will be a fitting end to an incredible career, which has seen him rise from the ranks of National-level racing to become the most famous – and in the opinion of many observers, the best – motocross racer Europe has ever seen.
