And as riders start all going to these development academies, theyre living and breathing racing every day. Moreover hes one of the sports top earners, at earning an estimated $10 million through endorsement deals, such as GoPro and Nike. 2023 - Dirt Bike Magazine. Given that each of these series is less than six months long, riders in the wide-open outdoor series will be part of the supercross series. 6 Tony Cairoli Image Credit- Motocross Action MAgazine. Roger de Coster was a dominating figure in motocross in the 70s. Stefan Everts notable achievements include: Overall Stefan Everts success if unrivalled, especially among European riders. Not so fast. Reliability: Transmissions were a weak spot, but the Honda was far more reliable than any of the 125s that came earlier. woodstock baptist church staff . Inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall Of Fame in 2006. The KTM 350 is the only current bike on our list for good reason: its the peoples motorcycle. Motorcross has seen incredible riders come and go in the sport and thus makes it quite a task to pick out the top-15 most famous motocross riders in the sports history. Jeremy McGrath: It's tough finding a spot for the King of Supercross here because he won four AMA Supercross titles and a 250 outdoor title on red, then left after a very public feud with the company over his image rights and freedom and whatnot. 8th- Tim Ferry- Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki-20 points. Hes definitely considered to be a legend in the community and his passion has taken him to pursue other extreme sports avenues such as NASCAR. For more on the history of the Yamaha YZ250, click here. Marvin Musquin - Musquin has won two 250cc Motocross Championships and is known for his technical skill and precision riding. He was always someone that you had to factor in as being capable of winning a race. Nutrition, training, data analysis, and feedback are all part of the sport. Who would be crowned the decades best? With a nod to great Red Riders like Doug Henry (who would gain more fame on four-stroke Yamahas) and Danny "Magoo" Chandler (whose Maico days were of equal legend), these guys were more red than anyone else. His laid-back riding style earned him the name Hurricane Hannah. He was the face of American Motocross in the late 70s and early 80s. 1987 saw him dominating the sport and clinching the 250 and 500 titles. As was often the case with bikes of this period, the RMs reign was brief. 2008: E1 World Champion - Honda. At Budds Creek, Carmichael came through the pack and caught Tortelli on the last lap, slammed him in a corner and stole the win. Like a chameleon, he adapted and his 2006 championship was surely one that he most treasures as he almost willed himself to the title. Take a supercross track, straighten it out and invite some of the best riders in the world to battle in a series of one-off sprint races. But at the Glen Helen opener, Carmichael proved he was up for the challenge of the 250 class, going 1-1 in his first-ever 250 outdoor race, and holding back Tortelli straight-up in the second moto. SportyTell takes an extensive insight into the sport to rank the top-15 best motocross riders of all time, based on their performance and accomplishments. His best tricks on the track included the high jump as well as the Nac Nac, which helped create freestyle motocross. Cool #MXGPArgentina video edit by; @mxvice ???? it would look like 4 time XG medalist Corey Bohan. In the nineties, McGrath WAS Honda. Team USA Top 25 Countdown: #1 Jeff Ward September 28, 2013 Jeff Ward comes in at #1 on the countdown. Its worthy to note that the 1982 Suzuki RM250 (a virtual clone to the 81 125) dominated that class in the much same fashion. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Ten times he emerged World Champion, he recorded a whopping 101 Grand Prix victories, winning 3 GPs every day. Importance: If Honda had stuck with this philosophy, the Open class would still be alive today. When he retired after the 1988 season, Broc held the AMA all-time wins record in both AMA 125cc motocross and 500cc motocross. The big Honda could eat a pound of dirt without losing power. The Yamahas frame and motor actually go back to 2005. R. He won the 450cc outdoor motocross national championship seven times and, Supercross Championship in the 450cc class five times. Heikki Mikkolas notable achievements include: Overall, he may not be a very famous name today, but back in his day in the 1970s, Heikkie was a world renowned legend in motocross. A motocross bike you purchase off the showroom floor no matter the model is what a factory rider is largely racing. His technique was one that was never copied by anyone. Ironically, the 490 was probably responsible for the downfall of the Open class. The next year, Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki caught up. Just like talking the baseball stats of Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez, were pitting the best MX bikes of all time against each other. As was the case in this period, the RMs period of dominance was short-lived. Top four finisher, between the years of 1970 1978. Importance. famous motocross riders of the 2000s . This bike earns its place on the list through sheer weight of numbers. He started clipping off national wins, and then even went to the X Games and won the freestyle contest on the off weekend! Harry Everts. He is determined to find the best solutions for quick jobs on the go when riding or skating by using the latest products. Nothing from Europe was as bulletproof. Unfortunately for me and my records, as a team we only finished in the top ten one time (03) but Ferry did make the top ten four times total. Greatest Motocross Riders. famous motocross riders of the 2000s. Ballance continues his involvement in the sport, racing a handful of GNCC events, and running a motocross track and a race team. Another change has been track design. Australian SX stories - 1978 to 1999. 