by Davey Coombs
The List: 10 Nations that haven't won The Nations
Thursday, September 22, 2011 | 4:00 PM
Developed in the USA and tested on the toughest tracks in the world, Maxima Racing Oils are proven to increased horsepower, prolong engine life and offer unsurpassed engine cleanliness. Maxima has been committed to MX & SX for over 30 years and is used by more factory teams, engine builders and racers. Know you’re running the best with championship winning products. Maxima – Race Grade Formulas.
Tweet
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Share
Comment
Email
Print
10. CANADA: If this were hockey, they would be the favorites every year. Or at least every year they showed up. This would not have been one of those years. As a result, they lost to....
9. KUWAIT: ... Yes, the Fighting Sheiks, or the Big Drillers, or whatever they call themselves, beat the Canadians this time, but they had, like, a year's head start. Still, the Kuwaitis aren't going to win the Motocross of Nations until Yemen freezes over.
Can Rattray lead South Africa to a MXoN title?
Photo: Ray Archer
Bobryshev will need some help if Russia is ever going to take home a MXoN title.
Photo: Ray Archer
Tons of talent but has yet to win an overall. Will next year be Australia's time to shine?
Photo: Ray Archer
9. KUWAIT: ... Yes, the Fighting Sheiks, or the Big Drillers, or whatever they call themselves, beat the Canadians this time, but they had, like, a year's head start. Still, the Kuwaitis aren't going to win the Motocross of Nations until Yemen freezes over.
Can Rattray lead South Africa to a MXoN title?
Photo: Ray Archer
8. CHINA: Even with the full efforts of a billion fans, a million moto enthusiasts, and thousands of knock-off motorcycle manufacturers, it's doubtful that Team China will ever win the Motocross of Nations.... At least not until they buy Europe too.
7. SOUTH AFRICA: We only list them here now because they are our dark-horse pick to win in the sands of Belgium next year. After all, both Tyla Rattray and Gareth Swanepoel won motos at Southwick, and they each got on the overall box. They are one more good rider away from going all Team USA '81 on the rest of the world.
6. RUSSIA: Okay, the old USSR, or Soviet Union, or even CCCP did win this race before with the likes Gennady Moiseev and Vladimir Kavinov, but now they are smaller, and they are Russia, and they have never won (unless you count the fact that Evgeny Bobryshev won the after-party).
Bobryshev will need some help if Russia is ever going to take home a MXoN title.
Photo: Ray Archer
5. BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA: Okay, technically not a stand-alone country, but after watching a full podium's worth of 51cc riders tear it up at Loretta Lynn's in August, with winning names like Stilez and Ryder, they could be the next El Cajon, and the eighties' team of Rick Johnson, Broc Glover, Ron Lechien and Scott Burnworth could have won this race all by themselves. Bakersfield in, say, 2021 is looking good right now.
4. SPAIN: If it were the Road Racing des Nations instead, they would have won this thing long ago. But as it is now, even with great year-round weather and lots of open land, they should be better than they have been, but they aren't. Sort of like Egypt. Or Cuba. Or Mexico.
3. MEXICO: They have had some very good riders over the years, including Pedro Gonzalez and Erick Vallejo, but there's just not a healthy atmosphere down there for doing anything without a bullet-proof vest on, and they don't seem to make Leatt braces that fit over those just yet.
Tons of talent but has yet to win an overall. Will next year be Australia's time to shine?
Photo: Ray Archer
2. PUERTO RICO: Sure, they can bring in American mercenaries like Zach Osborne, Kyle Regal, Jimmy Albertson and Tommy Weeck, but they vowed to always place one "genui-rican" on the team, and the choices are pretty limited down there for a third rider who has actually been to Puerto Rico, let alone lives there.
1. AUSTRALIA: These guys are the best guys to never win the Motocross of Nations. Going all the way back to Craig Dack and Jeff Leisk, Michael Byrne and Craig Anderson, the Moss brothers, the late, great Andrew McFarlane, Brett Metcalfe, and more. [Confused non-fans of geography are probably also claiming Ben Townley, Josh Coppins, Darryl Hurley, Cody Cooper and others, but those boys are actually Kiwi, which is so totally different than Australia, it’s an entirely different country]. Of course there is last weekend's MX1 moto winner Chad Reed, who must be considered one of the top-five all-time best riders in AMA SX/MX history. The Aussies are not longshots to win in the Lommel sand in 2012--they are actually an early favorite. The veterans Reed and Metcalfe just need one good, steady Lites rider for the sand and they just might be off this list next September.
