1982 FIM Motocross World Championship

Motocross championship season December 2022 1982 FIM Motocross World Championship FIM 28 March/29 August 36 12 Champions 500cc USA Brad Lackey 250cc USA Danny LaPorte 125cc BEL Eric Geboers FIM Motocross World Championship 1981 1983 The 1982 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 26th F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season. Summary 500 class The 1982 500cc World Championship would be a three-way competition between defending champion André Malherbe (Honda) and Suzuki teammates Brad Lackey and André Vromans. 1979 World Champion Graham Noyce (Honda) won the 500cc Swedish Grand Prix but failed to score points consistently and dropped to fourth place in the championship. Håkan Carlqvist (Yamaha) suffered a broken arm in a pre-season accident forcing him to miss the opening rounds of the championship then suffered a wrist injury in Sweden which put him out of contention. Malherbe won the season opening round in France but then failed to score points in the second round. Lackey took the championship points lead after winning the Austrian Grand Prix, but Malherbe responded with two consecutive victories in Italy and West Germany to close the points gap to just three-points at mid-season.Carlsbad Grand Prix: Lackey's Last Chance?, American Motorcyclist, July 1982, Vol. 36, No. 6, 0277-9358 However, Malherbe crashed and broke his leg at the 500cc United States Grand Prix which forced him to miss the rest of the season.https://www.mxmag.net/2022/11/28/andre-malherbe-een-leven-vol-strijd/ André Malherbe: a life full of struggle mxmag.net 2026-04-07https://dirtbikerider.com/features/jack-burnicle-looks-back-at-andre-malherbes-remarkable-career/ Jack Burnicle looks back at Andre Malherbe's remarkable career 19 November 2020 dirtbikerider.com 2026-04-07https://issues.cycleworld.com/article/1982/6/1/malherbe-aims-for-no-3 Malherbe Aims For Number 3 Cycle World 7 April 2026 Mueller Tom June 1, 1982 After Malherbe's injury, Lackey and Vromans continued to battle for the championship points lead. Vromans had slumped during the Scandinavian rounds, but recovered to score a third-place result in the United States, then won three consecutive Grand Prix races to narrow the points lead to just four-points as the championship moved to the final race of the season in Luxembourg.https://www.cyclenews.com/2023/04/article/archives-bad-brads-hammer-time/ Cycle News Archives: Bad Brad's Hammer Time cyclenews.com 7 April 2026 At the Luxembourg Grand Prix, Lackey came from behind to pass Vromans just before the end of the race to secure second place behind Hakan Carlqvist in the first heat race.https://cybermotorcycle.com/articles/almost-famous.htm Almost Famous cybermotorcycle.com 7 April 2026 At the start of the second race, Vromans took the lead but he forgot a first-lap detour right off the start and began climbing a hill that was used on every lap but the first.https://racerxonline.com/2018/08/08/on-this-day-in-moto-august-8 On This Day In Moto: August 8 racerxonline.com 7 April 2026 By the time he realized his mistake and turned around, he was