WHO IS JAGO GEERTS?
Jago Geerts was born April 21st 2000 in Geel, Belgium. He grew up as the son of Arlette Geerts and Herman Gevers in Balen in the ‘Kempen’, a region that was put on the world map in the 1980s and 1990s by five-time motocross World Champion, also known as Eric’The Kid’ Geboers.
Motorcycles have been part of Jago’s life from a very young age, with a father who worked on motocross bikes from early morning until late at night. His father’s workshop was like a play yard for little Jago who imitated the heroes of the moment on his first bicycle. In the years ’80-’90-2000, his father, also a gifted motocross rider in his younger years, worked his way up to become a top mechanic in Sylvan Geboers’ famous factory Suzuki Team. When Jago was born, Herman decided to put a stop to the hectic life he had lived for the last few decades. So, Jago never actually experienced his father’s glory days. Still, Jago must have inherited MX-virus already at his birth because at the age of 4 he was riding his first motorcycle in the garden, a beautiful grass field that, as time went on, contained more holes and bumps, until it was completely transformed into a mini motocross track.
- 24 Grand Prix Victories
- Factory MX Rider since 2018
STARTING YOUNG
“At the age of 4, I was riding in our garden on my mini motocross machine. For sure a motocross bike has always had a special place in my heart.”
The beginning
Quite soon Jago was spotted on the training tracks in Belgium and the Netherlands. The first months he was happy to turn rounds on the mini tracks on his 65cc. At the end of a practice day, when most of the big bikes had stopped, Jago was allowed to get to know the deep ruts and holes under the watchful eyes of his parents. With his little 65cc small wheels, he sometimes disappeared completely into the deep holes the professionals had made when they were riding on the track. The little guy fearlessly took on the challenging track and was always able to return home feeling good after a few laps.
It did not take long before Jago Geerts had moved beyond the mini-tracks. It was immediately obvious that he was extremely talented. At places where better amateur riders held back, the young Geerts shifted up and controlled the throttle with a precision rarely seen at such a young age.
ROUGH DIAMOND
Experts agreed: Jago Geerts was a rough diamond that would shine brighter and brighter as the years passed.
Because in Belgium it was not allowed to take part in races until the age of 15, they switched to the Dutch federation KNMV, where 12-years-old children were allowed to take their first steps in a competition.
2012 was still seen as a year of adaptation in the 85cc small wheels, but exactly one year later thirteen years old Geerts ended the season as Dutch KNMV Champion 85 cc big wheels.
An instant success for the Stabilo MX Team which the teenager was part of.
His performances did not go unnoticed in the paddock, and the Geerts-Gevers family was approached by Lauri Roosiorg, businessman and Sahkar team owner.
In 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017, the teenager was able to further develop himself in the European 85 cc, 125 cc, and 250 cc championships.
With a European title 85cc, the Estonian Sakhar Team with a workshop in Balen, could not have a better start.
With his father loyal by his side as a mechanic, a new chapter began a year later in the young life of the student who managed to combine top-level sports excellently with his studies. 2015 was a year of ups and downs and a small injury in a European Championship 125cc.
A learning experience that a few months later was translated in dominant victories in the Dutch Masters, the EMX125 and the junior World Championship.
BECOMING A CHAMPION
“It felt nice but I was already thinking of a next goal. Partying is not my thing.”
Jago was still under 17 years old when he switched from 125 to 250cc. With a first podium during the EMX250 championship in Latvia, since that moment one of his favourite tracks, the young superstar also made his mark here. Although the European championship was not finished yet, the Team Sakhar received a wildcard for Jago Geerts giving him his first taste of the MX2 World Championship.
After a few years it was clear that it would be difficult for the Sakhar Team as more and more manufacturers started to show interest in Jago Geerts.
After well considering all proposals, it was decided to sign a three years factory contract with the Japanese manufacturer Yamaha. The team, owned by the Belgian Hans Corvers and ran by team manager Marnicq Bervoets, offered a safe base for the athlete who was still studying.
FACTORY RIDE
“I was 17 when I had the pleasure to sign the contract with Yamaha. My parents also had to sign the agreement because I was still minor”
In 2018 the factory YZ250FM was at his disposal especially to learn a lot from the fierce competition on and off the track. That Jago finished the FIM World Championship in eighth position can be considered as exceptional, considering that besides competing sport at the highest level, he also successfully finished his last year in school.
Jago could start 2019 entirely focussing on his sport and his status as top athlete. The Monster Energy Kemea Yamaha rider returned home from Shanghai, China, with a bronze medal and a third place in the final classification of the MX2 World Championship. It was no surprise that he was chosen to be part of the Belgian team for his first Motocross of Nations at the side of Kevin Strijbos and Jeremy Van Hoorebeek. A selection that was rewarded with the silver medal.
