EVERY WORLD VETERAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPION (1985-2022)

EVERY WORLD VETERAN MOTOCROSS CHAMPION (1985-2022)

When the World Vet Motocross Championship was founded by Tom White, Jody Weisel and Alan Olson in 1985, the only two age groups were Over-30 and Over-40, (Over-50 was added in 1988, Over-60 in 1994, Over-70 in 2001 and Over-80 in 2019). 

It was unimaginable back in 1985 that the World Vet would grow to 1000 riders over a three-day race and have classes for Over-30, Over-40, Over-50, Over-60, Over-70 and Over-80 year old riders (with 5-year increments at 25, 35, 45, 55 and 65). Below is a list of every Expert winner in every age group. You might have heard of Over-30 Pro winners Gary Jones, Rex Staten, Warren Reid, Dou Dubach, Eric Kehoe, Spud Waltyers, Ryan Hughes, Casey Johnson, Kyle Lewis, Travis Preston, Ryan Morais, Brett Metcalfe, Josh Grant, Mike Sleeter Mikes Alessi and Sean Lipanovich.

But if you went into the older classes you would find, Jeff Ward, Lars Larsson, Feets Minert, Zoli Berenyi, Kent Howerton, Alan Olson, Radial Ron Turner, Hideaki Suzuki, Andy Jefferson, J.N. Roberts, Brent Wallingsford, Toon Karsmakers, Thorleif Hanssen, Kurt Nicoll, Daryl Hurley, Jim O’Neal and Mike Brown.

1985
30 …Randy Rodriques (ATK)
40 …Alan Olson
1986
30 …Randy Rodriques (ATK)
40 …Alan Olson
1987
30 …Gary Jones (Hon)
40 …Alan Olson
1988
30 …Rex Staten (Hon)
40 …Alan Olson
50 …Ron Way
1989
30 …Warren Reid (Kaw)
40 …Alan Olson
50 …Ron Way

Tom White not only founded the World Vet Championship, but he sponsored it, announced it and, in 1990, won the Over-40 World Vet Championship.

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

Rex Staten won the 1988, 1990 and 1992 Over-30 World Vet crowns.

1992
30 …Rex Staten (Kaw)
40 …Gary Jones
50 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
1993
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Gary Jones
50 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
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.
1996
30 …Erik Kehoe (Hon)
40 …Mike Webb
50 …Gary Dogget
60 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

Alan Olson won 10 World Vet titles in the Over-40, Over-50 and Over-60 classes from 1985 to 2005.

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

Canadian Zoli Berenyi Sr. (left) won 12 World Vet titles between 1990 and 2006. Swede Lars Larsson (right) won 4 World Vet titles in the Over-60, Over-70 and Over-80 classes.

2001
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Jeff Ward
50 …Ike DeJager
60 …Lars Larsson
70 …Feets Minert
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.
2004
30 …Ryan Hughes (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Gary Jones
60 …Hans Hansson
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

You haven’t lived until you’ve been tapped out in fifth gear on your way to Glen Helen’s massively steep Talladega first turn. It is banked at 45 degrees and riders can go through it seven-wide. On this start there are three MXA guys in the first five (they are the ones with the orange helmets)

2005
30 ...Ryan Hughes (Hon)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Brent Wallingsford
60 …Alan Olson
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
2006
30 …Casey Johnson (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Kim Houde
60 …Terry Sage
70 …Zoli Berenyi, Sr.

Canadian Pete DeGraff qon the Over-50 Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and took Over-60 crown in 2016 and 2017.

2007
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraaf
60 …Bill Maxim
70 …Mike Dobbins
2008
30 …Kyle Lewis (Hon)
40 …Eric Sandstrom
50 …Toon Karsmakers
60 …Thorlief Hanssen
70 …Jerry Harpole
2009
30 …Doug Dubach (Yam)
40 …Doug Dubach
50 …Pete DeGraaf
60 …Bill Maxim
70 …Jimmy Redwine

Ryan Hughes won the Over-30 World Vet Championship in 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011 and 2012—almost always in epic battles against Doug Dubach (and every time Hughes won the Over-30 class, Doug Dubach would win the Over-40 class).

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

Lars Larsson won his first World Vet Championship in 2001, his second in 2011, his third in 2012 and his fourth in 2021

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

Pete Murray has patience. Pete won the Over-40 title in 2000 (and then lost it to Jeff Ward, Andy Jefferson and Doug Dubach for the next 11 years). Then, in 2012, Pete won the Over-50 crown (which he then lost to Doug Dubach and Kurt Nicoll until he turned 60). Once 60 years old, Pete would win the Over-60 Championship in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

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

Doug Dubach has won 26 World Vet Championship in the Over-30, Over-40 and Over-50 class. Doug also won two age groups in the same year in 2007, 2009, 2013 and 2014.

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 won the Over-30 World Vet Championship in 2015.

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

Brit Kurt Nicoll won the Over-40 class in 2015 and  dominated the Over-50 class for the first time in 2016 and then repeated in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 .

2016
30 …Mike Sleeter (KTM)
40 …Daryl Hurley
50 …Kurt Nicoll
60 …Pete DeGraaf
70 …Jim O’Neal
2017
30 …Brett Metcalfe (Hon)
40 …Mike Brown
50 …Doug Dubach
60 …Pete DeGraaf
70 …Steve Machado
2018
30 …Josh Grant (Kaw)
40 …Daryl Hurley
50 …Kurt Nicoll
60 …Pete DeGraaf
70 …Gary Chase

Gary Jones is the only rider to have won World Vet Championships in the Over-30, Over-40, Over-50, Over-60 and Over-70 classes.

2019
30 …Mike Alessi (Hon)
40 …Mike Brown (Yam)
50 …Kurt Nicoll (KTM)
60 …Pete Murray (Yam)
70 …Ike DeJager (Hon)
80 …Chuck Koistra (Hon)
2020
30 …Mike Alessi (Hon)
40 …Kris Keefer (Yam)
50 …Kurt Nicoll (KTM)
60 …Pete Murray (Yam)
70 …Ike DeJager (Hon)
80 …Chuck Koistra (Hon)

Mike Alessi water-skied to the 2020 World Vet Championship in the Over-30 Pro class. He would win the crown in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

2021
30 …Mike Alessi (Hon)
40 …Kris Keefer (Yam)
50 …Kurt Nicoll (KTM)
60 …Pete Murray (Yam)
70 …Tom Jessmer (Yam)
80 …Lars Larsson (Hus)
2022
30 …Sean Lipanovich (KTM)
40 …Mike Brown (KTM)
50 …Kurt Nicoll (KTM)
60 …Pete Murray (Yam)
70 …Gary Jones (Hon)
80 …Chuck Koistra (Hon)