While Switzerland might not have had an MXGP or MX2 World champion in its history, the small country tucked between Italy, France, Germany and Austria has a long relationship with the sport of motocross. While Grand Prix events were held in Switzerland as far back as 1957, the history of the FIM, our sports federation, also has a deep relationship with the country of Switzerland.

While the FIM was founded in Paris, France, on 21 December 1904, it was then known as the Fédération Internationale des Clubs Motocyclistes, however the name was changed to the Fédération Internationale Motocycliste (FIM) in 1949, and the headquarters were moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1959.

No doubt, with such a relationship with the country, many Grand Prix’s were arranged in Switzerland, and from 1957, until recent times circuits like Wohlen, Payerne, Roggernburg and more recently, Frauenfeld-Gachnang played host to the best motocross riders in the World.The Frauenfeld area had actually held Grand Prix rounds much earlier than the last couple of years, and it was back in 1981 that Eric Geboers took victory in the 125cc GP at Frauenfeld.

Of course, the first Swiss GP, held in 1957 was the start of something special with the country, and it was Belgian rider Nic Jansen who was the first rider to put his feet at the top of the podium in Switzerland, as he won the 500cc GP.

A long list of riders followed Jansen to the top of the podium in Switzerland throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, as names like Rene Baeten, Bill Nilsson, Sten Lundin, Rolf Tibblin, Jeff Smith, Paul Friedrichs, Torsten Hallman, Bengt Aberg, Heikki Mikkola, Roger De Coster, Gerrit Wolsink, Andre Malherbe, Hakan Carlqvist, Graham Noyce, Georges Jobe, Kees Van Der Ven, Kurt Nicoll, Dave Thorpe, Jorgen Nilsson, Gert Jan Van Doorn, Joel Smets and Darryl King all took victories.

Only a handful of these riders could duplicate their wins in that country, those being Lundin, Friedrichs, Aberg, Mikkola, De Coster, Malherbe, Nicoll, and Smets. The 500cc class mainly visited Payerne, and Wohlen, with the odd visit to circuits in Geneve, or Roggenburg thrown in.

In the new millennium Marniqu Bervoets won in the 500 class at Roggenburg, in 2000 and backed it up with another win in 2001. If the 500cc class was a difficult one to win often, then the 250cc class was also a tough experience for the GP riders in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

From that first GP held in 1962 at the Lausanne circuit, until 1998 18 riders won, and again some big names in the sport from Jeff Smith, Torsten Hallman, Joel Robert, Heikki Mikkola, Hakan Andersson, Harry Everts, Jim Pomeroy, Guennady Moissev, Georges Jobe, Rolf Dieffenbach, Jacky Vimond, Jeremy Whatley, Trampas Parker, Greg Albertyn, Yves Demaria, Federic Bolley, Stefan Everts and Sebastien Tortelli. Pit Beirer would win in 2000 and a year later Claudio Federici won, and thus ending the relationship with the 250cc class and Switzerland.

The 125cc class obviously had the shortest relationship with Switzerland, as in 1976, the first winner was legendary Belgian, Gaston Rahier. Rahier would win three times in Switzerland, once in Roggenburg in 1977 and twice in Schupart in 1976 and 1979. Between his wins was a victory to Dutchman, Gerard Rond in 1978, and then names like Eric Geboers, Johnny O’Mara, Michele Rinaldi, Dave Strijbos, Jean Michele Bayle, Donny Schmit, Stefan Everts, Sebastien Tortelli, and Alessio Chiodi would take wins. In 2001 James Dobb would win at Roggenburg, and suddenly the country disappeared from the calendar. That was until Infront put in the hard yards and worked a deal with the current facility for the MXGP of Switzerland, in Frauenfeld-Gachnang.

In 2016 and 2017, Antonio Cairoli and Jeffrey Herlings won in MXGP and Max Anstie and Benoit Paturel in MX2 and while the GP in Switzerland disappeared in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, it did return in 2023 with Maxime Renaux winning the MXGP class ahead of Jorge Prado and Romain Febvre, and in MX2 with Thibault Benistant ahead of Andrea Adamo and Kay De Wolf.

Pascal Haudiquert image