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.

33,897 Responses

  7. Great post. I used to be checking constantly this weblog and I’m inspired!

    Very helpful information particularly the ultimate part 🙂 I maintain such info a lot.
    I used to be seeking this particular info for a long time. Thank you
    and good luck.

    Reply

  18. Сотрудничество с компанией НАПЫЛЕНИЕ РФ, специализирующейся на поставке редкоземельных материалов для различных методов напыления, открывает перед вашим предприятием двери в мир качественных инноваций. Партнерство с нашей компанией гарантирует не только доступ к материалам высочайшего качества, но и возможность заказа требуемого количества.

    Обладая обширной линейкой продукции на основе редкоземельных материалов, от мышьяка до циркония, компания НАПЫЛЕНИЕ РФ готова удовлетворить потребности самых требовательных покупателей. Каждый продукт сопровождается необходимыми документами, удостоверяющими его происхождение и соответствие заданным критериям.

    Кроме того, НАПЫЛЕНИЕ РФ понимает важность профессионального взаимодействия и поддержки на каждом этапе сотрудничества. В нашем лице вы найдете не просто поставщика, но и партнера, готового предложить квалифицированную помощь и поддержку, опираться на ваши конкретные потребности и адаптировать условия поставки под особенности вашего производства.

    Приступая к взаимодействию с НАПЫЛЕНИЕ РФ, вы гарантируете себе плавное и бесперебойное снабжение ценными напыляемыми материалами, позволяющее вам без остановки реализовывать самые передовые и технологичные проекты. Ваш бизнес получит крепкого союзника, с которым текущие трудности превращаются в завтрашние успехи.

    Наши товары:
    Оксид гафния (HfO2) гранулированный

    Reply

  19. https://www.giantbomb.com/profile/bilbukhyqg/

    Did you know that in the latest ranking, only just a fraction companies earned a spot in the Top Countertop Contractors Ranking out of 10,000+ evaluated? That’s because at we set a very high bar.

    Our ranking is unbiased, kept current, and built on more than 20 criteria. These include feedback from Google, Yelp, and other platforms, pricing, communication, and craftsmanship. On top of that, we conduct thousands of phone calls and multiple estimate requests through our mystery shopper program.
    The result is a benchmark that benefits both property owners and fabricators. Homeowners get a proven way to choose contractors, while listed companies gain prestige, online authority, and even more inquiries.

    The Top 500 Awards spotlight categories like Established Leaders, Emerging Leaders, and Most Affordable Contractors. Winning one of these honors means a company has achieved unmatched credibility in the industry.

    If you’re looking for a countertop contractor—or your company wants to be listed among the best—this site is where quality meets growth.

    Reply

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

    Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like
    to find out where u got this from. appreciate it

    Reply

  32. KRAKEN маркетплейс неоднократно становился объектом внимания исследователей благодаря своей устойчивости и качеству работы. В отличие от сомнительных проектов, кракен онион зеркало, эта онлайн площадка смогла выстроить репутацию, основанную на доверии и стабильности. Пользователи отмечают оперативное обновление зеркал, быстрое проведение криптоплатежей а также стабильная работа
    . Ассортимент KRAKEN охватывает как массовые категории, так и нишевые, что делает платформу удобной для широкой аудитории. Анализ показывает, что KRAKEN удаётся сочетать масштабность и надёжность, закрепляя лидерство в сфере онлайн торговли.

    Reply

  33. Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to
    assert that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts.
    Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feeds and even I
    achievement you access consistently rapidly.

    Reply

  49. https://www.anobii.com/en/0120c86b62e33a8356/profile/activity

    Who doesn’t want of having a high-quality countertop that enhances their kitchen or bathroom.

    Did you know that in 2025, only around 2,000 companies earned a spot in the Top Countertop Contractors Ranking out of thousands evaluated? That’s because at we set a very high bar.

    Our ranking is independent, kept current, and built on 21+ criteria. These include feedback from Google, Yelp, and other platforms, pricing, responsiveness, and project quality. On top of that, we conduct 5,000+ phone calls and over two thousand estimate requests through our mystery shopper program.

    The result is a benchmark that benefits both homeowners and fabricators. Homeowners get a proven way to choose contractors, while listed companies gain recognition, SEO visibility, and even new business opportunities.

    The Top 500 Awards spotlight categories like Best Old Contractors, Rising Stars, and Value Leaders. Winning one of these honors means a company has achieved unmatched credibility in the industry.

    If you’re looking for a countertop contractor—or your company wants to be listed among the best—this site is where credibility meets growth.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Diplomi_fvoa Cancel reply

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