Roger De Coster
Belgian motorcycle racer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Roger De Coster (born 28 August 1944) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America.[1] He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won five FIM 500cc Motocross World Championships.
Roger De Coster | |
---|---|
Nationality | Belgian |
Born | 28 August 1944 (1944-08-28) (age 79) Uccle, Belgium |
Motocross career | |
Years active | 1966–1980 |
Teams | ČZ, Suzuki, Honda |
Championships | 500cc – 1971–1973, 1975, 1976 |
Wins | 36 |
De Coster scored a record 36 500cc Grand Prix victories during his racing career, making his name is almost synonymous with the sport of motocross during the 1970s.[2] His stature in the sport of motocross is such that, he is often simply referred to as "The Man."[1] In 1973, De Coster was named the recipient of the Belgian National Sports Merit Award.
As a team manager, he captained the first American team to win the Motocross des Nations in 1981.[3] De Coster was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.[1] The motorcycling publication Cycle News named him Motocrosser of the Century in 2000.[4] In 2010, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.[5]