4.) 2nd-9 points But of course you knew that already if youre reading this right? He had 228 starts as of 2018 and his career has sprawled for over 20 years! 1992-2000 125cc- 1992, 250cc- 1993, 1994 AMA 250cc- 1999 - 12 Mike Alessi: 2004-present - - - - Jason Anderson: 2014-present - There were actually more 2007 models produced than any dirt bike in Hondas recent history, and it was very similar to the 08. James Steward Jr has to his name, 5 FIM World Champion titles in Motocross of Nations competitions, and 3 AMA Motocross Champion titles. Not so fast. 14th- Ezra Lusk- 12 points-He won a race in 03 and scored three top ten finishes this decade. Many areas of the tracks could not be watered and groomed by bulldozers. At the time of his retirement in 1991, Johnson was the all-time Supercross victories leader. Hes won 16 supercrosses in his career (second most ever for a rider who hasnt won a sx title-behind Bradshaw) and its funny that, of those 16, 9 have come in years that RC or Stewart didnt compete in. Hes dominated the X-Games and been a fierce competitor in AMA Motocross and AMA Supercross. Longevity: Within a short time, the YZ360 had been surpassed. The early 350 wasnt as good as the current one; but it was still good. Carmichael is sponsored byKawasaki, Honda, and Suzuki. David Bailey: The best days of his too-short career all came on works Hondas, beginning with his replacement ride at the '82 Motocross des Nations and going through his career-ending crash at Lake Huron in California in January '87. Motorcycles 8 of the Most Influential Japanese Motorcycles Ever Whether you know it or not, these bold bikes from Japan probably influenced the bike you're riding now. Its as if Kevin has convinced himself that he cant win the title when either of those two line up but when Chad Reed is on the line, well a whole new KW comes out. 3. Ricky Carmichael. History. On July 4th, 2000, two fast Frenchman straight-up took it to Carmichael and Pastrana, and with Vuillemin knocking on the door of McGrath indoors, the world seemed set for a full-on takeover. 7.) He was back with a vengeance in 2000. In 2000, a French revolution was on hand. Something tells me that hes going to be a force in the next decade as well. Hes finished second in the series twice and both times behind Reed. As I was coming into racing and looking at the top riders in the series, you would see two or three riders that were at the top and were more or less expected to win on a weekly basis, Roczen said. Read on. 10th-1 point. These cookies do not store any personal information. Trying to create the best definitive list of the worlds greatest motocross riders of all time is extremely difficult, although weve decided to tackle it through their championship wins and accolades in motocross. Stefan Everts is from Belgium and is the son of infamous motocross rider Harry Everts. Yamaha had already been the top-rated bike of all the two-strokes, even when the class was full. Jobes memorable broad double jump in the 1984 500cc British Motocross Grand Prix, held at Hawkstone Park, Shropshire, England, is one remarkable cycling performance that will live in the minds of dirt bike racing fans for centuries to come. The 1974 Honda CR125M was produced in such fantastic quantity that motocross was jump-started in America. That seemed about right. His 3rd place in 07 was a career high for him. For a video of the 2016 KTM 350SX-F, click here. Travis Pastranas notable achievements include: Overall, you can owe a lot of credit to Travis for raising the profile of motocross as a sport in the 2000s. Ricky Carmichael was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2013. Within a single year, the CR125M was obsolete. Mike was a steady force almost every year with three 3rd place finishes early in the 2000s and although he wasnt in any championship battles, will always be remembered as a fan favorite and a hard charger. Fonseca was always a good starter and a very technical rider who seemed to be one of the first guys to figure out sections and lead the way. He is a champion on his own, but has also served on fourwinning USMotocross des Nations teams. Only one other rider achieved this feat, Ricky Carmichael, during his undefeated run. It was fast, reliable and cheap. Learn more about our use of cookies: cookie policy. He won the 250cc category four times. He is often referred to as "The Man" because of his stoic stature. Super Mad Champ. Ironically, the 81 Maico was still the best in class into the mid-80s, after Maico itself had vanished. And the birth of the outdoor motocross series is born in the U.S. With more outdoor victories then Stephan and 48 super cross wins in the premier class. Ricky Johnson was unstoppable from '86 to '89 for Honda. He made his professional debut in the early 1960s in the European motocross championship. He recorded a total of 150 wins in his 11 years stint. 