in 17th place. Lackey finished the race in 3rd place to secure his first 500cc world championship ahead of second-place Vromans with Neil Hudson (Yamaha) taking third-place in the final points standings.https://books.google.com/books?id=S_sDAAAAMBAJ&q=American+Motorcyclist+brad+lackey&pg=PA4 It's Lackey, At Last Amick, Bill October 1982 American Motorcyclist 7 April 2026Brad Lackey; Victory At Long Last Phillipson Don October 1982 |magazine=Cycle |ISSN= |accessdate=https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1982/11/1/brad-lackey-world-champion Brad Lackey, World Champion Cycle World 7 April 2026 Griewe Ron November 1, 1982 Entering his 11th season of Grand Prix racing, the 29-year-old Lackey had finished in sixth-place in the 1981 championship and was considered to be past his prime by some motorsports journalists. Despite winning only one Grand Prix race, Lackey scored points in 23 of 24 heat races to defeat Vromans by 11 points. Lackey's victory marked the first time an American competitor had won the 500cc Motocross World Championship.http://hof.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=73&lpos=-1px&letter=L&txtFname=&rblFname=S&txtLname=&rblLname=S&discipline=0 Brad Lackey at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame motorcyclemuseum.org 7 April 2026 Future three-time World Champion, 19-year-old David Thorpe (Kawasaki) scored an impressive second place finish behind the reigning World Champion, Malherbe at the season-opening 500cc French Grand Prix, then scored two more second place results that season in the Austrian and British Grand Prix events to finish the season ranked sixth in the championship.https://motocrossactionmag.com/mxa-interview-david-thorpe/ MXA Interview: Dave Thorpe on the Truth and Nothing but the Truth motocrossactionmag.com 2025-09-12 Two-time 500cc Class Vice Champion, Gerrit Wolsink retired after the 1982 season. 250 class The 1982 250cc Motocross World Championship was dominated by three competitors with Georges Jobé (Suzuki), Danny LaPorte (Yamaha) and Kees van der Ven (KTM) finishing far ahead of the competition. The 1980 250cc World Champion Jobé began the season by winning two of the first three Grand Prix events but then suffered an elbow fracture at mid-season during the 250cc French Grand Prix. Van der Ven won three Grand Prix races and was briefly leading the provisional standings after the first seven rounds of the season but then faltered at his home Grand Prix in the Netherlands as LaPorte then won three consecutive Grand Prix races. The championship would not be decided until the last race of the season in Sweden where LaPorte finished ahead of Jobé by 13 points. After a career spent racing in the United States, LaPorte became the first American competitor to win the 250cc Motocross World Championship.http://hof.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=211 Danny LaPorte at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame motorcyclemuseum.org 7 April 2026 In a one-time appearance in the World Championship, American Honda rider Donnie Hansen won the 250cc Swedish Grand Prix. Gennady Moiseyev and Jaroslav Falta, the top contenders for the 1974 250cc Motocross World Championship, both retire at the end of the 1982 season. 