Harry Everts
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Harry Everts (born 6 February 1952) is a Belgian former 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 The 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 ...
s from 1971 to 1983. Everts is notable for being a four-time
FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...
motocross world champion. In 2013, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. Everts is the nephew of former professional motocross racer Jef Teuwissen, the father of former ten-time motocross World Champion,
Stefan Everts Stefan Everts (born 25 November 1972) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and racing team manager. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1988 to 2006. Everts is notable for winning a record 10 Fédération Internatio ...
and the grandfather of professional motocross racer, Liam Everts.


Motocross racing career


Early life

Everts was born on 6 February 1952 in
Maaseik Maaseik (; ) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Both in size (close to 77 km2) and in population (approx. 25,000 inhabitants, of whom some 3,000 non-Belgian), it is the 8th largest municipality in Limburg. The to ...
, Belgium where his father worked as a miner. Despite being born with
polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...
and a severe limp, he began riding motorcycles at the age of 12. He grew up living next-door to his uncle, Jef Teeuwissen, a former Motocross World Championship competitor and a member of the victorious 1969 Belgian
Motocross des Nations The Motocross of Nations (MXON), also known by its original French name (''MXDN'') is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the " Olympics of Motocross". The event has been staged since ...
team. Spending time in his uncle's garage admiring his racing machines helped to spark Everts' interest in motorcycles and racing. With his uncle's assistance he began his motocross racing career.


Puch sponsorship

At the age of 15 he won the 1967 Belgian Junior Motocross Championship, but he was stripped of the title when it was discovered that he had falsified the documents to obtain his racing license (16 was the minimum age allowed). In 1970, he received sponsorship from the
Puch Puch () is a manufacturing company located in Graz, Styria, Austria. The company was founded in 1899 by the industrialist Johann Puch and produced automobiles, bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles. It was a subsidiary of the large Steyr-Daimler-Puch ...
factory on the recommendation of six-time World Champion,
Joël Robert Joël Robert (26 November 1943 – 13 January 2021) was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1962 to 1976 when the sport experienced a surge in popularity worldwide. A six-time world champ ...
. At the age of 21, he competed in the 1973 Belgian Motocross Championship along with a few 250cc World Championship events as Puch's second rider in support of Uno Palm. He injured his ankle in the middle of the season and ended the season ranked 14th in the 1973 250cc World Championship. When Palm returned to the Husqvarna team in 1974, Everts became Puch's principal rider. In his first full World Championship season, Everts scored points consistently and won two Grand Prix events in Finland and Switzerland to finish the year ranked third in the 1974 250cc Motocross World Championship behind Gennady Moiseyev ( KTM) and Jaroslav Falta ( ČZ). Everts was a member of the victorious Belgian team at the 1974 Trophée des Nations event in
Vesoul Vesoul ( ) is a Communes of France, commune in the predominantly rural Haute-Saône department, of which it is the Prefectures in France, prefecture, or capital, in the Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté located in eastern Franc ...
, France on 1 September. The win marked the first of five consecutive Trophée des Nations victories for the Belgian team that included Everts as a team member. After the world championship season ended, he participated in the 1974 Trans-AMA motocross series in the United States. The Trans-AMA was an international series established by the
American Motorcyclist Association The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its motto, mission statement is "t ...
as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. Everts defeated
Roger De Coster Roger De Coster (born 28 August 1944) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a ...
to win Round 6 in
Puyallup, Washington Puyallup ( ) is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is on the Puyallup River about southeast of Tacoma and south of Seattle. The city had a population of 42,973 at the 2020 census. The city's name comes from the Puyallu ...
and finished the series in fifth place. In
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
, Everts won four Grands Prix (Spain, Czechoslovakia, UK and Finland), finished second four times and claimed the 250cc World Championship ahead of HÃ¥kan Andersson ( Yamaha) and
Willy Bauer Willy Bauer is a German former professional motocross racer. He was one of the top racers in the Motocross World Championships of the early 1970s. In 1973, as a member of the Maico factory racing team, he battled the reigning world champion, ...
(
Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...
). After they had claimed a Motocross World Championship, the Puch factory had no interest in further development of their motocross models and withdrew from competition. In
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
, Everts competed with minimal factory support to a fifth place in the 250cc World Championship. Everts was a member of victorious Belgian teams at both the Motocross des Nations and Trophée des Nations events in 1976.


Move to Bultaco team

Everts replaced Jim Pomeroy on the
Bultaco Bultaco was a Spanish manufacturer of two-stroke motorcycles from 1958 to 1983. In May 2014, a new Bultaco was announced. Origins The origin of the Bultaco motorcycle company dates from May 1958. Francesc Xavier Bultó, Francesc "Paco" Bultó ...
factory team for the 1977 season and began the year with a series of strong performances including a victory in the first moto of the 250cc Swiss Grand Prix. He was lying in second place behind eventual World Champion, Gennady Moiseyev after four races, but then faltered to finish the season in fourth place. The
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
began with another strong start for Everts, putting him in second place behind eventual World Champion, Moiseyev, but then missed three rounds, dropping him to sixth place in the season final classification.


Joining the Suzuki team

Everts then replaced Gaston Rahier on the
Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...
factory team competing in the 125cc Motocross World Championship. He experienced his greatest success in the 1979 season, starting the year off with three consecutive victories in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. He dominated the season, winning nine of twelve Grand Prix events to claim the 125cc Motocross World Championship over his Suzuki teammate, Akira Watanabe. He also won the 1979 250cc Belgian Grand Prix, however he was excluded from the results as he was competing for the 125cc Motocross World Championship. Despite suffering a broken wrist during the 1980 125cc Motocross World Championship, he was able to return and win the Finnish and Spanish Grand Prix events to clinch the title at the last race of the season by 5 points over Michèle Rinaldi (TGM). He successfully defended his title in 1981 to win his third consecutive 125cc Motocross World Championship ahead of his Suzuki teammate, Eric Geboers. After dropping to fourth in the 1982 125cc championship, Everts switched to the premier 500cc class for the 1983 season. He finished consistently on the podium and ended the season ranked fourth in the 1983 500cc Motocross World Championship, but then the Suzuki team made the decision to withdraw their team from the 1984 season. Left without a motorcycle for the 1984 season, Everts signed a contract to ride for the Husqvarna factory team however, he suffered a broken leg during his first test ride with Husqvarna that ended his professional motocross career at the age of 33. Everts won 48 individual races and 26 Grand Prix overall victories during his career in the Motocross World Championships. He was a member of two victorious Belgian teams at the Motocross des Nations (1976, 1979) and six victorious Trophée des Nations teams (1974-1978, 1980). He was also the top individual points scorer at the 1979 Motocross des Nations.


Coaching career

In 1995 Everts began operating the Everts Motocross Training Camp in
Benicàssim Benicàssim (; ); officially Benicasim / Benicàssim) is a municipality and beach resort located in the province of Castellón, on the Costa del Azahar in Spain. The Desert de les Palmes mountain range further inland shelters the town from ...
, Plana Alta, Spain. He has helped train young motocross racers such as Pauls Jonass and Motocross World Champion Jorge Prado.


Motocross Grand Prix Results

Points system from 1969 to 1980: (Results in ''italics'' indicate overall winner)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Everts, Harry Living people 1952 births Belgian motocross riders Sportspeople from Maaseik Polio survivors