Last,.SoCal ride for The Man
By SuzIe Mann
If you mention "The Man~' in connection with
motocross racing, you -can only -plean
Belgium's Roger DeCoster. He's been Belgian
National Champion nine times, Motocross des
Nations overall winner six timo,
Trans-AMA MX Series overall
winner four times, and he has
- ed th T
h fM . t
recelv
e rop y 0
en~ lor
S~ in 197~, a-:aro~ by Belgian's
Kmg B~udoum. Flve·nme 500cc MX
16
ChampIon (1971, 1972, 1975, 1975,
1976), DeCoster has d~JDe as much or
more than any other smgle pe~n f~>r
the .sport ?f motocross racmg m
AmerIca. His talent and style, as well
as his charm off the track and his
willingness to sign autographs for
hours a.t a ~e, gained him thousands
offaos m this country.
DeCoster has been competing in the
U.S. since 1967 when he came over for
CZ for the original Inter·Am series.
His first ride in southern California
was at Hopetown. He switched to
Suzuki in 1971 and won his, and their,
first World Championship that year.
His name has been synonymous with
Suzuki since then.
If the USGP could have been won
on popularity alone, he would have
been the victor several times. But bad
luck has always plagued him at
Carlsbad. Injuries have set him back
at the beginning of the season for two
years now, and DeCoster has said-that
this will be his last year of Grand Prix
competition.
The Man's third placing in the 1978
600cc World Championship MX
Series was nothing short of
phenomenal. In February of last year
while riding in a practice session. he
crashed and suffered .. ruptured
spleen. Only immediate su~ry aDd
his superb physical condition saved
DeCoster. Life signs ceased, then were
brought back. Following surgery on
the spleen, ruptured in five places,
DeCosier remained on the critical list
for 24 hou.... The attending physician
was amazed and he commented that a
less fit man' certainly would Bot have
survived. 'Vet, less than seven weeks
later, DeCoster was back in
competition at the Easter Trophy
Racel
And that wasn't his fIrSt brush with
death. In 1966, DeCoster ruptured a
kidney in a racing accident. He wasn't
expected to return to competition
then, yet four ,months later, he was
back on the track.
. As much as the fans want to see an
American rider win the Grand Prix,
many would be equally elated to see
The Man front and center on the
vietor's podium at the end of the day.
Particularly since that 1!ilI be the final
~ they'll ever see DeCoIter race, in
top line competition, in southern
California.
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