125 class Marc Velkeneers (Yamaha) took the early lead in the 1982 125cc Motocross World Championship with three consecutive victories, but then Eric Geboers (Suzuki) took the championship points lead at mid-season and never relinquished it. Geboers scored six Grand Prix victories to dominate the season and won the first of his five career World Championships. Gilera teammates Corrado Maddii and Michele Rinaldi battled for second place in the championship with Maddii prevailing by just three points. In a one-time appearance in the World Championship, American Honda rider Johnny O'Mara won the 125cc Swiss Grand Prix. Grands Prix 500cc RoundDateGrand PrixLocationRace 1 WinnerRace 2 WinnerOverall WinnerReport 1 April 25 FRA French Grand Prix Villars-sous-Écot BEL André Malherbe BEL André Malherbe BEL André Malherbe Report 2 May 2 Netherlands Dutch Grand Prix Norg BEL André Vromans BEL André Vromans BEL André Vromans Report 3 May 9 SWE Swedish Grand Prix Barkarby UK Graham Noyce UK Graham Noyce UK Graham Noyce Report 4 May 16 FIN Finnish Grand Prix Ruskeasanta FRA Jean-Jacques Bruno UK Neil Hudson FRA Jean-Jacques Bruno Report 5 May 23 AUT Austrian Grand Prix Sittendorf UK David Thorpe USA Brad Lackey USA Brad Lackey Report 6 June 6 ITA Italian Grand Prix Cingoli BEL André Malherbe BEL André Malherbe BEL André Malherbe Report 7 June 13 RFA West German Grand Prix Beuren SWE Håkan Carlqvist BEL André Malherbe BEL André Malherbe Report 8 June 20 USA United States Grand Prix Carlsbad USA Danny Chandler USA Mike Bell USA Danny Chandler Report 9 June 27 CAN Canadian Grand Prix Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon USA Brad Lackey BEL André Vromans BEL André Vromans Report 10 July 4 UK British Grand Prix Farleigh Castle UK David Thorpe USA Brad Lackey BEL André Vromans Report 11 August 1 BEL Belgian Grand Prix Namur BEL André Vromans UK Graham Noyce BEL André Vromans Report 12 August 8 LUX Luxembourg Grand Prix Ettelbruck SWE Håkan Carlqvist SWE Håkan Carlqvist SWE Håkan Carlqvist ReportSources:https://www.memotocross.fr/maison/reservation/index.php#0440929dd91176e01 1982 500cc motocross world championship race results memotocross.fr 7 April 2026 250cc RoundDateGrand PrixLocationRace 1 WinnerRace 2 WinnerOverall WinnerReport 1 April 18 CH Swiss Grand Prix Payerne BEL Georges Jobé BEL Georges Jobé BEL Georges Jobé Report 2 April 25 ESP Spanish Grand Prix Sabadell RFA Rolf Dieffenbach USA Mike Guerra USA Mike Guerra Report 3 May 9 BEL Belgian Grand Prix Borgloon BEL Georges Jobé UK Dave Watson BEL Georges Jobé Report 4 May 16 CZE Czechoslovak Grand Prix Holice BEL Georges Jobé USA Danny LaPorte RFA Rolf Dieffenbach Report 5 May 23 ITA Italian Grand Prix Maggiora AUT Heinz Kinigadner NED Kees van der Ven NED Kees van der Ven Report 6 June 6 FRA French Grand Prix Corseul USA Danny LaPorte NED Kees van der Ven USA Danny LaPorte Report 7 June 13 UK British Grand Prix Hawkstone Park NED Kees van der Ven USA Danny LaPorte USA Danny LaPorte Report 8 July 4 NED Dutch Grand