AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend Roger De Coster has retired as the manager of the U.S. Motocross of Nations team, capping a 44-year career during which he guided U.S. riders to 25 titles at the annual Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme World Championship event.
Words | Press release
“Roger De Coster’s impact on Motocross in America is indelible and without compare,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “On behalf of the AMA Board of Directors, AMA staff and AMA members everywhere, I extend our heartfelt gratitude for the decades of leadership, guidance and numerous FIM World Championships. Roger, we couldn’t have done it without you.”
The MXON is the premier motocross race in the world. In 2024, three-rider teams from 36 countries converged on Matterley Basin in Winchester, U.K., to battle for the FIM Chamberlain Cup. This year’s event is at Ironman Raceway USA in Crawfordsville, Ind., Oct. 3-5.
De Coster has managed the MXON Team USA 36 times, four of those in the Trophee des Nations race that prior to 1984 featured 250cc motorcycles. With De Coster at the helm, Team USA has won the MXON 21 times and the Trophee des Nations four times.
De Coster has one of the most storied careers in the sport. As a racer, he won five 500cc Motocross World Championships, numerous 500cc Motocross Grand Prix victories and four Trans-AMA Motocross Championships.
He also was a member of six winning Belgian MXON teams, 10 winning Trophee des Nations teams, was a Gold Medalist in the International Six Day Trial and earned numerous national championships in his native Belgium, including a national trials title.
De Coster was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2011, the Hall of Fame recognized De Coster as an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend, a notoriety bestowed upon Hall of Famers whose contributions have transcended categories.
De Coster remains active in the sport as the motorsports director for KTM North America. Previously, he was the team manager for the KTM factory team in both AMA Supercross and Motocross.
