THE CHAMPIONSHIP THAT YOU COULD WIN—IF YOU’RE OLD ENOUGH

Doug Dubach was a factory Yamaha rider and won an AMA Supercross, but he is best known for being the greatest Vet motocross racer of all-time with 26 class win. He will be looking for number 27 on November 3-4 at Glen Helen Raceway.

Eventually every famous racer will be old enough to race the Dubya World Vet Championship — if they can still swing a leg over a bike when the turn 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 years old. We don’t know if Eli Tomac, Ryan Dungey or Ryan Villopoto would follow in the footsteps of other AMA National Champions, but it would be a shame if they didn’t.

Famous riders who have won titles at the World Vet include four-time 250 National Champion Gary Jones, Rocket Rex Staten, Warren Reid, Kent Howerton, Erik Kehoe, Rich Thorwaldson, Jeff Ward, Feets Minert, Andy Jefferson, J.N. Roberts, Eyvind Boyesen, Tom White, Kyle Lewis, Thorlief Hanssen, Lars Larsson, Travis Preston, Kurt Nicoll, Jim O’Neal, Daryl Hurley, Brett Metcalfe and Mike Brown.

Steve Machado won the Over-70 Expert class at last year’s World Vet Championship.

Equally important are the riders that no one paid any attention to when they were young, but now that they are old (and have kept racing all these years) they are finally getting some recognition. You may not recognize their names, but if you were their age and in their class, they would probably have lapped you. Especially riders like AMA Supercross Mechanic of the Year Alan Olson, Canadian Champion Zoli Berenyi, Sr., Japanese Champion Hideaki Suzuki, Ike DeJager, Swede Hans Hansson, Terry Sage, Canadian Kim Houde, desert race Bill Maxim, Canadian Pete DeGraff, Oklahoma’s Jimmy Redwine, Baja star Brent Wallingsford and Steve Machado.

And that is just the short list —here is the complete list.

EVERY RIDER TO EVER WIN THE WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP (1986-2017)

1986
30 …Randy Rodriques (ATK)
40 …Alan Olson

Alan Olson and Gary Jones won the only two Pro classes in the 1987 World Vet Championship—this is them 31 years later.

1987
30 …Gary Jones (Hon)
40 …Alan Olson

Rex Staten won four times — in 1988, 1990, 1991and 1982.

1988
30 …Rex Staten (Hon)
40 …Alan Olson
50 …Ron Way

Warren Reid (right) broke up Rex’s win streak by taking the Over-30 crown in 1989. That is Greg Toyama standing next to Warren.

1989
30 …Warren Reid (Kaw)
40 …Alan Olson
50 …Ron Way

Tom White took the Over-40 title in 1990— not bad for the guy who sponsored the World Vet Motocross Championship from its inception.

1990
30 …Rex Staten (Hon)
40 …Tom White
50 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1991
30 …Rex Staten (Hon)
40 …Alan Olson
50 …Ron Dugan

Having already won the Over-30 Championship back in 1987, Gary Jones moved to the Over-40 class in 1992. He would go on to win World Vet Championships in the Over-30, Over-40, Over-50 and Over-60 classes. Gary currently has eight World Vet titles in four different age categories.

1992
30 …Rex Staten (Kaw)
40 …Gary Jones
50 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

Doug Dubach won his first World Vet Championship in 1993 and his 26th in 2017.

1993
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Gary Jones
50 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

Kent Howerton took the Over-40 World Championship in 1994 and 1995.

1994
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Kent Howerton
50 …Alan Olson
60 …Fred Sessions
1995
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Kent Howerton
50 …Alan Olson
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

Erik Kehoe took the top spot in the Over-30 Pro class at the 1996 World Vet Motocross Championship.

Mike Webb was the surprise winner of the Over-40 class in 1996.

1996
30 …Erik Kehoe (Hon)
40 …Mike Webb
50 …Gary Dogget
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

Alan Olson (right) was not only a 9-time World Vet Champion, but he was also Doug Dubach’s (left) mechanic. They both won their classes in the same year on three occasions. Alan won the Over-40 class five times, the Over-50 class three times and the Over-60 class once.

1997
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Ron Turner
50 …Alan Olson
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1998
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Ron Turner
50 …Rich Thorwaldson
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1999
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Ron Turner
50 …Hideaki Suzuki
60 …John Berkezewski
2000
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Pete Murray
50 …Hideaki Suzuki
60 …George Spearing

Jeff Ward clinched his one and only World Vet title in 2001 when he won the Over-40 class.