Prix Mill USA Danny LaPorte USA Danny LaPorte USA Danny LaPorte Report 9 July 18 USSR Russian Grand Prix Chișinău USA Danny LaPorte BEL Georges Jobé BEL Georges Jobé Report 10 August 1 USA United States Grand Prix Unadilla USA David Bailey NED Kees van der Ven NED Kees van der Ven Report 11 August 22 FIN Finnish Grand Prix Hyvinkää USA Danny LaPorte NED Kees van der Ven NED Kees van der Ven Report 12 August 29 SWE Swedish Grand Prix Vimmerby USA Donnie Hansen USA Donnie Hansen USA Donnie Hansen Report Sources:https://www.memotocross.fr/maison/philosophie/index.php#0440929dd9058ae01 1982 250cc motocross world championship race results memotocross.fr 7 April 2026 125cc RoundDateGrand PrixLocationRace 1 WinnerRace 2 WinnerOverall WinnerReport 1 March 28 NED Dutch Grand Prix Venray BEL Marc Velkeneers BEL Eric Geboers BEL Marc Velkeneers Report 2 April 4 BEL Belgian Grand Prix Angreau BEL Marc Velkeneers BEL Marc Velkeneers BEL Marc Velkeneers Report 3 April 25 AUT Austrian Grand Prix Launsdorf BEL Eric Geboers ITA Michele Rinaldi BEL Marc Velkeneers Report 4 May 2 ITA Italian Grand Prix Faenza BEL Eric Geboers BEL Eric Geboers BEL Eric Geboers Report 5 May 9 YUG Yugoslavian Grand Prix Tržič BEL Harry Everts BEL Marc Velkeneers BEL Harry Everts Report 6 June 6 CH Swiss Grand Prix Frauenfeld USA Johnny O'Mara USA Johnny O'Mara USA Johnny O'Mara Report 7 June 20 CZE Czechoslovak Grand Prix Dalečín BEL Eric Geboers BEL Marc Velkeneers BEL Eric Geboers Report 8 July 4 FRA French Grand Prix Lavaur BEL Eric Geboers BEL Eric Geboers BEL Eric Geboers Report 9 July 11 RFA West German Grand Prix Laubuseschbach ITA Michele Rinaldi BEL Eric Geboers BEL Eric Geboers Report 10 July 25 FIN Finnish Grand Prix Kuopio ITA Michele Rinaldi BEL Eric Geboers ITA Michele Rinaldi Report 11 August 1 SWE Swedish Grand Prix Jämshög ITA Corrado Maddii BEL Eric Geboers BEL Eric Geboers Report 12 August 15 ESP Spanish Grand Prix Montgai BEL Harry Everts BEL Eric Geboers BEL Eric Geboers ReportSources:https://www.memotocross.fr/maison/situation/index.php#0440929dd905f2b06 1982 125cc motocross world championship race results memotocross.fr 7 April 2026 Final standings Points are awarded based on the results of each individual heat race. The top 10 classified finishers in each heat race score points according to the following scale; Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th  Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1 500cc (Results in italics indicate overall winner) Pos Rider Machine FRAFRA NEDNED SWESWE FINFIN AUTAUT ITAITA GERRFA USAUSA CANCAN UKUK BELBEL LUXLUX Points 1 USA Brad Lackey Suzuki 2 6 7 2 3 3 8 6 3 1 5 2 3 2 3 3 1 3 1 2 4 2 3 228 2 BEL André Vromans Suzuki 3 8 1 1 4 10 7 2 2 4 5 3 4 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 3 6 217 3 UK Neil Hudson Yamaha 4 4 7 2 4 5 1 5 6 6 3 4 4 7 7 4 4 6 4 4 8 4 159 4 UK Graham Noyce Honda 3 8 6 1 1 3 2 5 9 6 6 8 5 2 4 5 3 1 148 5 BEL André Malherbe Honda 1 1 5 2 4 4 1 1 2 1 121 6 UK David Thorpe Kawasaki 6 2 6 7 6 7 1 3 5 7 5 1 3 5 3 117 7 USA Gary Semics Honda 6 9 9 5 9 5 10 7 4 7 10 7 3 3 9 6 6 7 5 87 8 SWE Håkan Carlqvist Yamaha 2 8 4 3 1 8 