The First Mr. 875 · MXGP

Eric Geboers

The first rider to win the motocross world championship in all three classes — 125cc, 250cc and 500cc — which earned him the title Mr. 875. Five world championships and thirty-nine Grand Prix wins in eleven seasons.

Nationality
Belgian
Born
5 August 1962 · Neerpelt, Belgium
Died
6 May 2018 · Mol, Belgium
World titles
5 · 125cc 1982, 1983 · 250cc 1987 · 500cc 1988, 1990
Grand Prix wins
39 · 18 in 125cc, 5 in 250cc, 16 in 500cc
Honours
FIM Legend, 2011 · Belgian Sportsman of the Year, 1988
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Five-Time Motocross World Champion
1980 — 1990
5
World Championships
39
Grand Prix Wins
3
Classes Won
6
Nations Teams for Belgium

Who was Eric Geboers?

Eric Geboers (5 August 1962 – 6 May 2018) was a Belgian motocross racer and the first rider to win the world championship in all three classes — the 125cc in 1982 and 1983, the 250cc in 1987 and the 500cc in 1988 and 1990 — which earned him the name Mr. 875. He won 39 Grands Prix and was made an FIM Legend in 2011.

Full name
Eric Henri Gerarda Geboers
Nationality
Belgian
Career
1980–1990
Best known for
Being the first Mr. 875, champion in all three classes

By KozmozInspire Editorial Published Updated 5 sources

Rider Profile

Eric Geboers: Full Biography

Eric Henri Gerarda Geboers was a Belgian motocross racer who won five world championships between 1982 and 1990 and was the first competitor to win the title in all three classes — the 125cc in 1982 and 1983, the 250cc in 1987 and the 500cc in 1988 and 1990. The feat earned him the name Mr. 875, the three capacities added together.

Five Brothers He was born at Neerpelt, the youngest of five brothers, all of whom raced. His father was an amateur racer who ran a petrol station; the eldest brother, Sylvain, was sixteen years his senior and finished in the top three of the 250cc world championship five years running from 1968. A supporters’ club funded the family’s racing for nearly thirty years.

Suzuki and Honda He rode for Suzuki from 1980 with Sylvain as his team manager and mechanic, and won a Grand Prix in only his second start. When Suzuki withdrew after 1983 he joined Honda HRC alongside André Malherbe and David Thorpe, who nicknamed him The Kid for his small stature, and stayed with Honda to the end of his career.

After He retired in 1990, raced sports cars in the FIA GT Championship in 2001 and 2002 including the Spa 24 Hours, and ran the Suzuki motocross team with Sylvain. He was made an FIM Legend in 2011. He died on 6 May 2018 at Mol, drowning after jumping from a boat to save his dog.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Eric Geboers

Chapter 01

Five Brothers

He was born at Neerpelt in Belgian Limburg in August 1962, the youngest of five brothers. Their father was an amateur motocross racer who ran a petrol station selling cars, mopeds and scooters, and all five sons followed him into racing. The eldest, Sylvain, was sixteen years older than Eric and had ridden for the ČZ and Suzuki factory teams, finishing in the top three of the 250cc world championship for five consecutive years from 1968 to 1972. A supporters’ club was formed to fund the brothers’ careers and stayed active for nearly thirty years, from the start of Sylvain’s career in the early 1960s to the end of Eric’s in 1990, raising money by subscription and organising trips to watch them race. Eric began his own world championship career in the 125cc class in 1980 for Suzuki, with Sylvain as his team manager and mechanic, and won the French Grand Prix in only the second Grand Prix start of his life.

Chapter 02

One Hundred and Twenty-Five

The 1981 season became a four-way fight between Geboers, Harry Everts, Michele Rinaldi and Marc Velkeneers, the four of them separated by twelve points after ten rounds; Everts won the last two Grands Prix for a third consecutive title and Geboers finished second. In 1982 he overhauled the early leader Velkeneers and won five of the last six Grands Prix to take the championship, and in 1983 he defended it with fifteen heat wins from twenty-four and six Grand Prix victories from twelve. Suzuki then withdrew from the world championship in the recession that followed, and he signed for Honda HRC, joining the reigning champion André Malherbe, David Thorpe and André Vromans. The team manager Steve Whitlock called him The Kid, for his size. The 1984 500cc season put all three of the previous year’s world champions on the same grid — Håkan Carlqvist, Georges Jobé and Geboers — and he won the Dutch Grand Prix before an injury cost him the last three rounds.

Chapter 03

Mr. 875

Third in the 500cc championship in 1985 and again in 1986, he moved down to the 250cc class for 1987 and won it. The following year he went back up and won the 500cc title, which made him the first rider to have won the motocross world championship in all three classes — 125, 250 and 500, which add to 875 and gave him the name. Belgium made him Sportsman of the Year for it and gave him the National Sports Merit Award, both in 1988. He was third again in 1989 and then won the 500cc championship for a second time in 1990, his final season, closing a career of five world titles and thirty-nine Grand Prix victories, fifth on the championship’s all-time list. He raced sports cars in the FIA GT Championship in 2001 and 2002, contesting the Spa 24 Hours twice, and managed the Suzuki motocross team with Sylvain, running Clement Desalle and Kevin Strijbos. The FIM made him a Motocross Legend in 2011. On 6 May 2018 he jumped from a boat on a lake at Mol to save his dog, a recent gift from his wife, and drowned; the dog survived.

