1982 FIM Motocross World Championship

1982 FIM Motocross World Championship
OrganizerFIM
Duration28 March/29 August
Number of races36
Number of manufacturers12
Champions
500cc Brad Lackey
250cc Danny LaPorte
125cc Eric Geboers

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.[1] However, Malherbe crashed and broke his leg at the 500cc United States Grand Prix which forced him to miss the rest of the season.[2][3][4] 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.[5]

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.[5][6] 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.[6][7] By the time he realized his mistake and turned around, he was in 17th place.[6][7] 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.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

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.[11]

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.[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.[13] 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

Round Date Grand Prix Location Race 1 Winner Race 2 Winner Overall Winner Report
1 April 25 French Grand Prix Villars-sous-Écot André Malherbe André Malherbe André Malherbe Report
2 May 2 Dutch Grand Prix Norg André Vromans André Vromans André Vromans Report
3 May 9 Swedish Grand Prix Barkarby Graham Noyce Graham Noyce Graham Noyce Report
4 May 16 Finnish Grand Prix Ruskeasanta Jean-Jacques Bruno Neil Hudson Jean-Jacques Bruno Report
5 May 23 Austrian Grand Prix Sittendorf David Thorpe Brad Lackey Brad Lackey Report
6 June 6 Italian Grand Prix Cingoli André Malherbe André Malherbe André Malherbe Report
7 June 13 West German Grand Prix Beuren Håkan Carlqvist André Malherbe André Malherbe Report
8 June 20 United States Grand Prix Carlsbad Danny Chandler Mike Bell Danny Chandler Report
9 June 27 Canadian Grand Prix Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon Brad Lackey André Vromans André Vromans Report
10 July 4 British Grand Prix Farleigh Castle David Thorpe Brad Lackey André Vromans Report
11 August 1 Belgian Grand Prix Namur André Vromans Graham Noyce André Vromans Report
12 August 8 Luxembourg Grand Prix Ettelbruck Håkan Carlqvist Håkan Carlqvist Håkan Carlqvist Report
Sources:[14][15]

250cc

Round Date Grand Prix Location Race 1 Winner Race 2 Winner Overall Winner Report
1 April 18 Swiss Grand Prix Payerne Georges Jobé Georges Jobé Georges Jobé Report
2 April 25 Spanish Grand Prix Sabadell Rolf Dieffenbach Mike Guerra Mike Guerra Report
3 May 9 Belgian Grand Prix Borgloon Georges Jobé Dave Watson Georges Jobé Report
4 May 16 Czechoslovak Grand Prix Holice Georges Jobé Danny LaPorte Rolf Dieffenbach Report
5 May 23 Italian Grand Prix Maggiora Heinz Kinigadner Kees van der Ven Kees van der Ven Report
6 June 6 French Grand Prix Corseul Danny LaPorte Kees van der Ven Danny LaPorte Report
7 June 13 British Grand Prix Hawkstone Park Kees van der Ven Danny LaPorte Danny LaPorte Report
8 July 4 Dutch Grand Prix Mill Danny LaPorte Danny LaPorte Danny LaPorte Report
9 July 18 Russian Grand Prix Chișinău Danny LaPorte Georges Jobé Georges Jobé Report
10 August 1 United States Grand Prix Unadilla David Bailey Kees van der Ven Kees van der Ven Report
11 August 22 Finnish Grand Prix Hyvinkää Danny LaPorte Kees van der Ven Kees van der Ven Report
12 August 29 Swedish Grand Prix Vimmerby Donnie Hansen Donnie Hansen Donnie Hansen Report
Sources:[16][17]

125cc

Round Date Grand Prix Location Race 1 Winner Race 2 Winner Overall Winner Report
1 March 28 Dutch Grand Prix Venray Marc Velkeneers Eric Geboers Marc Velkeneers Report
2 April 4 Belgian Grand Prix Angreau Marc Velkeneers Marc Velkeneers Marc Velkeneers Report
3 April 25 Austrian Grand Prix Launsdorf Eric Geboers Michele Rinaldi Marc Velkeneers Report
4 May 2 Italian Grand Prix Faenza Eric Geboers Eric Geboers Eric Geboers Report
5 May 9 Yugoslavian Grand Prix Tržič Harry Everts Marc Velkeneers Harry Everts Report
6 June 6 Swiss Grand Prix Frauenfeld Johnny O'Mara Johnny O'Mara Johnny O'Mara Report
7 June 20 Czechoslovak Grand Prix Dalečín Eric Geboers Marc Velkeneers Eric Geboers Report
8 July 4 French Grand Prix Lavaur Eric Geboers Eric Geboers Eric Geboers Report
9 July 11 West German Grand Prix Laubuseschbach Michele Rinaldi Eric Geboers Eric Geboers Report
10 July 25 Finnish Grand Prix Kuopio Michele Rinaldi Eric Geboers Michele Rinaldi Report
11 August 1 Swedish Grand Prix Jämshög Corrado Maddii Eric Geboers Eric Geboers Report
12 August 15 Spanish Grand Prix Montgai Harry Everts Eric Geboers Eric Geboers Report
Sources:[18][19]