1 1 81 9 FRA Jean-Jacques Bruno Suzuki 7 2 9 1 2 8 8 51 10 FIN Jukka Sintonen Yamaha 8 5 8 3 4 6 9 5 9 45 11 BEL Jaak van Velthoven KTM 5 4 4 8 6 10 9 9 5 8 44 12 ITA Franco Picco Yamaha 5 10 7 8 8 10 9 6 5 2 43 13 FRA Patrick Fura Husqvarna 6 9 8 9 8 7 5 7 29 14 LUX Eddy Sterckx Maico 3 3 8 23 15 USA Danny Chandler Honda 1 5 21 16 USA Mike Bell Yamaha 6 1 20 17 SWE Inge Edberg Husqvarna 10 10 8 6 7 9 16 18 USA Alan King Suzuki 5 4 14 IRL Laurence Spence Maico 10 6 4 14 20 USA Darrel Schultz Honda 2 12 21 NED Gerrit Wolsink Honda 7 10 10 7 10 22 NED Gérard Rond KTM 9 7 10 7 23 NED Toon Karsmakers Honda 5 6 USA Chuck Sun Honda 10 6 6 BEL Ivan Van Den Broek Maico 10 9 8 6 26 CAN Ross Pedereson Suzuki 6 5 USA Goat Breker Kawasaki 9 8 5 28 UK Billy Aldbridge Suzuki 7 4 SWE Arne Lindfors Yamaha 7 4 CAN Terry Hofoss Yamaha 7 4 RFA Michael Heutz Yamaha 7 4 RFA Werner Siegle Maico 10 8 4 NED Jaak Verwaayen Honda 10 10 9 4 34 SWE Bertil Ovgard Yamaha 8 3 CAN Tim Krogh Honda 8 3 ITA Pietro Miccheli KTM 10 9 3 NED Hank Seppenwoolde Honda 9 10 3 38 NOR Jan Kristoffersen Yamaha 9 2 RFA Ludwig Reinbold KTM 9 2 CAN Pierre Couture Honda 9 2 FIN Tom Flink Husqvarna 9 2 42 NED Gieljo Van Zoggel Suzuki 10 1 SWE Leif Persson Husqvarna 10 1 USA Billy Grossi Husqvarna 10 1 CAN Zoli Berenyl Honda 10 1 FIN Tapani Pikkarainen Honda 10 1Sources:https://www.memotocross.fr/downloads/2cm-1982-500-res-complet.pdf 1982 500cc motocross world championship final results memotocross.fr 7 April 2026https://www.memotocross.fr/maison/equipe/index.php#0440929dd705dc801 1982 500cc motocross world championship final standings memotocross.fr 7 April 2026 250cc (Results in italics indicate overall winner) Pos Rider Machine CHCH ESPESP BELBEL CZECZE ITAITA FRAFRA UKUK NEDNED USRUSSR USAUSA FINFIN SWESWE Points 1 USA Danny LaPorte Yamaha 2 9 10 2 7 1 5 2 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 2 4 2 1 3 4 2 238 2 BEL Georges Jobé Suzuki 1 1 5 2 1 2 1 3 4 4 2 2 2 1 5 5 2 2 2 3 225 3 NED Kees van der Ven KTM 5 7 8 3 3 5 6 2 1 6 1 1 2 5 3 5 6 3 1 3 1 3 205 4 UK Dave Watson Yamaha 3 7 6 7 1 4 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 8 115 5 RFA Rolf Dieffenbach Honda 1 6 3 2 2 7 2 6 4 9 6 90 6 BEL Jean-Claude Laquaye Honda 8 8 7 5 8 3 4 8 8 10 8 7 5 7 10 4 6 7 79 7 USA Mike Guerra Husqvarna 4 4 1 5 10 8 4 5 5 7 5 10 10 8 76 8 NED Henk Van Mierlo Suzuki 10 9 6 6 3 3 4 4 5 7 59 9 AUT Heinz Kinigadner Yamaha 7 4 4 9 1 3 3 57 10 FIN Matti Tarkkonen Yamaha 3 6 2 10 7 5 7 42 11 USA Donnie Hansen Honda 4 1 1 38 12 FIN Erkki Sundstrom Suzuki 10 3 9 7 8 9 5 6 33 13 LUX Jo Martens Yamaha 6 5 6 8 6 4 32 14 NED Benny Wilken Maico 8 4 8 7 7 9 8 27 15 RFA Hans Maisch Maico 4 6 2 25 BEL Gaston Rahier Suzuki 6 9 5 5 9 7 25 17 BEL André Massant Suzuki 6 6 7 9 8 7 23 18 USA Ricky Johnson Yamaha 2 3 22 19 USA David Bailey Honda 1 6 20 20 ITA Morizio Dolce Maico 2 10 13 SWE Sven Berggren Husqvarna 9 8 6 10 9 13 22 SWE Torleif Hansen Yamaha 5 5 12 23 CZE Jaroslav Falta ČZ 10 3 11 24 FRA Daniel Péan Kawasaki 3 10 25 FIN Paul Decendre Suzuki 9 9 6 9 BEL Robert Greisch Honda 10 10 9 6 9 27 RFA Vilem Toman Suzuki 10 5 7 RFA Arno Drechsel