Career Timeline

Eric Geboers Career Timeline: 1962–2018

Born at Neerpelt

Eric Geboers is born on 5 August, the youngest of five racing brothers.

Suzuki

Debuts in the 125cc world championship and wins his second-ever Grand Prix.

Runner-Up

Second in a 125cc championship settled in the final two rounds.

First Title

Wins the 125cc world championship for Suzuki.

Champion Again

Defends the 125cc title with six Grand Prix wins from twelve.

Honda

Joins Honda HRC after Suzuki withdraws, and wins the 500cc Dutch Grand Prix.

250cc Champion

Moves down a class and wins the 250cc world championship.

Mr. 875

The 500cc title completes all three classes; Belgian Sportsman of the Year.

Final Title

A second 500cc championship, and retirement at twenty-eight.

Sports Cars

Races in the FIA GT Championship and the Spa 24 Hours.

FIM Legend

Receives the FIM Motocross Legend Trophy.

Death at Mol

Drowns on 6 May after jumping from a boat to save his dog.

By the Numbers

Eric Geboers World Championship Record, Season by Season

Eric Geboers season-by-season record: team, heat wins, heat podiums, titles to date, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Heat Wins Heat Podiums Titles to Date Points Pos.
1980 Suzuki · 125cc 3 7 0 129 3
1981 Suzuki · 125cc 5 12 0 197 2
1982 Suzuki · 125cc 11 16 1 266 1
1983 Suzuki · 125cc 15 18 2 283 1
1984 Honda · 500cc 4 10 2 245 5
1985 Honda · 500cc 3 7 2 227 3
1986 Honda · 500cc 2 9 2 299 3
1987 Honda · 250cc 7 14 3 381 1
1988 Honda · 500cc 7 10 4 333 1
1989 Honda · 500cc 2 10 4 279 3
1990 Honda · 500cc 7 11 5 393 1

Championship seasons are highlighted; the five highlighted rows are his five world titles and the Titles to Date column closes on 5. Championship positions agree exactly between the English-language round-by-round record and the Dutch-language medal table for every season both cover, and both give the same five title years. Heat wins and podiums are individual race results within a Grand Prix, counted here from that round-by-round record: the fifteen shown for 1983 match the fifteen from twenty-four that the written record describes, but the column comes to 66 across his career against a published career total of 74, so the round-by-round table is incomplete somewhere. His Grand Prix overall victories, the figure usually quoted, number 39 — eighteen in the 125cc class, five in the 250cc and sixteen in the 500cc — and that is fifth on the championship’s all-time list. Points are not comparable across 1983 and 1984: the scoring system changed for the 1984 season. Figures verified 6 September 2026.

Frequently Asked

Eric Geboers: Frequently Asked Questions

What does Mr. 875 mean?

It is the name given to a rider who has won the motocross world championship in all three of the traditional classes — 125cc, 250cc and 500cc, which add up to 875. Geboers was the first to do it, completing the set with the 500cc title in 1988. Stefan Everts was the second.

How many world championships did Eric Geboers win?

Five: the 125cc class in 1982 and 1983, the 250cc class in 1987, and the 500cc class in 1988 and 1990.

How many Grand Prix races did Eric Geboers win?

Thirty-nine — eighteen in the 125cc class, five in the 250cc and sixteen in the 500cc. That is fifth on the Motocross World Championship’s all-time list.

Why was Eric Geboers called The Kid?

Steve Whitlock, the Honda team manager, gave him the nickname when he joined the factory team in 1984, on account of his small stature.

Who was Sylvain Geboers?

His eldest brother, sixteen years his senior, who rode for the ČZ and Suzuki factory teams and finished in the top three of the 250cc world championship five years running from 1968 to 1972. Sylvain was Eric’s team manager and mechanic in 1980, and the two later ran the Suzuki motocross team together.

How did Eric Geboers die?

He drowned on 6 May 2018 on a lake at Mol in Belgium, having jumped from a boat to save his pet dog. He got into difficulty immediately and did not resurface; his body was recovered the following day. The dog, a recent gift from his wife, survived.

Did Eric Geboers race cars?

Yes. After motocross he moved into sports car endurance racing, competing in the FIA GT Championship in 2001 and 2002 and contesting the Spa 24 Hours in both years.

What honours did Eric Geboers receive?

Belgian Sportsman of the Year and the Belgian National Sports Merit Award, both in 1988, and the FIM Motocross Legend Trophy in 2011. He was also a three-time Belgian 500cc national champion, from 1986 to 1988.

Did Eric Geboers ride for Belgium?

Yes, in six Motocross des Nations teams — 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1989 — and two Trophée des Nations teams, in 1981 and 1983.

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. MXGP — Motocross World Championship · Infront Moto Racing (official)
  2. Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme · FIM (official)
  3. Eric Geboers · Wikipedia
  4. Eric Geboers (Dutch) · Wikipedia (Dutch)
  5. Eric Geboers (Q933618) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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