Sylvain Geboers

Sylvain Geboers (born 28 March 1945) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and motocross racing team manager. He competed in the Motocross World Championships between 1964 and 1975. Although he was often overshadowed by his contemporary, the six-time World Champion, Joël Robert, Geboers was one of the top motocross racers of the late 1960s and early 1970s. During a five year period from 1968 to 1972, he finished in the top three of the FIM 250cc Motocross World Championships.

After his competitive career had ended, he became the longtime team manager for the Suzuki Motocross Grand Prix team. His father was an amateur motocross racer who owned a petrol station that also sold automobiles, mopeds and scooters. Sylvain Geboers was the oldest of five brothers with Eric Geboers being the youngest, 16 years his junior.

At the age of 19, Geboers surged to prominence in his first world championship race at the 1964 500cc Belgian Grand Prix. The setting of the Belgian Grand Prix was a rugged, narrow track in the forests surrounding the picturesque hilltop Citadel of Namur. First held in 1947, the Namur Grand Prix was revered by motocross enthusiasts in the same manner that auto racing enthusiasts considered the Monaco Grand Prix to be the crown jewel of the Formula One season. In the first heat race he finished in fourth-place ahead of former World Champions Bill Nilsson (Jawa), Sten Lundin (Lito) and Rolf Tibblin (Hedlund). His score helped the Belgian team finish second to the British team. He was once again named to the Belgian team in the 1965 Motocross des Nations event held at the Namur Circuit in Belgium where the Belgian team once again finished second to the British team led by Jeff Smith and Don Rickman.

Geboers competed in the 1966 250cc World Championship riding a Lindström motorcycle. He scored his first world championship points while riding a Lindström at the 1966 500cc Danish Grand Prix where he finished in third place behind Rolf Tibblin (ČZ) and Paul Friedrichs (ČZ).

Geboers switched to a ČZ motorcycle for the 1967 season, as the Czechoslovak company had become the premier manufacturer of motocross bikes in the late 1960s. He was named to the Belgian team for the 1967 Trophée des Nations event in Holice, Czechoslovakia. Geboers placed 16th as the Belgian team finished in fifth place. At the 1967 Motocross des Nations event in Markelo, Holland, he failed to score any points as the Belgian team finished in third place.

ČZ factory team Joël Robert (ČZ) and Torsten Hallman (Husqvarna) were the top two contenders expected to challenge for the 1968 250cc World Championship.

In 1969, ČZ teammates Geboers and Robert would engage in a season long battle for the 250cc World Championship that wasn't decided until the final race of the season.

Joining the Suzuki team The Suzuki factory became the first Japanese manufacturer to compete in a Motocross World Championship event at the 1965 250cc Swedish Grand Prix, and with the help of Swedish rider, Olle Pettersson, they had developed their motocycle to the point where Pettersson finished the 1969 250cc World Championship in third place behind Robert and Geboers. He competed in the 1970 Inter-AM Motocross Series where he scored two third-place results.

Although Geboers missed the start of the 1971 season due to a serious knee injury, he scored four podiums in the last six Grand Prix races to finish the season in third place behind Robert and Håkan Andersson (Husqvarna). At the 1971 Motocross des Nations in Vannes, France, he finished second to Åke Jonsson (Maico) in both heat races as the Belgian team placed second to the Swedish team.

After the 250cc world championships, Geboers participated in the 1971 Trans-AMA motocross series in the United States. The Trans-AMA was an international series for 500cc motorcycles established as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. Geboers won three rounds to win the 1971 Trans-AMA Series ahead of Adolf Weil (Maico) and Torleif Hansen (Husqvarna).

Geboers began the 1972 season with a victory at the season opening 250cc Spanish Grand Prix however, one week later he suffered a broken ankle during practice for the 250cc French Grand Prix. Although he was able to return five weeks later and finish second to Robert at the 250cc Dutch Grand Prix, the injury eliminated him from contention for the title. Robert would dominate the season by winning six of the twelve Grand Prix events to clinch the title with four races to go. He won the final Grand Prix of his career at the 1974 250cc Dutch Grand Prix ahead of Harry Everts (Puch) and the eventual World Champion, Gennady Moiseyev (KTM). He competed as a privateer in the 1975 250cc championship riding a Husqvarna motorcycle.

Career overview Geboers won 21 individual heat races and 14 Grand Prix victories during his world championship racing career. As team manager, he guided Eric Geboers, Georges Jobé, Greg Albertyn, Donny Schmit, Mickaël Pichon, Steve Ramon and Stefan Everts to world championships.