IN
THE
WIND
P26
it was also the first for a Japa-
nese manufacturer. He would go
on to win the world championship
again in 1971 and '72 with Suzuki.
Robert became the all-time wins
leader in world championship
motocross competition. His re-
cord of 50 Motocross Grand Prix
victories stood for more than 30
years until it was broken by fellow
Belgian Stefan Everts in 2004.
Robert began traveling to
America in 1967 along with other
world championship riders for a
series of races against America's
top riders.
"It was a marvelous, unfor-
gettable trip," Robert remem-
bers. "We traveled all across
America. We raced and put on
riding schools. To put us in the
American mood we bought some
Winchester rifles and cowboy
hats. The Americans learned fast,
very fast."
When the Trans-AMA Series
launched in 1970, Robert was
there. He won six straight Trans
AMA races in the fall of that year.
Magazine pioneer Joe
Parkhurst solicited the help of
the visiting European MX stars
to lay out a motocross track on
his property in Irvine, Califor-
nia. On a fall day in 1967, Roger
DeCoster, Dave Bickers and
Robert showed up to help design
what would become one of the
most famous motocross tracks in
America, Saddleback Park.
Robert was also one of the
first riders to have replica ap-
parel. Copies of his racing boots
were sold in the U.S. under the
brand name Full Bore.
Robert is remembered as one
of the most naturally talented mo-
tocross riders in history. In one
of the most physically demand-
ing disciplines in sports, he was
notorious for his hard partying
lifestyle, lack of training as well
as his cigarette smoking. Yet
Robert defends himself by point-
ing out that during his peak he
raced some 300 races per year.
"It hardly left a lot of time for
training," he said. "Yet I adored
those races when the track was
sandy, or conditions muddy,
where most riders dread."
When Robert retired, he
owned the FIM records for the
most world titles, the most world
championship wins with 50, the
most GP moto wins with 101.
When inducted into the Hall of
Fame in 2000, Robert continued
with his involvement in motocross
acting as manager for Belgium's
Motocross des Nations team. CN
Robert's first MX World
Championship came
while riding for CZ. He
then went to Suzuki,
giving the company its
first World MX title in
1970. It was also the
first for a Japanese
manufacturer.