2001
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Jeff Ward
50 …Ike DeJager
60 …Lars Larsson
70 …Feets Minert

Eyvind Boyesen was the 2002 World Vet Champion in the Over-60 class in 2002.

Andy Jefferson won the Over-40 World Championship in 2002.

2002
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Andy Jefferson
50 …Gary Jones
60 …Eyvind Boyesen
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
2003
30 …Spud Walters (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Gary Jones
60 …J.N. Roberts
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

Ryan Hughes dominated the World Vet Motocross Championship with wins in 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

2004
30 …Ryan Hughes (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Gary Jones
60 …Hans Hansson
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
2005
30 …Ryan Hughes (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Brent Wallingsford
60 …Alan Olson
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

Casey Johnson won his only World Vet title in 2006.

2006
30 …Casey Johnson (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Kim Houde
60 …Terry Sage
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

The late Zoli Berenyi, Sr. from Canada won 12 World Vet Championship between 1992 and 2006. Two in the Over-50 class, four in the Over-60 class and five in the Over-70 class. (Above) Zoli and Lars Larsson discuss night life in San Bernardino.

Pete DeGraff is a six-time Forld Vet Champion with four wins in the Over-50 Class and two in the Over-60 class.

2007
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraff
60 …Bill Maxim
70 …Mike Dobbins

Kyle Lewis won the 2008 Over-30 World title.

One of the six Karsmakers brother won the 2008 Over-40 World Vet Championship. Can you name which one? No, it wasn’t Pierre (front row), it was Toon on the far right of the back row.

2008
30 …Kyle Lewis (Hon)
40 …Eric Sandstrom
50 …Toon Karsmakers
60 …Thorlief Hanssen
70 …Jerry Harpole

Thorlief Hanssen came from Sweden to race the Over-60 class in 2008—he decimated the field and probably could have won the Over-50 class.

2009
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraff
60 …Bill Maxim
70 …Jimmy Redwine

The amazing Feets Minert won the Over-70 Expert for the first time in 2001 and repeated the feat nine years later at the age of 79.

2010
30 …Ryan Hughes (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraff
60 …Bill Maxim
70 …Feets Minert

Bill Maxim was a three-time Over-60 World Champions in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

Lars Larsson took a ten-year break after winning the Over-60 Championship in 2001, before winning back-to-back Over-70 World titles in 2011-2012.

2011
30 …Ryan Hughes (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraff
60 …Gary Chase
70 …Lars Larsson

Ryan Hughes racked up five Over-30 World Vet Championships from 2004 to 2012.

Pete Murray (on the right) with Pete DeGraf (On the left) had won the Over-40 Championship back in 2000, but never managed to win the Over-50 title. Going into the 2012 event he knew that it would be his last chance to win it because Doug Dubach would turn 50 in 2013. Pete pulled it off. And true to his prediction Dubach won the Over-50 class in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. Kurt Nicoll won it is 2016.

2012
30 …Ryan Hughes (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete Murray
60 …Gary Jones
70 …Lars Larsson

Travis Preston was Yamaha’s inhouse test rider when he swept the 2013 and 2014 Over-30 titles.

2013
30 …Travis Preston (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Doug Dubach
60 …Gary Jones
70 …Bart Kellogg
2014
30 …Travis Preston (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Doug Dubach
60 …Brent Wallingsford
70 …Gary Chase

Ryan Morais was KTM’s race team test rider when he came out of retirement to win the 2015 Over-30 title.

Don Grahn (86) had to make a last lap pass to win the Over-60 title in 2015.

2015
30 …Ryan Morais (KTM)
40 …Kurt Nicoll
50 …Doug Dubach
60 …Don Grahn
70 …Roque Colman

Kurt Nicoll tried for years to win a World Vet title, but always had crashes or a mechanical problems. Finally, in 2015 he broke the drought to win the Over-40 class and came back in 2016 to win the Over-50 crown.

Jim O’Neal won the Over-70 World Championship in 2016.

2016
30 …Mike Sleeter (KTM)
40 …Daryl Hurley
50 …Kurt Nicoll
60 …Pete DeGraff
70 …Jim O’Neal

Brett Metcalfe was the Over-30 World Champion in 2017. Brett is the defending Champion.

Mike Brown won the Over-40 World Championship and came in second in the Over-30 class behind Metcalfe in 2017.

2017
30 …Brett Metcalfe (Hon)
40 …Mike Brown
50 …Doug Dubach
60 …Pete DeGraff
70 …Steve Machado

20187
30 …Your name here
40 …Your name here
50 …Your name here
60 …Your name here
70 …Your name here