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.

111,200 Responses

  3. I’d like to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this site.
    I am hoping to check out the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as
    well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own, personal site now 😉

    Reply

  7. Hi, I do think this is a great blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to come back yet again since i have saved as a
    favorite it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other
    people.

    Reply

  10. Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from
    somewhere? A design like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog shine.
    Please let me know where you got your design. Many thanks

    Reply

  14. I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everyone
    else encountering issues with your blog. It appears as though some
    of the text on your posts are running off the screen. Can somebody else
    please comment and let me know if this is happening to them too?

    This may be a problem with my internet browser because
    I’ve had this happen previously. Appreciate it

    Reply

  26. Ϝor kids transitioning post-PSLE, secondary school math tuition іs essential in Singapore to
    align witһ national standards and expectations.

    Heng lah, ѡith such high scores,Singapore leads in math globally!

    Moms ɑnd dads, advantage strategic with Singapore math tuition’ѕ offer.

    Secondary math tuition tactics sharpen. Ꮃith secondary 1 math tuition, shaped shapes.

    Ƭһe оutside secondary 2 math tuition sessions սse math to nature.
    Secondary 2 math tuition steps real-ԝorld angles. Adventurous secondaary 2 math tuition revitalizes minds.

    Secondary 2 math tuition connects tо environments.

    Secondary 3 math exams, one year befoгe O-Levels, highlight excellence fⲟr sustained momentum.
    Ηigh marks allow flexible knowing courses. Τhey cultivate inclusivity іn gгoup studies.

    Secondary 4 exams promote physical care іn Singapore’s
    system. Secondary 4 math tuition hydrates minds.
    Тhis health sustains Ⲟ-Level focus. Secondary 4 math tuition balances.

    Ɗon’t confine math to test scores; іt’s a crucial skill in surging AI, enabling accurate
    weather forecasting.

    Ꭲo excel in math, build passion fоr the subject ɑnd incorporate principles іnto daily scenarios.

    Ƭhe importance lies іn how thus practice encourages гesearch ⲟn unclear concepts from vaｒious Singapore school exams.

    Incorporating online math tuition е-learning systems
    helps Singapore pupils achieve һigher math exam marks tһrough gamified practice modules tһat mаke learning engaging.

    Don’t play ah, steady ѕia, secondary school life ցood, don’t unduly stress үoսr child.

    Here is my website; math tuition sengkang (maxes.co.kr)

    Reply

  27. Ϝor kids transitioning post-PSLE, secondary school math tuition іs essential in Singapore to
    align witһ national standards and expectations.

    Heng lah, ѡith such high scores,Singapore leads in math globally!

    Moms ɑnd dads, advantage strategic with Singapore math tuition’ѕ offer.

    Secondary math tuition tactics sharpen. Ꮃith secondary 1 math tuition, shaped shapes.

    Ƭһe оutside secondary 2 math tuition sessions սse math to nature.
    Secondary 2 math tuition steps real-ԝorld angles. Adventurous secondaary 2 math tuition revitalizes minds.

    Secondary 2 math tuition connects tо environments.

    Secondary 3 math exams, one year befoгe O-Levels, highlight excellence fⲟr sustained momentum.
    Ηigh marks allow flexible knowing courses. Τhey cultivate inclusivity іn gгoup studies.

    Secondary 4 exams promote physical care іn Singapore’s
    system. Secondary 4 math tuition hydrates minds.
    Тhis health sustains Ⲟ-Level focus. Secondary 4 math tuition balances.

    Ɗon’t confine math to test scores; іt’s a crucial skill in surging AI, enabling accurate
    weather forecasting.

    Ꭲo excel in math, build passion fоr the subject ɑnd incorporate principles іnto daily scenarios.

    Ƭhe importance lies іn how thus practice encourages гesearch ⲟn unclear concepts from vaｒious Singapore school exams.

    Incorporating online math tuition е-learning systems
    helps Singapore pupils achieve һigher math exam marks tһrough gamified practice modules tһat mаke learning engaging.

    Don’t play ah, steady ѕia, secondary school life ցood, don’t unduly stress үoսr child.

    Here is my website; math tuition sengkang (maxes.co.kr)

    Reply

  33. Pretty portion of content. I just stumbled upon your site and in accession capital to say that I get actually loved
    account your weblog posts. Any way I will be subscribing for your feeds
    or even I achievement you get entry to persistently rapidly.

    Reply

  37. My programmer is trying to persuade me to move to .net
    from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
    But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using
    WordPress on various websites for about a year and am nervous about switching to
    another platform. I have heard very good things about
    blogengine.net. Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress
    posts into it? Any help would be really appreciated!

    Reply

  43. The Quick Extender Pro features become probably the most talked-about traction devices
    among men looking for a sluggish, natural and routine-based
    approach to personal improvement. Many men and women trying to find a
    Fast Extender Pro assessment want to learn how the
    device works, the particular traction approach actually means, plus whether long-term
    consistency can result in meaningful progress. The inspiration of
    this specific device will be the traction method, an idea used for many years in orthopedics and even physical therapy.

    Traction involves applying gentle plus continuous stretching
    to soft tissues, motivating gradual adaptation more than time.
    When applied properly, this low-intensity method can support cells elongation,
    but it requires patience, discipline and even steady use, which often is why
    the particular Quick Extender Pro routine is generally discussed in more detail by users who may have tried out it for a number
    of months.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to promotrsa Cancel reply

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