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 FRA
 NED
 SWE
 FIN
 AUT
 ITA
 GER
 USA
 CAN
 UK
 BEL
 LUX
 Points
1 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 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 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 Graham Noyce Honda 3 8 6 1 1 3 2 5 9 6 6 8 5 2 4 5 3 1 148
5 André Malherbe Honda 1 1 5 2 4 4 1 1 2 1 121
6 David Thorpe Kawasaki 6 2 6 7 6 7 1 3 5 7 5 1 3 5 3 117
7 Gary Semics Honda 6 9 9 5 9 5 10 7 4 7 10 7 3 3 9 6 6 7 5 87
8 Håkan Carlqvist Yamaha 2 8 4 3 1 8 1 1 81
9 Jean-Jacques Bruno Suzuki 7 2 9 1 2 8 8 51
10 Jukka Sintonen Yamaha 8 5 8 3 4 6 9 5 9 45
11 Jaak van Velthoven KTM 5 4 4 8 6 10 9 9 5 8 44
12 Franco Picco Yamaha 5 10 7 8 8 10 9 6 5 2 43
13 Patrick Fura Husqvarna 6 9 8 9 8 7 5 7 29
14 Eddy Sterckx Maico 3 3 8 23
15 Danny Chandler Honda 1 5 21
16 Mike Bell Yamaha 6 1 20
17 Inge Edberg Husqvarna 10 10 8 6 7 9 16
18 Alan King Suzuki 5 4 14
Laurence Spence Maico 10 6 4 14
20 Darrel Schultz Honda 2 12
21 Gerrit Wolsink Honda 7 10 10 7 10
22 Gérard Rond KTM 9 7 10 7
23 Toon Karsmakers Honda 5 6
Chuck Sun Honda 10 6 6
Ivan Van Den Broek Maico 10 9 8 6
26 Ross Pedereson Suzuki 6 5
Goat Breker Kawasaki 9 8 5
28 Billy Aldbridge Suzuki 7 4
Arne Lindfors Yamaha 7 4
Terry Hofoss Yamaha 7 4
Michael Heutz Yamaha 7 4
Werner Siegle Maico 10 8 4
Jaak Verwaayen Honda 10 10 9 4
34 Bertil Ovgard Yamaha 8 3
Tim Krogh Honda 8 3
Pietro Miccheli KTM 10 9 3
Hank Seppenwoolde Honda 9 10 3
38 Jan Kristoffersen Yamaha 9 2
Ludwig Reinbold KTM 9 2
Pierre Couture Honda 9 2
Tom Flink Husqvarna 9 2
42 Gieljo Van Zoggel Suzuki 10 1
Leif Persson Husqvarna 10 1
Billy Grossi Husqvarna 10 1
Zoli Berenyl Honda 10 1
Tapani Pikkarainen Honda 10 1
Sources:[14][20]

250cc

(Results in italics indicate overall winner)

Pos Rider Machine CH
 ESP
 BEL
 CZE
 ITA
 FRA
 UK
 NED
 USR
 USA
 FIN
 SWE
 Points
1 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 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 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 Dave Watson Yamaha 3 7 6 7 1 4 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 8 115
5 Rolf Dieffenbach Honda 1 6 3 2 2 7 2 6 4 9 6 90
6 Jean-Claude Laquaye Honda 8 8 7 5 8 3 4 8 8 10 8 7 5 7 10 4 6 7 79
7 Mike Guerra Husqvarna 4 4 1 5 10 8 4 5 5 7 5 10 10 8 76
8 Henk Van Mierlo Suzuki 10 9 6 6 3 3 4 4 5 7 59
9 Heinz Kinigadner Yamaha 7 4 4 9 1 3 3 57
10 Matti Tarkkonen Yamaha 3 6 2 10 7 5 7 42
11 Donnie Hansen Honda 4 1 1 38
12 Erkki Sundstrom Suzuki 10 3 9 7 8 9 5 6 33
13 Jo Martens Yamaha 6 5 6 8 6 4 32
14 Benny Wilken Maico 8 4 8 7 7 9 8 27
15 Hans Maisch Maico 4 6 2 25
Gaston Rahier Suzuki 6 9 5 5 9 7 25
17 André Massant Suzuki 6 6 7 9 8 7 23
18 Ricky Johnson Yamaha 2 3 22
19 David Bailey Honda 1 6 20
20 Morizio Dolce Maico 2 10 13
Sven Berggren Husqvarna 9 8 6 10 9 13
22 Torleif Hansen Yamaha 5 5 12
23 Jaroslav Falta ČZ 10 3 11
24 Daniel Péan Kawasaki 3 10
25 Paul Decendre Suzuki 9 9 6 9
Robert Greisch Honda 10 10 9 6 9
27 Vilem Toman Suzuki 10 5 7
Arno Drechsel Honda 7 8 7
29 Magnus Nyberg Suzuki 8 10 9 6
Peter Van De Nieuvenhoff Suzuki 8 10 9 6
31 Broc Glover Yamaha 6 5
Søren Mortensen KTM 9 9 10 5
Erwin Albert Yamaha 10 9 9 5
34 Willy Wallinger Puch 7 4
Scott Burnworth Yamaha 7 4
Vladimir Kavinov Yamaha 7 4
Gennady Moiseyev KTM 8 10 4
38 Willie Simpson Maico 8 3
Steve Martin Honda 8 3
Peter Johanssen Yamaha 8 3
41 Jean-Marie Milissen Husqvarna 9 2
Louis Ristori Honda 9 2
Dave Hollis Suzuki 9 2
44 Ivan Alborghetti Gilera 10 1
Jeremy Whatley Suzuki 10 1
Jacky Martens KTM 10 1
Marc Murphy Yamaha 10 1
Sources:[16][21]