500cc- 1971, NZ open- 1977/78, 1979/80, 1980/81, ACU Maxxis British Motocross Championship- MX2- 2008 MX1- 20142015, Belgian Championship- MX1- 2011, 1975 3rd,19762nd, 19773rd, 19792nd 500cc, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 20:35. Glover has been an analyst on television, and Lackey moved into training books and videos and raced in the over 40 class (he won the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) title in 2000). Also, a few have significantly impacted the sport, not just by racing but outside the racing sphere, and has thus, recorded jaw breaking achievements. He also won the FIM 125cc Motocross World Championship and the 250cc Motocross World Championship. It was the best 250 motocross bike of its day, and still handles better than more modern bikes from Austria and Italy. He was the first rider to win all AMA motocross championship event. We rank the 25 best Motocross of Nations racers of all-time. 2000 and 2004 models are the best KX500 models. Like De Coster, he has remained highly visible in the sport both on the broadcast side, and now as a consultant to Triumph who is currently developing off-road motorcycles, including one for motocross that is expected to join the manufacturing ranks with the national outdoor series. He was a phenomenal figure in his active years in the sport. All Rights Reserved. Like, literally he flies his plane under the radar. To this day, the one bike that vintage racers long for the most is the first Yamaha YZ360A. De Coster, who is still engaged in the sport and has seen greats come and go embraces what motocross will continue to be. Not always the best thing to do in supercross but he made it work for him. Which Actress Do You Think Will Be The Next Meryl Streep? De Coster is the absolute godfather of . Following in the steps of how the Europeans laid out tracks, it was not uncommon to simply walk out into a grassy, area with elevation changes, and stake a course out that followed the natural terrain (Lackey did just this with the 1977 Trans-AMA race at what is now Sonoma Raceway). Hes won two titles and finished second behind RC in the other one. Longevity: The same basic bike has been in production for 11 years. This was the best 450 in 2008, and maybe even the best today. And cheap to fix if it does break. A The next year he staved off the red head for his last title and then the 2001 season came and the two heroes split the first four races. It felt like we were a little bit behind the times [of other sports}, he says. 2009: E1 World Champion - Honda. 6th- Jeremy McGrath- Yamaha, KTM- 28 points. Just like Stewart, MC makes the list with just three scoring years in the decade. . At Unadilla, Carmichael and Tortelli split motos, with Carmichael edging Sebs 1-2 with a 2-1. for his phenomenal achievements. Reliability: Interestingly enough, the 08 is more reliable than the current Honda 450. In terms of championship wins, the best Motocross rider of all time is Ricky Carmichael. For more on the history of the Honda CRF450R, click here. In the meantime, Roncada was dominating the 125 ranks. Ricky Carmichael is the only Motocross racer to record an undefeated season, a feat he repeated thrice. So good, so fast, so cool and so French! Ricky Carmichael was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2013. It made good business sense for both of us to partner, said Carrie Coombs-Russell, Chief Executive Officer, MX Sports Pro Racing that is responsible for the U.S. outdoor series. Part of the changes in track surface over the years has been due to changes in technology and racing facilities getting creative. This decorated BMX rider of all time won gold medals at the X-Games in '07, '08, and '10. He won three 500cc world titlesback when those titles were hard to come by. He is known as the GOAT, or the Greatest of All Time, because in his 11 years as a rider hemanaged to dominatethe sport, with 150 wins in professional competitions. Daniel Dhers. In Eric Geboers 10 years racing career, he became the first Motocross racer to win the World Championship in the 125cc, 250cc, and 500cc categories. Real-life motocross racers who were forced from the track too soon know as well what it's like to risk your well-being every day doing what you love. For more on the history of the Suzuki RM250, click here. Antonio Cairoli - Cairoli has won 10 Motocross World Championships during his career, and is widely considered one of the most talented riders of his generation. By 1975, Suzuki and Yamaha had better bikes, and the CR didnt change. Dominating the 125 ranks referred to as `` the Man '' because of his in... Find the best today course you knew that already if youre reading this right a single year, 490! Belgium and is the first Yamaha YZ360A, a feat he repeated thrice and. 1 Jeff Ward September 28, 2013 Jeff Ward comes in at 1! Kawasaki-20 points KTM 350SX-F, click here factory rider is largely racing the is... Than the current Honda 450 he says the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2013 it was the all-time victories... 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