Eric Geboers facts for kids

Eric Geboers (born August 5, 1962 – died May 6, 2018) was a famous Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1980 to 1990. During these eleven years, he won five world championships!

Eric Geboers is special because he was the first motocross rider to win world championships in all three main categories: the 125cc, 250cc, and 500cc divisions. He won 39 Grand Prix races in his career, which places him among the top motocross champions ever.

In 1988, he received the Belgian National Sports Merit Award. Later, in 2011, Geboers was named an FIM Legend for his amazing achievements in motorcycling. Eric Geboers passed away in 2018.

Biography

Eric Geboers was born in Neerpelt, Belgium. His father owned a petrol station and also sold vehicles like mopeds and scooters. Eric was the youngest of five brothers, and all of them raced motorcycles! His oldest brother, Sylvain Geboers, was also a very successful motocross racer.

Early Career and First Championships

Eric started his professional motocross career in 1980. He joined the Suzuki factory racing team, which was managed by his brother Sylvain. Eric made a big impression right away. He won the 1980 125cc French Grand Prix, which was only his second professional race!

He continued to win two more Grand Prix races that year in Germany and Czechoslovakia. He finished his first season ranked third in the championship. In 1981, he won three more Grand Prix races and moved up to second place in the championship.

In 1982, Eric Geboers truly shined. He dominated the second half of the 125cc motocross world championship season. He won five of the last six Grand Prix races to claim his first world championship for Suzuki. He was so good that he successfully defended his title in 1983. That year, he won six out of twelve Grand Prix races in the 125cc championship.

Moving to Honda and "The Kid"

At the end of 1983, Suzuki decided to stop competing in the motocross world championships. This led Eric Geboers to sign with the powerful Honda factory racing team. This team included other top riders like André Malherbe and David Thorpe.

While at Honda, Eric was given the nickname The Kid by his team manager, Steve Whitlock. This was because of his smaller size. In his first year with Honda, he raced in the 500cc motocross world championship and finished fifth. He improved to third place in both the 1985 and 1986 500cc world championships, always behind his Honda teammates.

Making History: Mr. 875cc

In 1987, Steve Whitlock convinced Eric to try racing in the 250cc world championship. Eric was promised that if he won the 250cc title, he could return to the 500cc class. Eric delivered! He won five Grand Prix races and became the 1987 250cc world champion.

True to the promise, he returned to the top 500cc division the next year. In 1988, he won his first of two FIM 500cc World Championships. This made him the very first rider to win FIM world championships in all three classes (125cc, 250cc, and 500cc). This amazing achievement earned him the nickname "Mr. 875cc" (125+250+500=875).

His incredible performance in 1988 also earned him the Belgian National Sports Merit Award and he was named the 1988 Belgian Sportsman of the year. Eric Geboers retired from motocross racing in 1990, at the age of 28. He retired at the very top of his sport, winning the 500cc world championship in his final season. He even won the last race of his career at the 1990 500cc United States Grand Prix.

Other Races and Later Career

Besides motocross, Eric Geboers also won the famous Le Touquet beach race three times in a row, from 1988 to 1990.

After retiring from motocross, Eric started a new career in sports car endurance racing. He competed in the FIA GT Championship in 2001 and 2002, including races like the Spa 24 Hours. Later, he also managed the Suzuki motocross team alongside his brother, working with Belgian riders like Clement Desalle.

Death

Eric Geboers passed away on May 6, 2018, in an accident on a lake in Mol, Belgium. He had jumped into the water to try and save his pet dog. Sadly, he immediately had trouble and did not come back to the surface. Rescue teams found his body the next day. His dog reportedly survived. The cause of death was found to be cold shock from the icy water below the surface.

Honours and awards

• Belgian Sportsman of the year: 1988
• Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1988
• First "Mr. 875cc" (winning world titles in 125/250/500cc): 1988. The second rider to achieve this was Stefan Everts.]