The Best 3 Motocross Riders Ever

Roger DeCoster's name was synonymous with Motocross in the early years of the sport. Born in Belgium, he was responsible for popularizing Motocross on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s. Often he is simply known as 'The Man'. He began his career riding for the Czechoslovakian manufacturer CZ in 1964 in the 50cc class, before moving to the 500cc class and winning his first Belgian National title in 1966. In 1968, he helped the Belgian team win the international Motocross des Nations championship for the first time in eighteen years, a feat he would repeat four more times. In 1971, DeCoster switched to the Suzuki team and won his first 500cc Motocross World Championship. In 1974, he competed in the Trans-AMA Championship and won that four years running. He continued to race up through 1980, when he won his final world championship, the Motocross Grand Prix of Luxembourg before retiring on top of his game that same year. After his retirement, he moved to America and guided the US to victory in the Trophy and Motocross des Nations while working in partnership with Honda. Roger DeCoster was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.

Jeremy McGrath began his riding career not on motorcycles, but on the Southern BMX racing circuit. After he grew bored with racing bicycles, he looked for new challenges and settled on Supercross racing, bringing many of the skills and the showmanship that he had learned on the BMX circuit. Known for his flamboyant jumps as much as his victories, McGrath dominated Supercross like no other racer before him, pushing the popularity of the sport of motorcycle racing to new heights. The crowd appeal of his stunts helped spawn the sport of Freestyle Motocross. He began his Supercross winning career in the 250-cc division with his first full season in 1993, going on to win the championship for the next three consecutive years. While his tricks were audience pleasers, they also cost him the win in 1997, when attempting a stunt caused him to crash and lose the championship race. He went on to win again from 1998 to 2000. He also led the US team to victory in the Motocross des Nations championships in 1993 and 1996, when he was also named AMA Pro Athlete of the Year. Popular both on and off the track, he had many media appearances, and the mid 90s became known as the 'McGrath' era of the sport. Many of the later Motocross and Supercross racers who came into the sport in the mid 90s to early 2000s cited him as their racing inspiration. Between his rise to fame and when he finally retired and was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2003, McGrath had decimated every 250-cc Supercross record.

Ricky Carmichael has won more amateur and professional Motocross and Supercross titles than any other rider. He is so highly regarded in the sport that his nickname was the G.O.A.T, or Greatest Of All Time. After receiving his first bike at the age of five, he competed in his first race that same year. Eventually he would go on to win 67 amateur titles before moving onto the pros in 1996 at the age of seventeen. He began his championship winning streak a year later in the 125-cc class, winning the AMA Outdoor National Motocross Championship for four years running. Before moving on to the 250-cc division in 2000, he had broken every record in the 125-cc class. After a disappointing first year, he hired a personal trainer to get himself in shape and never looked back. In 2001 he finished ranked first place in both 250-cc Motocross and Supercross and was awarded AMA Pro Racing Athlete of the Year. In 2002, he made AMA history with the first perfect season, winning not only all 12 250-cc races in the season, but also every qualifying heat. This accomplishment may be equaled in the future, but it can never be beaten. For this he was again named AMA Pro Racing Athlete of the Year. By the time he retired from the pro circuit in 2006, he had a staggering 12 AMA championships and over 150 wins, the highest number in AMA history.