Famous Faces - Part 8

Monday 19 December: At the MXoN in France there were famous faces I recognised, there were some I didn't. This 'Famous Face' was in New Zealand in 2006. Day late as I could not get the external hard-drive going to extract the 2006 photos.

Joël Smets:

The aimable Smets was Manager of the Belgian Team at the 2011 MXoN at Saint Jean d'Angely.

Sunday night he was the 'Doorman' at the Belgian Beer Tent.

Nicknamed The Flemish Lion, in 1995 racing for the Husaberg factory he won his first ever world title, winning the 500cc Championship.

A shock defeat by New Zealand's Shayne King in the 1996 season didn't stop Smets from returning in 1997 and taking his second World 500cc title.

He followed with 500cc titles in 1998, riding a Husaberg and in 2000 on a KTM. In 2003, he came up against the Frenchman Mickael Pichon and fellow Belgian Stefan Everts in the newly formed MX1-GP championship. He rode a KTM to a second place finish behind Everts in an exciting season of racing. Smets also contested the MX3 class for bikes with a 650cc engine capacity in 2003, winning that title and picking up his 57th Grand Prix victory.

In 2004 he suffered a major injury at the season opening round and missed the entire season. The 2005 season was another season he would battle with Everts. He did win races, but could never get that Grand Prix overall. His season ended at the Gaildorf circuit in Germany when he injured his knee.

Smets has also helped Belgium to win the Motocross des Nations in 1995, and 1997. He sits in second place in the all time Grand Prix winners list with his 57 Grand Prix victories, and is only led by Stefan Everts who has 101 Grand Prix wins.

In mid 2005 Smets announced his retirement from Grand Prix racing after injury forced him out off the 2005 season.

Smets was in NZ in 2006 at the 05 November Taupo International Extravaganza. Memorable occasion as Stefan Everts went down in the Holeshot leaving Smets nowhere to go. Check out this sequence from the Moto 1 holeshot.

Everts is going down. #1 is Shayne King. #5 is Broxy. #2 in the right foreground is Josh Coppins. Image - Alan Henderson.

Smets is lifting his bike off Everts. The haze was from the huge firebomb that had 'scared the tripe' out of everybody. Late starter #6 is Scott Moir. Image - Alan Henderson.

A despondent Everts, who immediately sprang to his feet and resumed the race. Everts finished 9th and Smets 10th - 8 seconds behind Everts. Image - Alan Henderson.

Out of the middle sawdust section corner and heading to the DAM jump Smets rode the pumice sand Speedway style. Image - Alan Henderson.

Moto 2 - Smets rode to 2nd, 9 seconds behind Everts. That gave him 5th overall for the memorable event. There was something like 16,000 spectators there. Image - Alan Henderson.