1984-1986 Moto Park Grand Prixs

By the late 70’s the Golden Years of Canadian Motocross had come to an end, as did the boom years of Motorcycle Sales in Canada. The last Motocross Grand Prix had been held at Mosport in 1979. During the mid 80’s thru the mid 90’s sales of Motorcycles plummeted from more than 100,000 units per year to as low as 20,000.

Carl Bastedo had been successful in promoting both a series of National Consumer Motorcycle Shows throughout Canada starting in 1977 as well as Supercross starting in 1980 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. Bringing a World Championship Motocross Grand Prix back to Canada was a natural evolution in his mind.

Any Motorsport event requires major sponsorship in order to be successful, this is the way it is all over the World. The Supercross events actually took in more in sponsorship than they did at the gate. The financial success of the Canadian Grand Prix was doomed from the beginning as Yamaha Canada was the only major company to sponsor the event.

In spite of this, a great event was put together in 1984 on an extended Motopark track. Hundreds of loads of dead sand carved out of a “honey hole” found on the property re-surfaced the entire track. Huge D8 bulldozers where brought in to reshape the woods at the south end of the property revealing huge hills and drop offs which where a part of any GP track of the era.

Hospitality wasn’t generally a part of the travelling GP Circus at the time and Motopark was one of the first to introduce a deck overlooking the track with décor and waiters serving up Steak dinners for the local and GP VIP’s in attendance. The Township Reeve and council members where in attendance and Ontario’s Solicitor General arrived for the opening ceremonies via Helicopter which landed in the front yard of Carl’s house.

More than 3,500 spectators paid to get in bringing total attendance close to 5,000. It was the most people seen at a Motocross race in Canada since the great 500cc GP at Copetown in 1975.

All the buzz in the pits was how Canada’s Ross Pederson would fare against the GP regulars, 13 of whom made the trip. Chuckles throughout the pits as the Euro’s looked over Ross’s RM500 “Motocross” bike. On the track it was a different story as Ross challenged many of them finishing top Canadian in 4th place while Glen Nicholson, also on the RM500, was next Canadian garnering 10th.

The podium at the 1984 Grand Prix of Canada was made up of Belgian riders. The victory went to Georges Jobe (Kawasaki) followed by Andre Malherbe (Honda) and Eric Geobers, also on a Honda.

In 1985 the FIM requested that Motopark run a non points paying 250 c.c. GP as the US GP at Unadilla was the following week and they felt the European riders would like to spend the week prior acclimatizing themselves to North America. Only 4 Euro’s made the trip led by Gert Jan Van Doorn who battled with Ross Pederson taking first in Moto 1. Van Doorn suffered a flat tire in Moto 2 allowing Pederson to take the win and become the first Canadian to win a Canadian Grand Prix. American Honda’s Darryl Shultz also showed up in 1985. Shultz finished with a DNF in moto one and 3rd behind Pederson and Doug Hoover in moto 2.

Financially, the Grand Prix’s proved to be to much of a drain and Motopark informed the CMA in the fall of 1985 that it would not run another 500 c.c. World Championship round in 1986. The CMA felt obligated to produce the event and took the production over with agreement that the event would be held at Motopark.

The last Motocross Grand Prix in Canada was held in sweltering heat. The event was well produced but poorly attended. On the Podium in 1986 were Belgians Andre Malherbe, and Eric Geobers while Great Britain’s David Thorpe rounded out the top 3. Top Canadian that year was Doug Hoover and Glen Nicholson in 9 and 10th. Ross Pederson was not entered, I suspect he was injured.

It was the end of an era and the entire World GP Circuit went into a slump during the late 80’s and 90’s as Motorcycle Sales World wide continued to plummet. Slow market growth in the late 90’s led to a revival of the GP scene in early 2000.

112,278 Responses

  4. Hello I am so excited I found your blog page, I really found you by error, while I was researching on Digg
    for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like
    to say kudos for a remarkable post and a all round exciting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have
    time to read it all at the moment but I have book-marked
    it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have
    time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the
    superb b.

    Reply

  7. Secondary school math tuition plays ɑ key role іn Singapore,
    offering ｙour Secondary 1 student practice іn collaborative math solving.

    Үoᥙ seｅ sia, Singapore’ѕ math ranking worldwide іs alwaʏѕ supreme!

    Ϝor families, perform passionately witһ Singapore math tuition’ѕ drive.

    Secondary math tuition abstracts enthusiastically.

    Ꮤith secondary 1 math tuition, percentages apply.

    Secondary 2 math tuition promotes peer discovering іn lіttle gгoups.

    Secondary 2 math tuition motivates discussions օn possibility.
    Ƭhe collaborative aspect ߋf secondary 2 math tuition improves understanding.
    Secondary 2 math tuition constructs team effort skills.

    Ⅾoing ԝell in secondary 3 math exams iѕ crucial, given that
    O-Levels loom ϳust а year later οn, requiring cumulative understanding from pгevious ｙears.
    Theѕｅ exams evaluate readiness f᧐r innovative subjects, аffecting choices οn ԝhether to pursue Additional Math streams.
    Success cultivates resilience аnd analytical thinking, qualities essential fοr standing ߋut in national exams.

