The Flemish Lion · MXGP

Joël Smets

Five motocross world championships and 57 Grand Prix wins, which put him fourth on the championship’s all-time list. He did not start racing until he was seventeen, and now runs KTM’s racing programme.

Nationality
Belgian
Born
6 April 1969 · Mol, Antwerp, Belgium
Career
1989–2005 · Motocross World Championship
World titles
5 · 500cc 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000 · MX3 2003
Grand Prix wins
57 · fourth on the all-time list
Now
Racing Sports Director, KTM
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Five-Time Motocross World Champion
1989 — 2006
5
World Championships
57
Grand Prix Wins
6
Belgian National Titles
3
Nations Wins with Belgium

Who is Joël Smets?

Joël Smets (born 6 April 1969) is a Belgian former motocross racer who won five world championships — the 500cc class in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000 and the MX3 class in 2003 — and 57 Grand Prix races, which places him fourth on the all-time list. He is now KTM’s Racing Sports Director.

Full name
Joël Smets
Nationality
Belgian
Career
1989–2006
Best known for
Five motocross world championships and 57 Grand Prix wins

By KozmozInspire Editorial Published Updated 5 sources

Rider Profile

Joël Smets: Full Biography

Joël Smets is a Belgian former motocross racer who won five world championships — the 500cc class in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000, and the MX3 class in 2003 — along with 57 Grand Prix victories, which leave him fourth on the all-time list behind Jeffrey Herlings, Stefan Everts and Antonio Cairoli. He contested the world championship from 1989 to 2005.

A Late Start He was born at Mol in the province of Antwerp and named after Joël Robert, his parents’ favourite rider. He did not begin racing until he was seventeen, unusually late, and was third in the 500cc world championship within four years of reaching the Grand Prix scene.

Titles The first came in 1995 on a Husaberg, settled at the final round in Germany against the American Trampas Parker. Two more followed in 1997 and 1998, and after joining KTM he won twelve of the sixteen Grands Prix of 2000, eight of them consecutively. A fifth title came in the 650cc MX3 class in 2003.

Belgium and KTM He was six times Belgian national champion, won the Motocross des Nations with Belgium in 1995, 1997 and 2003, and took a gold medal at the 1998 International Six Days Enduro. He was Belgian Sportsman of the Year in 2000, and is now KTM’s Racing Sports Director.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Joël Smets

Chapter 01

Named After a Champion

He was born at Mol in the Belgian province of Antwerp in April 1969 and named after Joël Robert, his parents’ favourite rider and himself a multiple motocross world champion. He was nicknamed The Flemish Lion. Unusually for a rider who would win five world titles, he did not start racing until he was seventeen, and he found the Grand Prix scene quickly once he got there: a win at the German Grand Prix and third in the 500cc world championship in 1993, then two more Grand Prix victories on the Vertemati in 1994 and a second consecutive third place overall.

Chapter 02

Four Times in the 500

The first title came in 1995 with the Husaberg factory team, in a season-long fight with the American Trampas Parker that was not settled until the final round in Germany. A knee injury wrecked the defence in 1996, when New Zealand’s Shayne King took the championship and Smets finished second, but he came back to win the 500cc class in both 1997 and 1998. He also rode for Belgium at the 1998 International Six Days Enduro and won a gold medal in the 400cc four-stroke class. Eight mechanical failures cost him the 1999 season, in which he was third. He joined KTM for 2000 and produced the most complete year of his career, winning twelve of the sixteen Grands Prix including eight in succession.

Chapter 03

The Fifth, and KTM

Stefan Everts beat him to the championship in 2001 and 2002, and again in the new MX1-GP class in 2003, when Smets was runner-up. He answered by contesting the 650cc MX3 class in the same season and winning it, taking his fifth open-class world championship and his fifty-seventh Grand Prix victory. He moved to Sylvain Geboers’ Alstare Suzuki team for 2004 but was badly injured at the opening round at Mantova, and after a difficult 2005 he retired at thirty-seven, having hurt his knee at Gaildorf in Germany. A season of national and international racing with MTM Suzuki followed in 2006 before he stopped altogether. He had won the Motocross des Nations with Belgium three times and been Belgian Sportsman of the Year in 2000, and he went on to become KTM’s Racing Sports Director, in which role he has coached riders including Jeffrey Herlings.

Career Timeline

Joël Smets Career Timeline: 1969–Present

Born at Mol

Joël Smets is born on 6 April at Mol in Antwerp, named after Joël Robert.

A Late Start

Begins racing at seventeen, unusually late for a future world champion.

World Championship

Enters the Motocross World Championship.

