While circuits like St Antonis, Lichtenvoorde, Norg, and Lierop, have played a major part in the sport in The Netherlands and for Grand Prix motocross, the Valkenswaard circuit is for many the place we know as the track for the Grand Prix of The Netherlands.

Valkenswaard might not be considered one of the old school Grand Prix circuits of the 1960’s it still has a long history. Back in 1974 Suzuki factory team owner Sylvain Geboers topped the 250cc Grand Prix, while Harry Everts finished in third place and would the following year win the World 250cc championship.

Geboers would end the 1974 season in 11th place, and that victory in Holland would be the great rider’s last big win on the international scene. For many the sand of Valkenswaard means more than just any race circuit.

It would be 18 years before the 250cc class would return to Valkenswaard and in this new era another Everts would show good speed around the twisty, tough sand track. A young Stefan Everts (the new World 125cc champion) had moved to the 250cc class in 1992 and shocked the world with victory around Valkenswaard.

He would then add victories at the eurocircuit in 1994, 1995, 1996. Other riders to win in the 250cc class at Valkenswaard were Greg Albertyn in 1993, Marnicq Bervoets twice in 1997 and 1999, Sebastien Tortelli in 1998, Frederic Bolley in 2000, and Mickael Pichon in 2002.

In 2003 Pichon won the MX1/MotocrossGP class after a hard battle with Stefan Everts. The two collided mid-race, breaking the front spokes on Everts bike. It was a time when Pichon rode the best ever, taking the first three GPs of the season easily and looking likely to win the title (which eventually went to Everts).

In the 500cc class it was another story, the first was held in 1980 and Andre Vromans won, although the 500cc class didn’t venture to Valkenswaard as often as the 250cc class, and there would only be a handful of Open class winners around the Valkenswaard circuit, those being Dave Thorpe in 1985, Dirk Geukens in 1989, Billy Liles in 1990, Marnicq Bervoets in 2000, Joel Smets in 2002. Smets won his first Valkenswaard Grand Prix leading home Bervoets and Everts. Smets would add a 650cc win in Valkenswaard in 2003.

In the 125cc/MX2 class the history of Valkenswaard is mixed, in 1981 Marc Valkeneers won with 3-1 results, Harry Everts was second with 3-2 results, but the news of the day was the 1-DNF result by Eric Geboers.

The DNF by Geboers would cost him the title as Everts won with a 15-point cushion 211pts to 197pts. In 1987 the Dutch golden boy Dave Strijbos would claim victory with 1-1 results, while two other Dutchman Pedro Tragter and John Van Den Berk finished second and third. It was the golden era of Motocross in Holland.

South African Grant Langston won in the 125cc class in 2000, while Steve Ramon won the 125cc class in 2002 and 2003. In 2004 Ben Townley dominated the Dutch GP, going 1-1 for victory.

Valkenswaard missed two years on the Grand Prix series, and when it returned in 2007 it was Josh Coppins and Antonio Cairoli who would win in the MX1 and MX2 class, giving Yamaha a double victory.

Can anyone beat Jeffrey Herlings in the sand of Valkenswaard on a MX2 bike? The answer that is simple: only Herlings can beat Herlings in the sand.Photo: Ray Archer

In 2008 Ken De Dycker took a 1-1 victory in the MX1 class and Tyla Rattray produced a win in the MX2 class. Jonathan Barragan would score a shock victory in the MX1 class in 2009, and Rui Goncalves would win the MX2.

Jeffrey Herlings began his amazing domination of the MX2 class in Valkenswaard with wins in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 each time scoring 1-1 victories.

Another KTM hero Cairoli would do the same, winning the MX1 class in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 giving him his sixth GP victory at Valkenswaard.

Gautier Paulin would win MXGP at Valkenswaard in 2015, Romain Febvre would win MXGP in 2016. In a big shock, in 2017, Paulin won again, but this time, he beat the unbeatable Herlings, who had moved to the MXGP class and finished second with 3-3 scores (Herlings was coming back from injury). Pauls Jonass would win MX2 around the eurocircuit, as Herlings had moved to the 450 class.

In 2018, Herlings return to the winner’s circle at Valkenswaard, winning the MXGP overall with again, 1-1 and Jonass would get his second MX2 overall victory there in 2018. Cairoli returned to the winner’s circle in 2019, with 1-1 results and Herlings was out injured. In MX2 in 2019, it was Jorge Prado who would win, also with 1-1 scores.

In a fitting end to the Valkenswaard story, it was Herlings in MXGP with 2-1 results, where he beat Tim Gajser (1-2) and in MX2 Tom Vialle added his name to this famous circuit, winning ahead of Maxime Renaux and Jago Geerts. Valkenswaard was also the last GP run before Covid snapped our 2020 season in half. A sad reminder that this historical old circuit closed down forever at the same time the World closed down for two years.

Another sad twist to Dutch motocross was the in 2022, there was no GP in The Netherlands, before Arnhem turned up to save the day in 2023. Of course, Oss held a GP in 2021, an event that became famous for the Jeffrey Herlings shoulder injury. Again in 2024 we head back to Arnhem and hopefully, Herlings can show some of that Valkenswaard form and pull back some points on Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado.