Joël Robert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joël Robert
Joël Robert (1973)
Nationality	Belgian
Born	(1943-11-26)26 November 1943 Châtelet, Belgium
Died	13 January 2021(2021-01-13) (aged 77) Gilly, Belgium
Motocross career
Years active	1962 – 1976
Teams	CZ, Suzuki, Puch
Championships	250cc – 1964, 1968–1972
Wins	50

Joël Robert (born November 26, 1943 – died January 13, 2021) was a super talented Belgian motocross racer. He raced in the Motocross World Championships from 1962 to 1976. This was a time when motocross became very popular around the world.

Joël Robert was a six-time world champion. He was amazing in the 250cc class for almost ten years. From 1964 to 1972, he finished first or second every single year. He even won five world championships in a row! In 1964, he received the Belgian National Sports Merit Award. He won a total of 50 Grand Prix races during his career. This was a record that lasted for almost 30 years.

Joël Robert was very successful on the race track. He was also known for his fun personality. This made him one of the most popular motocross racers in the early 1970s. People said he was one of the most naturally gifted riders of his time. His exciting races against Torsten Hallman were some of the best ever.

Robert helped bring motocross to the United States. He inspired many early American motocross racers. In 2000, he was honored for his help in growing American motocross. He was added to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. In 2020, he was named an FIM Motocross Legend.

Joël Robert's Racing Journey

Joël Robert was born in Châtelet, Belgium. He started riding motorcycles when he was just 6 years old. His dad, who used to race motocross and speedway, built him his first motorcycle. It was a 125cc Gillet. Joël looked up to Belgian motocross stars René Baeten and Auguste Mingels.

When he was 16, Robert turned a Zündapp street bike into a motocross bike. He entered his first motocross race on April 10, 1960. His parents helped him with money and went to many races close to Belgium. Sometimes he traveled with other racers. Other times, he even took a train with his motorcycle taken apart in his luggage! He won the Belgium junior motocross championship in his first year.

In 1961, he became an expert racer. He started riding a Greeves motorcycle. He won six races and finished second in the 250cc Belgian motocross national championship. The next year, he won five races on his 250cc Greeves. This helped him win the 1962 Belgian motocross national championship.

The FIM started the 250cc motocross world championship in 1962. Robert raced in some of these Grand Prix events. He finished the season ranked 14th in the world. In 1963, he won the Belgian national championship again with his Greeves. He entered all the world championship races. His best result was fifth place at the 250cc Swedish Grand Prix. He ended that season ranked 25th in the world.

Becoming a World Champion

At the end of 1963, Robert wasn't sure if he could keep racing. His father didn't have enough money to buy a new motorcycle for the next season. Luckily for Robert, another top racer, Torsten Hallman, turned down a contract. Hallman chose to stay with the Husqvarna team instead of racing for the CZ factory team.

Since Hallman said no, CZ offered Robert a motorcycle. This was through the Belgian CZ importer. He would race as a privateer in the 1964 250cc motocross world championship. A privateer is a racer who isn't officially part of a factory team. Robert won 9 out of 14 Grand Prix races that year! He won the world championship, beating Torsten Hallman.

At just 20 years old, he became the youngest motocross world champion at that time. He also won the Belgium national championship. He was the top scorer at the 1964 Motocross des Nations. He won both races at the tough Citadel of Namur track. His amazing performance earned him a spot on the official CZ factory racing team for the 1965 season. However, he had some mechanical problems that year. He finished second to Victor Arbekov in the 250cc world championship.

Rivalries and More Wins

The next three seasons were famous for the rivalry between Robert and Hallman. Robert finished second to Hallman in the 1966 and 1967 250cc world championships. But in 1968, he beat Hallman by just two points to win his second world championship! He won six Grand Prix races in 1969. This helped him successfully defend his world championship against Sylvain Geboers.

Robert was also part of the Belgian team that won the 1969 Motocross des Nations. This race was for 500cc motorcycles. They also won the Trophée des Nations for 250cc motorcycles. This was Belgium's first win in 18 years at these events.

Robert in action in 1972

For the 1970 season, Robert joined the Japanese company Suzuki. Suzuki wanted to become a big name in the sport, which was mostly dominated by European teams. Robert continued his winning streak with Suzuki. He won the 1970 250cc world championship by just two points over his Suzuki teammate, Sylvain Geboers. He also helped the Belgian team win the 1970 Motocross des Nations and Trophée des Nations again.

Robert played a big part in bringing motocross to the United States. He raced in the Trans-AMA motocross series. This series brought top European racers to compete against the best American racers. He was amazing in the 1970 Trans-AMA series. He won six races in a row! His participation in this series helped make America's first motocross championship very important.

Robert kept dominating the 250cc world championship in 1971. He won eight out of twelve Grand Prix races that year. In the 1972 250cc world championship season, he won six of the first eight Grand Prix races. This gave him a huge lead, and he won his fifth world championship in a row! He also helped the Belgian teams win the 1972 Motocross des Nations and Trophée des Nations.

Robert had a knee injury during the 1972 season. This injury affected his racing in the 1973 season. He dropped to 18th in the world championship. He continued to struggle with his injury for the next two seasons. Suzuki then ended his contract after the 1975 season. He signed with Puch but only raced in a few Grand Prix events. He finished 19th in the 1976 250cc world championship. His last professional race was in France on a Puch 400MC.

Robert won over 250 World and international races. This included six 250cc motocross world championships and 50 Grand Prix wins. He was also part of three winning Belgian Motocross des Nations teams. His record of 50 motocross Grand Prix wins lasted for almost 30 years. Another Belgian racer, Stefan Everts, finally broke it in 2004. American Grand Prix motocross racer Jim Pomeroy once said how strong Robert was. He remembered seeing him lift the back of a small car!

Later Life and Legacy

Robert was added to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000, along with Torsten Hallman. He also managed Belgium's Motocross des Nations team. He led them to victory in 1997 and 1998.

He faced health challenges later in life and sadly passed away on January 13, 2021.

Motocross Grand Prix Results