Did you like this article?
Check out TEAM HONDA AT DAWN
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
Forty years ago, Team Honda arrived on the American motocross circuit with a brand new motorcycle: the game-changing Elsinore CR250. Page 170.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
Spain= no Bultaco's to bring them home for a win. They would have had several if they were still making the Factory Bultaco's, but big government shut them down.
Netherlands (Wolsink, Van Der Ven, Strijbos, Van Den Berk, Van Doorn, Tragter, Herlings …)
South Africa (Albertyn, Langston, Rattray, Herring-yes!, Dugmore, …)
Australia (Reed, Leisk, McFarlane, Metcalfe, Byrne, Dack, Bell, …)
New Zealand (Townley, Coppins, D-King, S-King, …)
Germany (Friedrich, Weil, Bauer, Maisch, Dreschler, Roczen, …)
Finland (Mikkola, P-Vehkonen, Ljunqvist, Kouki, …)
I agree with dumobill, Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands deserve entries on this list. The Dutch have had the aforementioned riders, as well as Karsmakers and de Reuver. And don't forget, they finished second in 2004 at Lierop, and they're going to be a force at Lommel next year.
It's those 'professional' writers again - uh, HUNGREY doesn't have an 'E' - it's HUNGRY.
sorry about nitpicking here BUT, Reed definitly could be top 5 supercross all-time. NOT MX (yet)
Let's call it... Can't-ada.
you're right visser62, I forgot the Karmakers brothers and DeReuver! man, Davy Strijbos was a real prodigy (ala Lechien in US), great smooth style and look great also on Sinisalo (like Van Doorn) TeamHonda/Venko !
Sinisalo and Arai! Arai for ever!
i'm a great fan of Chad Reed, but I think that he maybe need to show more respect over this fellow countryman mx racers, just an opinion, sorry for my bad English
@dumbobill.........you definitely know you stuff.....right on brother!
@dumbobill......what do u mean by ur last comment about Reed respecting his countrymen. Did I miss something?
@jairtime, with all your money jairtime, why don't you get things started for this team for next year. If you kick in, say $25,000.00 to get the ball rolling, that should show you're serious and others will follow your lead. I want to see our Vets like Dowd, Emig and maybe Larocco or Hughes, go, but even they could use your money for a boost!...................put me down for $1.39 please.
@jairtime... Ha,ha... Problem with the countries you have mentioned.. Zimbabwe would probably like a team consisting of their own.. Knowing how fu**ed up Mugabe is... China... Are a too damn proud naytion to have a bunch of foreign riders represent them... Hell, if it was up to them.. The riders would be riding chinese bikes (They exist!!! But highly questionnable whether they are safe or competitive to ride)...
And.. As for jaimaca... They should just stick to boblseigh... Ha,ha.. RIP John Candy!
As for the rich dads (Locally)... They will most probably want their kids not to spend futile time riding on a bike and follow decent educations abroad where some day they can take over the family imperium later on...
Last time I checked the motorcross riders.. They re not the college type of guys... Who aspire to become a pro rider even though they are attending Yale or Harvard.. Ha,ha..
I am even looked down or frowned upon when I mention I do motorcross.. Argh..... I ought to concentrate on my golfing or backhand instead...
Yes, Dave Stribos on Cagiva, great bike which made him world champion. Epic the shoot out with JMB in 1988, with the two riders looking at each other at the start. Where is Cagiva made? Maybe the genious above here, a person who thinks euro riders and euro machines are a joke if not worse, can say something. Weird he know talks well about some euro stuff. Good job googling dude, amazing, I need to learn that.
2012 TEAM CANADA
MX1 COLTON FACIOTTI
MX2 COLE THOMPSON
MX3 KYLE KEAST
That team would put Canada into the top 10 easy in the sands of Belgium!!
LETS MAKE THIS HAPPEN EHH!!!!
@manes... Cagiva is a Italian manufacturer... Now part of MV Agusta... Dave Strijbos was THE man for the Netherlands back then... And remember those Cagiva bikes looked cool! Had a poster of them...
Just so unfortunate he had to go against one of the most talented riders...
Hey Davey, surely China already own America. Dont you owe them 14 trillion dollars.
Didierlotsyeng: I was just making fun of this guy dumbobill, who has been talking crap about European riders and brands of motorcycle and who now mentions Dave Stribos as a good rider. I live half an hour away from Varese, where Cagiva has its headquarter. The WMX was such a great bike, its engine was far ahead than Honda's, but the chassis was not really that good. Anyway Stribos was a very fast rider.
