Dirk Geukens (29 June 1963 – 22 July 2020) was a Belgian professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

racer. He competed in the

Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

s from 1984 to 1996.

Motocross career

Geukens competed in the FIM 250cc Motocross World Championship from 1984 to 1986. He moved up to the 500cc world championship from 1987 to 1996. Riding a

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

motorcycle, Geukens finished 3rd overall behind

Eric Geboers Eric Geboers (5 August 1962 – 6 May 2018) was a Belgian professional motocross racer and racing driver. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1980 to 1990, winning five world championships in eleven years. Geboers is notable ...

and

Kurt Nicoll Kurt Nicoll (born 15 November 1964) is an English former professional motocross racer. Nicoll was one of the top riders in the Motocross Grand Prix World Championships during the late 1980s and early 1990s, finishing as the runner up four times ...

in the 500cc world championship in 1990. He repeated his third place finish in 1991 this time behind

Georges Jobé Georges Jobé (6 January 1961 – 19 December 2012) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1979 to 1992. Jobé is notable for being a five-time FIM motocross world champion and a nin ...

and

Jacky Martens Jacky Martens (born 3 July 1963) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current race team manager. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1979 to 1997. Martens is notable for winning the 1993 F.I.M. 500cc motocro ...

. He won 2 Grand Prix races and finished on the podium 8 times. During this period, he also won the

Overpelt Overpelt (, literally ''Upper Pelt'') is a town in the municipality of Pelt and a former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. In 2018, the municipality of Overpelt had a total population of 15,478. The municipality consisted ...

enduro Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is a ...

. His final race win in the 500cc world championship was on 27 August 1995 at Reutlingen in Germany where he won the final race of the year. That day in Germany was also his final podium where he placed 3rd overall behind Joel Smets and Dietmar Lacher. Guekens also helped the Belgium team to 2nd overall in the 1990

Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History ...

at Vimmerby, Sweden and again in 1991 in Holland at Valkenswaard. At the end of his career, he was a rider for "

Husaberg Husaberg was a manufacturer of enduro motorcycles with four and two-stroke engines, the displacements ranging from 125 cc to 650 cc. Originally based in Sweden, its motorcycles were later manufactured in Austria by parent company KTM until the l ...

Fourstroke Force” team of

Joël Smets Joël Smets (born 6 April 1969) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Racing Sports Director for KTM motorcycles. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1989 to 2005. Smets is notable for being a five-time m ...

and Ludo Van Der Veken. He lived in

Balen Balen () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Balen proper and Olmen. In 2021, Balen had a population of 22,853. Total area is 72.88 km². Famous inhabitants * Tom Boonen ...

where he was involved with Motorsport Future and trained motocross racer

Jago Geerts Jago Geerts (born 21 April 2000) is a Belgian professional motocross rider who has competed in the Motocross World Championships since 2017. He finished second in the MX2 World Championship from 2020 to 2023. Motocross Career 2014 In 2014, ...

Death

In July 2020, Geukens was with his wife and a friendly couple on

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from tw ...

holiday in

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Nether ...

. On 22 July after supper he was not feeling well. He died later that evening, aged 57, presumably as a result of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

References

People from Mol, Belgium Sportspeople from Antwerp Province Belgian motocross riders 1963 births 2020 deaths {{Belgium-bio-stub