Honda 7 8 7 29 SWE Magnus Nyberg Suzuki 8 10 9 6 NED Peter Van De Nieuvenhoff Suzuki 8 10 9 6 31 USA Broc Glover Yamaha 6 5 DEN Søren Mortensen KTM 9 9 10 5 BEL Erwin Albert Yamaha 10 9 9 5 34 AUT Willy Wallinger Puch 7 4 USA Scott Burnworth Yamaha 7 4 USSR Vladimir Kavinov Yamaha 7 4 USSR Gennady Moiseyev KTM 8 10 4 38 UK Willie Simpson Maico 8 3 USA Steve Martin Honda 8 3 SWE Peter Johanssen Yamaha 8 3 41 BEL Jean-Marie Milissen Husqvarna 9 2 CH Louis Ristori Honda 9 2 USA Dave Hollis Suzuki 9 2 44 ITA Ivan Alborghetti Gilera 10 1 UK Jeremy Whatley Suzuki 10 1 BEL Jacky Martens KTM 10 1 USA Marc Murphy Yamaha 10 1Sources:https://www.memotocross.fr/downloads/2cm-1982-250-res-complet.pdf 1982 250cc motocross world championship final results memotocross.fr 7 April 2026https://www.memotocross.fr/maison/visite/index.php#0440929ca80bf1616 1982 250cc motocross world championship final standings memotocross.fr 7 April 2026 125cc (Results in italics indicate overall winner) Pos Rider Machine NEDNED BELBEL AUTAUT ITAITA YUGYUG CHCH CZECZE FRAFRA GERRFA FINFIN SWESWE ESPESP Points 1 BEL Eric Geboers Suzuki 4 1 9 8 1 1 1 3 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 5 1 2 1 2 1 266 2 ITA Corrado Maddii Gilera 4 5 3 4 5 3 3 3 4 3 3 4 3 5 2 3 2 2 3 1 3 3 211 3 ITA Michele Rinaldi Gilera 3 3 3 1 2 2 2 9 5 4 2 4 4 4 1 6 1 2 3 2 5 208 4 BEL Harry Everts Suzuki 2 2 5 9 4 5 1 2 4 8 6 3 3 3 5 4 1 2 160 5 BEL Marc Velkeneers Yamaha 1 2 1 1 2 3 7 5 1 7 7 5 1 3 6 4 156 6 FRA Jacky Vimond Yamaha 8 6 10 7 9 8 6 6 8 5 2 6 6 5 4 7 8 4 4 96 7 JPN Akira Watanabe Suzuki 9 4 7 3 2 4 6 10 5 10 6 6 5 5 4 87 8 USSR Yuri Khudiakov Cagiva 4 5 6 8 9 4 4 8 7 8 3 60 9 JPN Yoshifumo Sugio Honda 10 7 2 8 4 6 9 3 7 7 7 57 10 BEL Alain Lejeune Honda 7 7 5 6 7 8 6 6 6 5 47 11 ITA Giuseppe Andreani KTM 6 6 4 10 8 5 7 10 7 10 10 6 44 12 USA Johnny O'Mara Honda 1 1 30 13 NED Gert Van Doorn Suzuki 6 10 8 9 8 7 10 5 25 14 NED John Hensen Suzuki 9 5 7 10 8 10 10 9 9 22 15 FIN Pekka Vehkonen Yamaha 7 6 10 8 7 17 16 ITA Michele Magarotto TGM 10 9 7 9 7 13 17 LUX Johan Martens Honda 5 7 10 11 18 SWE Jeff Nilsson Kawasaki 5 9 8 19 SWE Lars Berqvist Suzuki 8 7 7 20 ITA Mauro Miele KTM 8 9 10 6 21 BEL Dirk Verhaegen Suzuki 6 5 FIN Kurt Lundqvist Suzuki 6 5 RFA Roland Diepold Suzuki 9 9 10 5 24 NED Albert Ensing Suzuki 8 10 4 AUT Karl Sulzer KTM 8 10 4 FIN Jan Postema Yamaha 8 10 4 FIN Ari Viiri Suzuki 9 9 4 ITA Alberto Barozzi TGM 10 10 9 4 29 AUT Helmut Frauwellner Suzuki 8 3 FIN Seppo Isomaki Suzuki 8 3 ESP Antonio Elias Derbi 8 3 FIN Arto Pantilla Kawasaki 9 10 3 33 FRA Yannig Kervella KTM 9 2 SWE Peter Trang Yamaha 9 2 RFA Klaus Kreutz Honda 9 2Sources:https://www.memotocross.fr/downloads/2cm-1982-125-res-complet.pdf 1982 125cc motocross world championship final results" memotocross.fr 7 April 2026https://www.memotocross.fr/maison/chambres/index.php#0440929dd71244a01 1982 125cc motocross world championship final standings memotocross.fr 7 April 2026 References External links https://www.fim-moto.com/en/sports/view/fim-motocross-world-championship-4414 FIM Motocross World Championship season Category:Motocross World Championship seasons