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.

17,287 Responses

  1. I believe what you said made a great deal of sense.
    However, think on this, what if you typed a catchier post title?
    I am not suggesting your information isn’t solid., however what if you
    added something to possibly get people’s attention? I mean 1984-1986 Moto Park Grand Prixs
    – Legends of Canadian Motocross is a little plain. You ought to look at Yahoo’s front page and note how they write news headlines to get people
    to click. You might add a related video or a pic or two to get readers excited about everything’ve written. Just my opinion, it might bring your website a little bit more interesting.

    Reply

  8. What you posted made a bunch of sense. However, what about this? suppose you added a little information? I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your blog, but suppose you added a headline to possibly grab people’s attention? I mean %BLOG_TITLE% is a little plain. You might peek at Yahoo’s home page and watch how they write post titles to get people interested. You might add a related video or a picture or two to grab people interested about everything’ve written. Just my opinion, it would make your posts a little livelier.
    Private car near me

    Reply

  14. I have been exploring a variety of web-based casinos over the previous
    months, and I must say that trefpuntstan.be obviously stands out in several
    key areas. First off, the platform looks modern and is easy to use, whether
    you’re on desktop or playing via mobile, it’s responsive, attractive, and user-friendly.
    The interface is intuitive, which makes it easy even for beginners to find their way
    around. From game discovery to account settings and
    bonus redemption, the experience is seamless and straightforward.
    Speaking of which, the promotions at Spinmama casino stand out among others I’ve
    seen. They’re not just offering empty promises — the
    promotions actually feel useful, with reasonable terms and frequent updates that keep things interesting.

    Another significant positive is the variety of games.
    Casino Spinmama has curated a large collection including slots, classic table games, and live dealers for all tastes.
    Whether you enjoy skill games such as blackjack or love chance-based slots, there’s something
    here for you. I was also impressed by the strong safeguards
    and clear policies. Spinmama eu is compliant with regulations and licensed
    properly, offering trust and confidence for financial
    transactions. The site supports many ways to deposit and withdraw, including traditional and modern solutions like
    crypto, handled efficiently. Customer support deserves a mention too — I reached out via
    chat and received quick, polite assistance. In a market where many casinos look similar, Spinmama stands out for
    quality and user care. Definitely one of the leading sites for a good balance of features and security.
    If you’re still looking for a trustworthy and modern online casino, Spinmama fits perfectly.

    Reply

  15. Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before
    but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
    Anyhow, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!

    Reply

  22. magnificent submit, very informative. I ponder why the opposite specialists of this
    sector don’t understand this. You should continue your writing.

    I’m confident, you have a great readers’ base already!

    Reply

  24. Мы изготавливаем дипломы любой профессии по приятным ценам. Важно, чтобы документы были доступными для большого количества наших граждан. Приобрести диплом любого университета baitshepegi.co.za/employer/premialnie-diplom-24

    Reply

  42. Наш агрегатор – beautyplaces.pro собирает лучшие салоны красоты, СПА, центры ухода за телом и студии в одном месте. Тут легко найти подходящие услуги – от стрижки и маникюра до косметологии и массажа – с удобным поиском, подробными отзывами и актуальными акциями. Забронируйте визит за пару кликов https://beautyplaces.pro/kolpino/

    Reply

Add a Comment

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