Joël Smets says goodbye to Team Belgium
The team manager of the Belgian MX of Nations team, Joël Smets, announced his retirement today. For 11 years, the five-time world champion was the driving force behind the Belgian MXoN Team. Joël explained his decision in an open letter to all supporters.
Dear supporters of Team Belgium,
Since we were working on the last edition in GB, I can safely provide an English quoteginnen: Another year has gone by again! England of all places…. Just as pasta belongs to Italy, cheese to Holland, the rising sun to China, England and rain should apparently always be used in the same sentence. Respect for the islanders because they not only drive on the left (it's still a mystery to me how they get there??) but organizing an event with the virtual certainty that your rubber boots and umbrella will work overtime shows a lot of perseverance and mental toughness ! In the end it wasn't too bad, especially for me and my employees... namely nice sunshine when setting up on Thursday and again when cleaning up on Monday morning!
By the way, rain on the match days, what's the problem? It did not worry our riders at all, since Belgium is not exactly in the desert and Brent/Jerre/Kevin are not averse to some oiliness. 😉 Long story short (we were in England, remember), the same trio as last year once again did their utmost to have a shot at the podium. We knew that the competition was fierce and that things could turn out to be a bit of a turn-off. There was no need for a lot of calculations or thinking, but the message was to just go for it! We achieved fourth place and we must admit that the final result was a correct representation of the value ratios for us as well as for all other countries. It could have even been less rather than more for us, the truth has its rights!
Better luck next time or next time better because in 2018 the MXoN will take place in the USA and they also speak English there!
So the future and that brings me to the essence of this writing….
After 11 wonderful years, we and Team Belgium MXoN vzw regret to say goodbye to our task as promoter of the Belgian team.
When I followed in the footsteps of my legendary namesake Joël Robert 11 years ago, it fit perfectly with my idea of a so-called reconversion. I had a part-time job and therefore had some time free to focus on things that I thought could not be done better during my career, including a professional (top sports) youth training course for MX and also Team Belgium MXoN.
In the meantime, decades have passed and I proudly look back at what I have been able to achieve!
However, my professional situation has changed drastically over those years from 'I have a free hand' to 'my hands are more than full'. Moreover, an active teenage daughter and son who occasionally competes also require some attention! Furthermore, my wife doesn't mind if I spend an extra day at home 😉 Finally, I once dreamed of one umbrella and professionally structured federation supported by the government, just like in most other sports and in our surrounding countries. In an ideal world, both of the above-mentioned projects would have to be managed from that federation... the realization that after more than 10 years that ideal world is still not here tomorrow makes me sad and undermines my faith in a flourishing future for MX in Belgium... In summary So a lack of time and a lack of future prospects led to this decision. For 22 years (rider + team manager), the motocross of nations was marked on my calendar with a big dot! So you will understand that it was not an easy choice. But apparently nothing is forever and fortunately I have a truckload of beautiful memories from this almost quarter century of MXoN
Since this email is also addressed to you, it means that you had a not insignificant share in these unique experiences!!
That's why dear riders, employees and sponsors, from the bottom of my heart:
THANK YOU !!!!
Good luck to you and all the best 😉
Joel Smets
Also to read
Jago Geerts: “I want to come back to Lommel”
Jago Geerts is working hard to bounce back from an injury he sustained in early March during the opening race of the 2024 MXGP World Championship in Argentina. The Belgian, who at…Andrea Bonacorsi on his move to MXGP: “That was the most difficult decision of my life”
Reigning EMX250 Champion, Andrea Bonacorsi, will move to the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory MXGP Team for the remainder of the 2024 FIM Motocross World Championship season, replacing…Entry lists MXGP of Portugal
The Motocross World Championship will continue next weekend with the fifth race on the MXGP calendar. In Agueda, Portugal, in addition to MXGP and MX2, the boys from EMX250 and EMX125 will also compete…Tom Vialle is chasing the US title
There is one race left in the US East Coast Supercross Championship. It will take place in two weeks in Salt Lake City, the city that has become accustomed to…
Your reactions