Jaak van Velthoven

Jaak Van Velthoven
NationalityBelgian
Born24 January 1951 (1951-01-24) (age 74)
Lommel, Belgium
Motocross career
Years active1969–1985
TeamsHusqvarna, Yamaha, KTM
Wins5

Jaak Van Velthoven (24 January 1951[1]) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer.[2] He competed in the FIM Motocross World Championships from 1969 to 1985.

Van Velthoven was born in Lommel, Belgium on 24 January 1951. At the age of 18, he competed in his first Motocross World Championship event at the 1969 500cc Austrian Grand Prix as a privateer aboard a Husqvarna motorcycle. Standing well over 6 feet tall, it was not difficult to distinguish him in the pack and he was often referred to as 'Long tall Jaak'. He won the first overall victory of his career with the Yamaha factory racing team at the 1972 500cc Luxembourg Grand Prix where he finished ahead of three-time World Champion Paul Friedrichs.

Van Velthoven's best individual performance was a third place in the 500cc World Championship in 1973.[3] He helped Yamaha develop a revolutionary motorcycle rear suspension that used a single shock absorber (invented by the Belgian engineer Lucien Tilkens)[4] instead of the traditional dual shock absorbers.

In the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, sales of recreational vehicles decreased significantly, and Yamaha was forced to reduce their competition budget by withdrawing their motocross and road racing teams after the 1975 season. Van Velthoven then became the Belgian importer for KTM motorcycles and competed at the World Championship level for another 10 years for the Austrian motorcycle company. In 1976, he sponsored André Malherbe to race in the 250cc World Championship.[5][6] Malherbe went on to become a three-time 500cc Motocross World Champion for the Honda factory team.[5] Van Velthoven competed in his final World Championship race at the 1985 500cc Swiss Grand Prix at the age of 34.[1]

Van Velthoven won 4 individual heat races and 5 Grand Prix victories during his world championship racing career.[1] Although he never won a Motocross World Championship, he was a three-time Belgian Motocross National Champion (1967, 1971, 1973).[1] Van Velthoven was a member of four victorious Belgian teams at the Motocross des Nations (1972-1973, 1976-1977) and ten victorious Trophée des Nations teams (1969-1978).[1]

Motocross Grand Prix Results

Points system from 1969 to 1980:

Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Points 15 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1

Points system from 1984:

Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th   11th   12th   13th   14th   15th 
Points 20 17 15 13 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Year Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
1969 500cc Husqvarna AUT
8 		AUT
12 		SWE
9 		SWE
- 		NED
- 		NED
- 		ITA
- 		ITA
- 		CZE
12 		CZE
- 		USR
- 		USR
- 		GER
- 		GER
- 		BEL
13 		BEL
17 		LUX
18 		LUX
- 		FRA
- 		FRA
- 		CH
10 		CH
7 		GDR
- 		GDR
- 		23rd 6
1970 500cc Husqvarna CH
11 		CH
4 		AUT
14 		AUT
11 		NED
8 		NED
4 		FRA
10 		FRA
20 		FIN
13 		FIN
9 		SWE
9 		SWE
8 		CZE
13 		CZE
6 		USR
- 		USR
- 		GER
10 		GER
8 		GDR
12 		GDR
8 		BEL
4 		BEL
5 		LUX
8 		LUX
5 		9th 35
1971 500cc Husqvarna ITA
7 		ITA
- 		AUT
4 		AUT
27 		SWE
16 		SWE
6 		FIN
22 		FIN
5 		CZE
6 		CZE
3 		USR
- 		USR
- 		GDR
9 		GDR
5 		UK
6 		UK
5 		GER
9 		GER
7 		BEL
- 		BEL
5 		LUX
- 		LUX
- 		NED
4 		NED
4 		9th 32
1972 500cc Yamaha AUT
- 		AUT
- 		CH
- 		CH
- 		SWE
5 		SWE
6 		FRA
10 		FRA
6 		USR
4 		USR
- 		CZE
5 		CZE
4 		UK
4 		UK
2 		GER
5 		GER
2 		GDR
6 		GDR
6 		BEL
4 		BEL
3 		LUX
2 		LUX
2 		5th 57
1973 500cc Yamaha FRA
2 		FRA
- 		AUT
- 		AUT
- 		FIN
2 		FIN
2 		ITA
- 		ITA
- 		CZE
3 		CZE
3 		USA
4 		USA
3 		GER
10 		GER
6 		BEL
5 		BEL
2 		LUX
2 		LUX
3 		NED
2 		NED
3 		3rd 122
1974 500cc Yamaha AUT
10 		AUT
- 		FRA
5 		FRA
5 		ITA
5 		ITA
5 		DEN
3 		DEN
- 		CZE
10 		CZE
- 		GER
- 		GER
- 		UK
1 		UK
2 		USA
3 		USA
5 		NED
4 		NED
- 		BEL
- 		BEL
4 		LUX
2 		LUX
3 		5th 109
1975 500cc Yamaha CH
- 		CH
10 		ITA
4 		ITA
3 		FIN
5 		FIN
4 		USR
- 		USR
6 		FRA
4 		FRA
3 		USA
- 		USA
- 		CAN
- 		CAN
- 		UK
3 		UK
- 		GER
5 		GER
- 		NED
- 		NED
- 		BEL
3 		BEL
3 		LUX
2 		LUX
- 		5th 104
1976 500cc KTM CH
- 		CH
- 		FRA
- 		FRA
6 		ITA
10 		ITA
- 		AUT
- 		AUT
- 		SWE
7 		SWE
- 		FIN
- 		FIN
- 		GER
3 		GER
- 		USA
6 		USA
9 		CAN
5 		CAN
4 		UK
- 		UK
5 		BEL
6 		BEL
3 		LUX
1 		LUX
1 		7th 92
1977 500cc KTM AUT
5 		AUT
4 		NED
8 		NED
- 		SWE
7 		SWE
9 		FIN
- 		FIN
- 		GER
7 		GER
6 		ITA
10 		ITA
7 		USA
- 		USA
9 		CAN
8 		CAN
7 		UK
6 		UK
8 		BEL
- 		BEL
- 		LUX
- 		LUX
- 		CH
1 		CH
2 		7th 81
1978 500cc KTM CH
3 		CH
6 		AUT
5 		AUT
- 		FRA
10 		FRA
7 		DEN
7 		DEN
6 		FIN
6 		FIN
- 		SWE
5 		SWE
- 		USA
8 		USA
- 		ITA
- 		ITA
- 		UK
- 		UK
5 		BEL
- 		BEL
4 		LUX
- 		LUX
6 		NED
6 		NED
6 		8th 78
1979 250cc KTM ESP
10 		ESP
10 		NED
- 		NED
6 		ITA
4 		ITA
9 		BEL
6 		BEL
4 		YUG
- 		YUG
- 		CZE
- 		CZE
8 		POL
- 		POL
7 		FRA
5 		FRA
- 		FIN
- 		FIN
- 		USA
- 		USA
- 		GER
- 		GER
10 		BUL
6 		BUL
2 		9th 61
1980 500cc KTM CH
- 		CH
6 		AUT
- 		AUT
- 		FRA
- 		FRA
- 		SWE
- 		SWE
- 		FIN
8 		FIN
8 		ITA
- 		ITA
7 		NED
8 		NED
5 		USA
- 		USA
9 		CAN
6 		CAN
8 		GER
10 		GER
- 		BEL
9 		BEL
5 		LUX
- 		LUX
- 		10th 43
1981 500cc KTM AUT
- 		AUT
3 		CH
6 		CH
6 		FIN
- 		FIN
5 		SWE
8 		SWE
6 		ITA
6 		ITA
6 		FRA
5 		FRA
9 		USA
- 		USA
- 		UK
4 		UK
- 		NED
- 		NED
- 		CZE
7 		CZE
7 		BEL
- 		BEL
6 		LUX
7 		LUX
5 		8th 83
1982 500cc KTM FRA
- 		FRA
5 		NED
4 		NED
4 		SWE
- 		SWE
8 		FIN
- 		FIN
- 		AUT
6 		AUT
10 		ITA
- 		ITA
- 		GER
- 		GER
9 		USA
- 		USA
9 		CAN
- 		CAN
- 		UK
5 		UK
8 		BEL
- 		BEL
- 		LUX
- 		LUX
- 		11th 44
1983 500cc KTM CH
7 		CH
8 		AUT
9 		AUT
- 		GER
- 		GER
8 		SWE
- 		SWE
- 		FIN
- 		FIN
- 		ITA
- 		ITA
- 		USA
- 		USA
- 		FRA
7 		FRA
3 		UK
8 		UK
6 		BEL
- 		BEL
9 		SM
- 		SM
- 		NED
7 		NED
3 		10th 50
1984 500cc KTM AUT
6 		AUT
- 		CH
- 		CH
- 		ESP
- 		ESP
- 		FRA
- 		FRA
- 		SWE
- 		SWE
- 		GER
- 		GER
- 		NED
9 		NED
- 		USA
- 		USA
- 		CAN
- 		CAN
- 		UK
14 		UK
5 		BEL
10 		BEL
6 		ITA
13 		ITA
13 		14th 47
1985 500cc KTM AUT
10 		AUT
- 		FRA
- 		FRA
7 		SWE
14 		SWE
8 		FIN
- 		FIN
9 		ITA
- 		ITA
15 		ESP
- 		ESP
- 		NED
14 		NED
- 		USA
- 		USA
- 		UK
- 		UK
- 		BEL
- 		BEL
9 		LUX
12 		LUX
11 		CH
11 		CH
8 		15th 64
Sources:[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Jaak van Velthoven career statistics" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  2. ^ "Jaak Van Velthoven career profile". bestsports.com. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  3. ^ "1973 500cc Motocross World Championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  4. ^ Magazine Moto73
  5. ^ a b "Jack Burnicle looks back at Andre Malherbe's remarkable career". dirtbikerider.com. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  6. ^ "André Malherbe: a life full of struggle". mxmag.net. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  7. ^ "1969 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  8. ^ "1970 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  9. ^ "1971 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  10. ^ "1972 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  11. ^ "1973 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  12. ^ "1974 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  13. ^ "1975 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  14. ^ "1976 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  15. ^ "1977 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  16. ^ "1978 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  17. ^ "1979 250cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  18. ^ "1980 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  19. ^ "1981 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  20. ^ "1982 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  21. ^ "1983 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  22. ^ "1984 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
  23. ^ "1985 500cc motocross world championship race classifications" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaak_van_Velthoven