Stefan Everts - Profile.

Belgium has a long tradition of great motocrossers, yet surprisingly national law has prohibited until very recently the participation of youth in any form of motorised competition, so it was with frustration that the young Everts waited for his 16th birthday. But, once the candles had been blown out, he didn't have to wait long for his first official race, a Supercross event at Maastricht just over the frontier in Holland, the following day Stefan didn't pull up any trees that day, hardly surprising as the entry included World and US champions, but four months later he was at the start gate of his first GP, at Faenza in northern Italy. Most young riders seem intimidated at first by GP qualification, but Stefan had no such qualms and, even at that first GP, he proved fast enough to claim 9th choice at the start gate. There was no fairy tale ending with points on his race debut, but a fortnight later, at Moron de la Frontera in southern Spain, he charg ed to 11th place and the first five World championship points.

Within a couple of months he had claimed his first GP podium placing with third place overall at Dalecin in the Czech Republic and moved up to 9th in the standings. Dreams of a single digit ranking in his rookie season were to disappear just one week later when he crashed in a major national race at Kester in central Belgium and broke the scaphoid in his hand.

The teenager had impressed Suzuki team manager Sylvain Geboers sufficiently, under whose wing he had ridden as team apprentice in those first seven races, to earn a full team berth in 1990, and he justified the opportunity by finishing third in the series, won by his team leader, the late Donny Schmit.

The team remained together in 1991, and for three races the American champion dominated, but always with Stefan in his wheeltracks.

"When we got to Hungary, I knew I was ready to start winning," admits Stefan. "Donny broke his thumb in the second race, but I had already beaten him fair-and-square in the first race. My time had arrived." In the space of 15 days Stefan had completed a hat-trick of wins and two more victories before the end of the summer saw him safely home to his first 125 World title.

Then, as now, 125 champions sought to pit their skills against the established names on 250cc machinery, and Everts was no exception, switching to the larger bikes still under the wing of Geboers the following year. The impact was immediate. On his 250 GP debut, at Valkenswaard in southern Holland Stefan scored an overwhelming victory. That was to be his only GP win that summer, but we will never know many he might have added had injury not intervened.

The opposition, not least Donny Schmit, who had switched to Chesterfield Yamaha and was to go on to take the 250 World title, were closing in, but Stefan still led the series as it went to round five at Northeim in central Germany.
Eliminated in a collision at turn one of the first race, Stefan's initial thoughts were to prepare for the two motos later in the day, but within an hour he had been rushed to the local hospital with internal bleeding and had to undergo emergency surgery for the removal of a ruptured spleen.

For the second time in four years his season had been halted mid-summer, but Stefan returned before the end of the year and was again hailed as one of the favourites for the 1993 season. A victory in the very first moto of the campaign augured well, but the Everts team needed time to get back to the stage where they could put together a completely successful day and any thoughts of the title were long gone by the time Stefan scored his first overall GP win of the campaign at Vernon Mount, overlooking Cork in the Republic of Ireland, at the end of June. Stefan's relationship with Geboers was also strained by the end of the summer, and it was time for a change of marque - to Kawasaki.

Stefan's undoubted talent was to bring him five victories in 1994, but a double mechanical DNF as he led both motos at the first GP of the season in Spain were to prove costly and he lost the title by 9 points. 1995 brought five more wins under the wings of quiet Dutchman Jan De Groot and Stefan not only registered his first 250 crown, but also the very first for Kawasaki after many years of effort.

Having recognised Stefan's talents, Honda was keen to sign Stefan. Despite sickness and a summer tainted by controversy over fuel regulations, two further titles followed in 1996 and 1997 as Stefan completed the first hat-trick of 250 World titles since Joel Robert achieved the feat.

Another crown seemed to beckon in 1998 as Stefan emulated his previous year's performance of nine GP wins - including one on his 500 GP debut as a wild card entry at Namur - but the tenacity of a young Frenchman - Sebastien Tortelli - and a freak fall at the final round in Greece combined to deny Stefan the crown after a phenomenal month of August when he won every moto in four GPs, lapping into the top 10 each time and on one occasion - in Poland - crossing the line more than a lap ahead of the 4th man home! A truly remarkable performance at the Motocross des Nations - when Stefan ran rings around the opposition in truly appalling conditions (just as Joel Robert had done in 1965 in similar conditions, incidentally) - was the first indication that Everts was even more determined than ever to devastate the opposition in 1999, but it was not until August that he made it to the start gate of a GP.

A difficult knee injury at the big pre-season race at Beaucaire in southern France sidelined him for most of the summer, yet such is his determination to win that within three weeks of his return Stefan had beaten the best in the world to register the 43rd victory of his career.

For Y2K Stefan planned a switch to the 500 class and signed for the Italian Husqvarna concern. He was to race just 25 minutes of GP motocross all year after again falling victim to injury at Beaucaire. This time it was a badly broken arm just above the wrist, and, even when he felt confident enough to put his body under stress, it did not take long for him to realise the futility.

"That was the lowest point of my entire career. Just after recovering from my arm injury, I had to have a new operation on my knee, but all through the difficult times I told myself that it was possible to return to the top, and I have done it. It was a long road, but it was worth it, and I hope that I can be an example for kids and other people who have hard times, just to keep going and never give up. I didn't give up. "But I must also be grateful to everybody who stood behind me through the two troubled years - all my sponsors like L&M, Radson, Oakley, No Fear, Sidi, my father, my girlfriend Kelly, my family, my trainer, everybody who worked so hard to get me back on top. Their faith helped me through the low points. They each had their contribution, and especially Kelly. She was with me every moment, helping me most of all.

Even before the first 2001 GP, Everts spoke rapturously about the factory Yamaha YZ500FM - "This bike is built for me and my style" - and from the word go, the partnership was a success with victory already in the opening GP in Spain.

An amazing seven victories in in the 2001 season have justified the faith that Yamaha had in Stefan as he has advanced majestically to the all-time win record and a 5th World title, an event which sees Stefan become the first rider ever to win World titles on all four Japanese marques, and also make him, 'Mr. 875', as the second rider in history to clinch titles in all three capacity classes.

Not surprisingly Stefan Everts feels confident for the future as his successful relationship with Yamaha and the Rinaldi team continues in 2002: "I had no hesitation in agreeing a contract for 2002. It is the best guarantee I can have to stay at the very top. My Yamaha is the best bike on the track, and the Rinaldi team is the most professional and proficient team I have ever ridden for. The Yamaha YZ500FM was already such a fabulous bike in 2001, it may be difficult at first for those outside the team to believe that we could make it even better, but everyone at Team Rinaldi and Yamaha are so talented, hard-working and professional that there are no limits. My win at Teutschental today proved that ! I now look forward confidently to yet more race victories with Yamaha as we work together to clinch my 6th world title."