Since that day at Matterley Basin in 2006, when the King of Grand Prix racing, Stefan Everts signed his career off with that stunning victory over James Stewart, the sport of motocross in Belgium has been something of a rollercoaster.

Belgian’s Steve Ramon and Kevin Strijbos did finish first and second in the 2007 MXGP World championship, with Ken De Dycker fifth, then in 2008, Ramon and De Dycker finished second and third in the points to David Philippaerts.

Clement Desalle also finished second or third on a number of occasions to hold up Belgian respect in the sport. In 2013 Desalle, De Dycker and Strijbos finished second, third and fourth to the great Italian, Antonio Cairoli, but slowly, as this generation retired, replacements were hard to come by.

Who can forget that 2021 season, when not one Belgian finished inside the top ten in MXGP and their best hope was 13th placed, Jeremy Van Horebeek on the Beta. That same season Jago Geerts finished second in the World to Maxime Renaux, but he was the only Belgian rider inside the MX2 top 30. Things were not looking good for the country’s future in their beloved sport.

It has been 18 years since a Belgian was crowned World motocross champion and despite the performances by Jago Geerts and Lucas Coenen, both showing brilliance at times and both finishing second in the World, neither couldn’t give the proud motocross country that long awaited World title. Liam Everts and Sasha Coenen have also added GP victories to the Belgian legacy and suddenly, the future looks much brighter again.

After watching last weekends MXGP of Argentina, I can imagine motocross fans in Belgium were beating their chests and very proud of the performance of two of their riders and they should be proud.

As a fan of the sport, the toughest sport in the World, I was so happy for the Belgians and for Lucas Coenen and Liam Everts, because both came into the opening round of the 2025 MXGP and MX2 championships under huge question marks.

Coenen coming off a practice crash, that from all the information we have received, injured one, or maybe both wrists. While the De Carli KTM factory team didn’t put out any information, Lucas has mentioned on a handful of times on his social media how he will fight through this, and he didn’t disappoint in Cordoba, Argentina.

Despite a crash and terrible start on Saturday, he fought, fought and fought some more. Sunday, the fact he could battle for top ten positions makes me believe, come Spain in two weeks, he will be a contender for moto wins and maybe even a GP win. Talk about excitement from us, the fans. I would love to see him blitz the field and take a victory, after such a tough round in Argentina and going by his social media and his comments from last weekend, he is feeling it too.

“My first MXGP race was quite tricky. I didn’t have the best feeling on the track or the best speed but managed a good start in the Quali race until another rider ran into my leg and put me down. I had to fight hard to come back from last to 19th and that was tough. I reset for Sunday and did my best. I finished in the top ten twice and I’m really pleased. It’s almost like a win for me right now and we made some good points. We’ll keep building and swing even higher for Spain.”

And what of Liam Everts, the Nestaan Husqvarna factory rider, who signed up to race just a few days before Argentina and let everyone know on his social media on the Thursday before Argentina, that he was in. Ready to Race and make the best of his rough off-season.

His injury in China last year could have been career ending, but in typical Everts style, the Husky racer showed his toughness and came through with a fourth place overall. Incredible, not only after less pre-season prep than anyone else, but also because he has clearly mended any mental trauma from his savage China experience.

We all know about his grandfather (Harry) racing his whole career with one leg shorter than the other due to polio and his Dad wasn’t bad either on a bike, but Stefan’s biggest fight has been with his malaria sickness several years ago and how he gets on with life, not allowing the serious damage to his body to slow his positive, happy life down. Yes, the Everts are made of tough stuff and Liam showed that again last weekend.

"It feels fantastic to get the first GP of the season done and come away with a strong result! Race one was all about settling in and finding my rhythm after a long recovery, so I was pleased to fight my way back to eighth. In race two, I felt much more at home on the bike, pushing forward and battling for positions throughout. I held fourth for most of the race, but a late crash from Simon Längenfelder in the final corners handed me a podium spot—an incredible way to finish. Looking back at the off-season, I never would have thought this was possible, so a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me—my team, my family, and my trainer. I’m feeling stronger every time I ride, and I can’t wait for Spain!"

I for one, cannot wait to see Everts performance in Spain, because like Lucas Coenen in the MXGP class, I would not be surprised to see the Everts name back on the top of the podium or at least inside the top three. A win, win situation for the likeable number 26. Our sport is tough, but our sportsmen are even tougher.

Images JP and Bavo Swijgers