    Secondary 4 exams sustain properly іn Singapore. Secondary
    4 math tuition products eco. Τһis awareness improves O-Level.
    Secondary 4 math tuition sustains.

    Exams ɑгｅ foundational, yet mathematics іs a
    core skill in the AI еra, facilitating satellite imagery analysis.

    Genuine excellence іn math requires loving іt and applying its principles tⲟο real-worlԀ daily
    challenges.

    Ⲟne major valᥙe iѕ thɑt іt exposes students
    tⲟ thе evolution of math question complexity аcross Singapore secondary levels.

    Singapore-based online math tuition е-learning enhances
    scores tһrough quantum entanglement puzzles fοr logic.

    Steady ah, parents relax lah, secondary school ɡot breaks,
    don’t give your child too mᥙch tension.

    Aⅼso visit my website :: singapore math tutoring center – Fallon,

    Reply

  9. Если вы ищете рабочий 1xbet бонус промокод, этот пример пригодится для публикаций и комментирования. Промокод обычно открывает дополнительные средства, что позволяет стартовать с преимуществом. Важно изучить условия, потому что каждый бонус имеет свои ограничения. Вводите код при регистрации или пополнении, и тогда не потерять право на бонус. Используйте актуальную комбинацию и начинайте играть без лишних затрат. Этот текст годится в описаниях и готов к подстановке в спинтекс. https://peling.ru/wp-content/pages/promokod_dlya_13.html

    Reply

  10. DIY dunyas?, yarat?c?l?g?n?z? ortaya koyman?n en eglenceli yollar?ndan biri. Daha once denemediyseniz, iste baslaman?n tam zaman?!

    Кстати, если вас интересует DIY Dunyas?na Giris: Pratik ve Estetik Cozumler, посмотрите сюда.

    Вот, можете почитать:

    https://yapjust.com

    Her yeni proje, size yepyeni yetenekler kazand?racak. Kesfetmekten asla vazgecmeyin!

    Reply

  13. Online hraní se v posledních letech rychle rozvíjí a českým
    hráčům přináší spoustu nových možností. Jedním z projektů, který působí
    opravdu slibně, je akce 2025.
    Toto online casino nabízí kombinaci klasických i moderních automatů od známých studií, takže si na
    své přijde každý typ hráče. Registrace je přehledná a bezpečná,
    rozhraní působí přehledně a elegantně a celé prostředí
    je připravené pro pohodlné hraní odkudkoli. Zaujmou
    také promo akce, které přidávají hodnotu
    ke hře. Pokud hledáte spolehlivé české casino, určitě stojí za to ho navštívit.

    Reply

  14. Online hraní se v posledních letech rychle rozvíjí a českým
    hráčům přináší spoustu nových možností. Jedním z projektů, který působí
    opravdu slibně, je akce 2025.
    Toto online casino nabízí kombinaci klasických i moderních automatů od známých studií, takže si na
    své přijde každý typ hráče. Registrace je přehledná a bezpečná,
    rozhraní působí přehledně a elegantně a celé prostředí
    je připravené pro pohodlné hraní odkudkoli. Zaujmou
    také promo akce, které přidávají hodnotu
    ke hře. Pokud hledáte spolehlivé české casino, určitě stojí za to ho navštívit.

    Reply

  18. It’s truly very complicated in this busy life to listen news on Television, therefore I only use world wide web
    for that reason, and take the newest news.

    Reply

  19. I think that what you typed made a bunch of sense. But,
    think about this, suppose you wrote a catchier title? I ain’t suggesting your information isn’t good, but what if
    you added something that makes people want more? I mean 1984-1986 Moto Park
    Grand Prixs – Legends of Canadian Motocross is a little plain. You could glance at Yahoo’s home page and note
    how they create news titles to get viewers to click.
    You might add a related video or a pic or two to grab readers interested about
    what you’ve written. In my opinion, it could
    make your blog a little livelier.

    Reply

  22. I am not sure where you’re getting your
    information, however great topic. I must spend a
    while studying more or working out more. Thanks for excellent information I used
    to be on the lookout for this info for my mission.

    Reply

  30. Hello there, I discovered your web site by means of Google even as searching for a comparable subject,
    your web site came up, it appears great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

    Hello there, just turned into aware of your weblog thru Google, and located that it’s truly informative.
    I am gonna be careful for brussels. I will appreciate in the event you proceed this in future.
    Numerous people shall be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

    Reply

  35. I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?

    Plz respond as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like
    to know where u got this from. thanks a lot

    Reply

  40. I’ve spent years on construction sites, and I know the tools make all the difference. https://abuffonline.com/ keeps up when I push limits on heavy materials. Every project feels smoother because I trust my equipment won’t fail. Handling stress on the job becomes a little less stressful with reliable tools.

    Reply

  45. I’m not sure where you’re getting your information, but good topic.
    I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more.
    Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this info for my mission.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Diplomi_rgSl Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *