There is no doubt that the United States is among the top nations in the world when it comes to motocross racing, having won the Motocross of Nations an astounding 22 times since the competition’s inception in 1947.

But what will surprise many is that, while one American rider – Kawasaki ace Jeff Ward – is a standout individual in the history of this “Olympic Games of Motocross”, he has to share the top spot with a British rider, Jeff Smith (pictured above).

Ward (who was actually born in Scotland in 1961, making him now 56 years old) was a winning team rider for Team USA in Belgium in 1983, in Belgium in 1984, in Germany in 1985, in the USA in 1987, in France in 1988, in Germany in 1989 and in Sweden in 1990.

British motocross legend Jeff Smith. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

In comparison, now aged in his 80s, Smith was a winning team rider for Team Britain in Belgium in 1956, in England in 1957, in Belgium in 1959, in France in 1960, in England in 64, in Belgium in 1965 and in The Netherlands in 1967.

BikesportNZ.com was fortunate to have interviewed Smith a couple of years ago and was impressed by his affable and modest character.

Top dogs Smith and Ward have each been members of winning teams on seven separate occasions, while Belgian rider Roger De Coster has six wins to his credit.

American David Bailey is another stand-out, taking five wins in a row in the 1980s, while 10-time former world champion Stefan Everts, of Belgium, was also a winning team rider on five occasions.

American Ryan Dungey was a member of a winning team on three occasions – in Italy in 2009, in the USA in 2010 and in France in 2011 – but he retired from fulltime racing earlier this year and so he won’t be improving those statistics this season at least.

The odds usually favour the Americans winning again, Team USA having won the Chamberlain Trophy the more times than any other nation, with a grand total of 22 wins, dating back to 1981.

But this year’s trio is something of an outside chance only – Open Class rider Zach Osborne the only rider to previously have raced at the MXoN (then riding, alongside Gino Aponte and female rider Tarah Gieger, for Team Puerto Rico at the MXoN in England in 2008).

Osborne’s US team-mates, Cole Seely (MXGP) and Thomas Covington (MX2), are making only their debut MXoN appearances this season.

During the years since 1981, Team USA won the MXoN 13 years in a row, from 1981 until 1993 inclusive, before winning twice more, in Spain in 1996 and in France in 2000, and then compiled another win-streak, this time seven years straight, from 2005 until 2011 inclusive, but for the past five years the Americans have been shut out by the Europeans.

Team France is the reigning MXoN champion team, having won in Latvia in 2014 and in France in 2015, before making it three in a row when they won again in Italy last season.

There have been some great MXoN races over the years, such as in 2006, at the same Matterley Basin venue in the UK that racing will take place this year.

At that 2006 edition of the MXoN, 10-time world champion Stefan Everts and Italy’s Antonio Cairoli dominated the racing, although Team USA did enough that day to win the main trophy anyway, finishing top of the podium with Team Belgium runners-up and the Team New Zealand squad in third.

The Kiwi trio that raced at the MXoN in Italy last year comprised Mount Maunganui’s Cody Cooper, Hamilton’s Josiah Natzke and Takaka’s Hamish Harwood and they finished 17th overall among the more than 30 countries entered.

That same trio of riders will also suit up for Team New Zealand this time around.

 Countries with the most MXoN wins:

1. United States (22 wins)

2. Great Britain (16 wins)

3. Belgium (15 wins)

4. Sweden (7 wins)

5. France (4 wins)

6= Italy (2 wins)

6= USSR (2 wins)

8= Czechoslovakia (1 win)

8= Germany (1 win)

Individuals with the most MXoN wins:

1= Jeff Ward (USA) (7 wins)

1= Jeff Smith (GB) (7 wins)

3. Roger DeCoster (Bel) (6 wins)

4= Stefan Everts (Bel) (5 wins)

4= David Bailey (USA) (5 wins)

© Words and colour photo of Smith by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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