By the way, it's a pleasure for me to read your posts.
@manes.. Cool! Back in the days, when in college... Was a huge Cagiva fan... Especially when they hired Lawson for the big $$... Had some success... Begin 90's in motogp... But that was already due to me, being a fan of cagiva, when they were still producing dirtbikes in the 80's! And while living in Africa.. The Italian expatriates rode those bikes!! Nice!!! Two brands were on my wish list... Honda & Cagiva... Ha,ha!
But my first bike would be a RM125.. Go figure.. Was talked in by the sales guy and my old man, back in 91' to get an RM.
In 10 years' time, this list will look exactly the same.
Didierlotsyeng: I hear you man!!! Mamola, Lawson (Hungaroring 1992), Kocinsky, good times! Cagiva was great and the WMX is still worth a lot of money on those small classic bike markets. I have also been into road racing for many many years, I also remember Jean Michel Bayle on an Aprilia 250 first, then on that Yamaha 500 on pole in Imola 1998, I could not believe it, I was there at the Tosa turn, he was so fast. Take care my friend!
If I am correct I read on a post a while back the Keithsburg ILL track is still open it puts Sowthwick to shame as far as a sand tracks are. Next years Team USA might want to see about prcticing there? I may be wrong you might want to check with Bob Hannah and some of the people that raced the 78 National there.
I stand corrected it was the 77 National, I think???? mybe I had to many crashes I dunno????
Yeah , SPAIN, where motocross is almost forbidden , where riders have to pay themselves the MXDN. Motocross in Spain is dead...
(sorry for my bad English) If Davy Stribos had signed for Honda/USA for 1986 instead of (the millions) of Cagiva he might have had a better career, at the 1985 Bercy SX Strijbos was very smooth on the track, he lose his sx feeling with the Cagiva ... and off course the production Cagiva was not a good bike, specially if you ride a entire championship on it. for the euro latino who stick on my b@LL$, in 1981 I saw "Magoo" Chandler win an International MX event at 40 miles of my house, 30 years now that I follow the history of the mx racing, 95% of my knowledge is by memory, but i'm not suprise that you underestimate other people and overestimated yourself because you are a just a c0ckroach and a loser! padre manes & thierrytetedenoeud, two euros-latinos-f@gg0t who make their $h1ty propaganda on RacerX, back onto your awful euro websites!
#jairtime , im not talking about factories (love spanish motorbikes).. im talking about the motocross scene in Spain .Supercross championship dissapeared and motocross is getting worse as federation dont help us (just road racing) , and the government dont stop closing tracks everywhere. i
f things dont change..it will be DEAD!
The Blue Waffle Finned OSSA 250 was one of the best bikes ever built in its time. Then The Rickman Corp. put that engine in the Rickman frame and they were both great bikes. How do I know? I worked at a shop that sold both Rickman and Ossa along with several other obsolete brands like Honda, Yamaha, BSA oh yeah and Rokon.... almost forgot Yankee motorcycles also. Heck what do I know???? Oh we did not have any china motorcycles, they had too much lead in them.
Strange that such an experienced "man" like you claim to be has so much disrespect for the riders, in my opinion you're just a mythomaniac, a PC nerd, that's it. Reed must show more respect? I don't know what you write. Cagiva was a good bike back then, for just a few years but it was good, but you can't know. By the way, Strijobs did not go to Cagiva because of the money, I know it, first hand, so do not talk crap. You saw one race? I saw a thousand, get lost in your hole dumb and keep on googling
It's clear for you that the italians and the euros are the best and are perfect, ... hum .... like you? :) ..... it's not a compliment for them you know ... no you can't, you are too moron to understand something, you are just a little pizza boy who stick on my b@lls :)
that's for you c0ckroach: http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/74742/Motorcycle-Photo-Gallery-Photo/2011-Motocross-des-Nations.aspx
Dig your hole DUMB Bill, Fernandel, your brain is too small, nerd
manesh, the little italian f@ggot who stick on my b@lls! for you little putt@na http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/74742/Motorcycle-Photo-Gallery-Photo/2011-Motocross-des-Nations.aspx
Fernandel, just leave me alone, you start it all malicon. Did you go to the mental hospital? You need to, retard, and also go to school third world jackass, shut up.
You started it all by being a jerk and now you complain about me? Get a job, go to work lazy ass, STFU