First Grand Prix Win

Wins in Germany and finishes third in the 500cc championship.

First World Title

Takes the 500cc championship on a Husaberg at the final round.

Injury

A knee injury costs him the defence; he finishes second to Shayne King.

Champion Again

Wins the 500cc world championship for a second time.

Third Title

A third 500cc championship, and ISDE gold in the 400cc four-stroke class.

Twelve From Sixteen

Joins KTM and dominates the 500cc season, eight wins in a row.

The Fifth

Wins the MX3 title and his 57th Grand Prix, and is MXGP runner-up to Everts.

Suzuki

Moves to Alstare Suzuki and is injured at the opening round.

Retirement

Retires at thirty-seven after injuring his knee at Gaildorf.

KTM

Begins the management career that leads to his role as Racing Sports Director.

By the Numbers

Joël Smets World Championship Record, Season by Season

Joël Smets season-by-season record: team, titles to date, mx of nations, machine, gp wins and final standing.
SeasonTeam Titles to Date MX of Nations Machine GP Wins Pos.
1993 500cc 0 – Vertemati – 3
1994 500cc 0 – Vertemati – 3
1995 500cc 1 Won Husaberg – 1
1996 500cc 1 – Husaberg – 2
1997 500cc 2 Won Husaberg – 1
1998 500cc 3 – Husaberg – 1
1999 500cc 3 – Husaberg – 3
2000 500cc 4 – KTM 12 1
2001 500cc 4 – KTM – 2
2002 500cc 4 – KTM – 2
2003 MXGP 4 – KTM – 2
2003 MX3 · 650cc 5 Won KTM – 1

Championship seasons are highlighted; the five highlighted rows are his five world titles, and the Titles to Date column is a running count that closes on 5. Championship positions are taken from the Dutch-language record, which lists a placing for every season from 1993 to 2003 and agrees with the English-language record on all five title years. He contested two classes in 2003, finishing second in the premier class behind Stefan Everts and winning the 650cc MX3 championship, so that season appears twice. The MX of Nations column marks the years he won that event with Belgium — 1995, 1997 and 2003, all of them title years. Per-season Grand Prix win counts are published for only one of his seasons, 2000, when he won twelve of sixteen rounds including eight in a row; his career total is 57, which is fourth on the championship’s all-time list. Machines follow the published team sequence of Vertemati, Husaberg, KTM and Suzuki, of which 1994 on the Vertemati, 1995 on the Husaberg, 2000 on the KTM and 2004 on the Suzuki are directly sourced and the intervening years follow from it. Figures verified 6 September 2026.

Frequently Asked

Joël Smets: Frequently Asked Questions

How many world championships did Joël Smets win?

Five: the 500cc class in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000, and the 650cc MX3 class in 2003. The fifth left him level with Roger De Coster on open-class titles at the time.

How many Grand Prix races did Joël Smets win?

57, which is fourth on the Motocross World Championship’s all-time list, behind Jeffrey Herlings, Stefan Everts and Antonio Cairoli. At the time he retired he was second only to Everts.

Why is Joël Smets called The Flemish Lion?

It was his nickname through his racing career, and the lion is the emblem of Flanders. He was also named after Joël Robert, another Belgian motocross world champion and his parents’ favourite rider.

When did Joël Smets start racing?

At seventeen, which is very late for a rider who went on to win five world titles. He was contesting the world championship by 1989 and third in the 500cc class by 1993.

What was Joël Smets’ best season?

2000, his first with KTM, when he won twelve of the sixteen Grands Prix including eight in succession and took the 500cc world championship. He was named Belgian Sportsman of the Year for it.

Did Joël Smets race against Stefan Everts?

Constantly. Everts beat him to the championship in 2001, 2002 and again in 2003 in the premier class, and Smets’ answer in 2003 was to win the 650cc MX3 title in the same season.

What does Joël Smets do now?

He is Racing Sports Director for KTM, having moved into team management after retiring. In that role he has coached riders including Jeffrey Herlings.

Has Joël Smets won the Motocross des Nations?

Yes, with Belgium in 1995, 1997 and 2003. He also won a gold medal for Belgium at the 1998 International Six Days Enduro, in the 400cc four-stroke class.

Why did Joël Smets retire?

He was badly injured at the opening round of 2004 with Alstare Suzuki, struggled through 2005, and announced his retirement from international competition at thirty-seven after injuring his knee at Gaildorf in Germany. He raced nationally for one more season.

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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. Joël Smets · Wikipedia
  4. Joël Smets (Dutch) · Wikipedia (Dutch)
  5. Joël Smets (Q2181482) · 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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