Finishing third in a championship inevitably raises expectations, and that was no different for Jago. 2020 began with one goal, the title of World Champion. Closely fought races especially against rival Tom Vialle, marked a season heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite claiming six Grand Prix wins, Geerts had to settle as vice-champion in the second place, 80 points behind.
A few months before the end of the season the agreement with Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MX2 was extended by two years.
With the pandemic still holding the world in its grip, the 2021 season kicked off with a rather unusual start. With mostly training, testing and 2 races on Sicilian soil, everyone was looking forward to the real start of the World Championship MX2.
The 2021 season was dominated by the fierce battle with team mate, Maxime Renaux. Geerts performed very consistently with Grand Prix wins in the Netherlands, Italy, and in front of his home crowd in Belgium, but he was narrowly beaten by the Frenchman who took the world title in Pietramurata, Italy. However the young Belgian showed phenomenal resilience by winning the two last Grand Prix races of the season.
“Losing the World Championship title to my team mate was tough.
Dealing with the loss while the people from the team you work with so closely and the Yamaha management are celebrating the victory at the same time felt sour.
After a few weeks of rest, the batteries were recharged to face a new challenging MX season. The Grand Prix races were extremely tough and will be remembered by the fans for a long time. With 16 podiums, including 6 Grand Prix victories in 18 races, Jago struggled to beat Frenchman Tom Vialle. Geerts became MX2 Vice-World Champion for the third time in a row, by only 4 points.
“After the race in Turkiye I let it all out in tears. The way how I lost gold felt so unfair. My season went almost perfect, but the icing on the cake was missing.
In 2023 the rider from Balen started the season at the age of 22 with the same goal, winning the title. Everything was planned to the details but despite eight Grand Prix wins things did not go smoothly. A wrist fracture sustained during the 7th Grand Prix of the season in Villars Sous Ecot, France that forced him to miss the GP in Kegums and in Sweden, spoiled the plan. Once again Jago had to settle with a second place in the end classification of the World Championship. During the winter months, the book ‘Roller Coaster’ was published, which beautifully illustrates his eventful season.
MXGP CLASS
“Yamaha continued to have full confidence in me, and we negotiated a contract until the end of 2025. With the switch from MX2 to MXGP, expectations were high.”
As ‘Rookie’ the expectations were high cause everyone remembered what Geerts performed at the end of the 2022 season during the Motocross of Nations in Redbud, America. During the MXGP qualifying race, he secured the win, pushing the American idol, Eli Tomac to the second place, big news in the paddock and the global motocross community. Jago Geerts delivered a fantastic performance on his powerful 450 Yamaha.
At the start of the season nothing stood in the way for a brilliant year ahead. During the qualifying race for the first Grand Prix of the season in Villa La Angostura, Argentina, his sporting dream was crushed. A very bad crash in the first turn where Geerts sustained a broken elbow, had big consequences. Months of rehabilitation were an ordeal that every athlete dreads. With a few attempts at the end of the season to return to Grand Prix level, 2024 became a year to quickly forget.
“I started 2025 just like every previous season. The only things that mattered were podiums and winning. But no matter what I tried, it just did not seem to work.”
On social media one question kept returning. Can Jago come back to the highest level after his serious injury? Let us call it split camps. Geerts and his closest entourage knew very well what he was capable of in 2025 but from the very first start the collaboration went less smoothly than the previous years. The comfort with which Jago Geerts was able to control the MX2 bike around the track in 2023 was gone. After several attempts to get back in this comfort zone, no solutions seemed to work. It soon became clear which direction things would take with a contract expiring at the end of 2025. Only one hour after the end of the MXGP of Flanders, where Geerts had a horror crash during the first moto, it was made clear that there would be no place available in 2026 for the number 93 within the Monster Energy Yamaha MXGP Factory Team.
“Two failed seasons in a row caused the trust of Yamaha in me as an athlete, and my confidence towards the Yamaha management, to melt away like snow in the sun. It does not feel good when, after 24 Grand Prix wins, you are thanked for your services by a manufacturer, but those are the harsh rules of sport and business considerations. Finally I think that after 8 years it was time for something new. A challenge that I have found with the Italian manufacturer, Beta Motorcycles and the MRT Factory Racing Team. From my first test on with the Beta Factory bike at their private track in Viterbo, Italy I knew this was for me the best bike with which I could get my sporting career back on track again.”
The team, the owner of Beta Motorcycles and the bike fill a void he was looking for in 2025s.
With the first results of the pre-season races in mind, Geerts will once again participate in the FIM Motocross World Championship MXGP with big goals in mind.