125cc

(Results in italics indicate overall winner)

Pos Rider Machine NED
 BEL
 AUT
 ITA
 YUG
 CH
 CZE
 FRA
 GER
 FIN
 SWE
 ESP
 Points
1 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 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 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 Harry Everts Suzuki 2 2 5 9 4 5 1 2 4 8 6 3 3 3 5 4 1 2 160
5 Marc Velkeneers Yamaha 1 2 1 1 2 3 7 5 1 7 7 5 1 3 6 4 156
6 Jacky Vimond Yamaha 8 6 10 7 9 8 6 6 8 5 2 6 6 5 4 7 8 4 4 96
7 Akira Watanabe Suzuki 9 4 7 3 2 4 6 10 5 10 6 6 5 5 4 87
8 Yuri Khudiakov Cagiva 4 5 6 8 9 4 4 8 7 8 3 60
9 Yoshifumo Sugio Honda 10 7 2 8 4 6 9 3 7 7 7 57
10 Alain Lejeune Honda 7 7 5 6 7 8 6 6 6 5 47
11 Giuseppe Andreani KTM 6 6 4 10 8 5 7 10 7 10 10 6 44
12 Johnny O'Mara Honda 1 1 30
13 Gert Van Doorn Suzuki 6 10 8 9 8 7 10 5 25
14 John Hensen Suzuki 9 5 7 10 8 10 10 9 9 22
15 Pekka Vehkonen Yamaha 7 6 10 8 7 17
16 Michele Magarotto TGM 10 9 7 9 7 13
17 Johan Martens Honda 5 7 10 11
18 Jeff Nilsson Kawasaki 5 9 8
19 Lars Berqvist Suzuki 8 7 7
20 Mauro Miele KTM 8 9 10 6
21 Dirk Verhaegen Suzuki 6 5
Kurt Lundqvist Suzuki 6 5
Roland Diepold Suzuki 9 9 10 5
24 Albert Ensing Suzuki 8 10 4
Karl Sulzer KTM 8 10 4
Jan Postema Yamaha 8 10 4
Ari Viiri Suzuki 9 9 4
Alberto Barozzi TGM 10 10 9 4
29 Helmut Frauwellner Suzuki 8 3
Seppo Isomaki Suzuki 8 3
Antonio Elias Derbi 8 3
Arto Pantilla Kawasaki 9 10 3
33 Yannig Kervella KTM 9 2
Peter Trang Yamaha 9 2
Klaus Kreutz Honda 9 2
Sources:[18][22]

References

  1. ^ Carlsbad Grand Prix: Lackey's Last Chance?, American Motorcyclist, July 1982, Vol. 36, No. 6, ISSN 0277-9358
  2. ^ "André Malherbe: a life full of struggle". mxmag.net. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  3. ^ "Jack Burnicle looks back at Andre Malherbe's remarkable career". dirtbikerider.com. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  4. ^ Mueller, Tom (1 June 1982). "Malherbe Aims For Number 3". Cycle World. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  5. ^ a b c "Cycle News Archives: Bad Brad's Hammer Time". cyclenews.com. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d "Almost Famous". cybermotorcycle.com. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  7. ^ a b c "On This Day In Moto: August 8". racerxonline.com. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  8. ^ Amick, Bill (October 1982). "It's Lackey, At Last". American Motorcyclist. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  9. ^ Phillipson, Don (October 1982). "Brad Lackey; Victory At Long Last". |magazine=Cycle |ISSN= |accessdate=17 December 2015
  10. ^ Griewe, Ron (1 November 1982). "Brad Lackey, World Champion". Cycle World. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  11. ^ "Brad Lackey at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  12. ^ "MXA Interview: Dave Thorpe on the Truth and Nothing but the Truth". motocrossactionmag.com. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Danny LaPorte at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  14. ^ a b "1982 500cc motocross world championship final results" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  15. ^ "1982 500cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  16. ^ a b "1982 250cc motocross world championship final results" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  17. ^ "1982 250cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  18. ^ a b "1982 125cc motocross world championship final results"" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  19. ^ "1982 125cc motocross world championship race results". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  20. ^ "1982 500cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  21. ^ "1982 250cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
  22. ^ "1982 125cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2026.
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