IN
THE
WIND
P44
R.I.P. ERIC GEBOERS: 1962-2018
F
ormer FIM Motocross World
Champion Eric Geboers was
tragically killed on Sunday, May 6,
in his hometown of Mol, Belgium.
Geboers was boating with friends
at Lake Miramar and jumped from
the boat to save a dog that had
fallen overboard. Eyewitnesses
say Geboers disappeared beneath
the water and never resurfaced.
He was 55 years old.
The exceptionally cold water
of Lake Miramar is likely to have
played a role, as well as the strong
currents in the deep lake. Accord-
ing to a report on local Belgian
news outlet HLN.be, a friend tried
to jump in to aid Geboers, but
soon found himself in trouble due
to the frigid temperatures, and was
pulled back on board. The dog
eventually swam to the shore.
Rescue teams came to the
scene with dive teams and sonar,
searching until 1:00 a.m. to no
avail. The search was resumed
on Monday morning, May 7, and
Geboers' body was found later
that afternoon.
Eric Geboers was a five-time
FIM Motocross World Champion,
and the first to be crowned in
all three classes: 125, 250 and
500cc. He won the 125cc FIM
World Championship in 1982 and
1983 while riding for Suzuki. He
switched to Honda in 1984 and
won the 250cc FIM World Cham-
pionship in 1987. He went on to
win the FIM 500cc world titles in
1988 and 1990.
According to Youthstream,
organizers of the FIM World
Championship, since his retire-
ment from professional racing
Geboers worked to organize the
Grand Prix of Belgium at Namur
and more recently the MXGP of
Belgium at Lommel. In addition he
has worked with the Belgian gov-
ernment to encourage the growth
of motocross in the country
alongside colleagues Joels Smets
and Stefan Everts. Geboers also
managed the Suzuki factory rac-
ing effort with his brother Sylvain
for several years furthering the
careers of riders such as Clement
Desalle and Kevin Strijbos.
Eric Geboers is considered one
of the best motocrossers to ever
come out of Belgium. CN
Five-time FIM
Motocross World
Champion Eric
Geboers drowned
while boating near his
home in Belgium.
