Georges Jobé
A Belgian motocross champion who dominated the 500cc class with five world titles, embodying sheer power and consistency on a bike.
1961–2012 (age 51)·Belgian motorcycle racer·Birthday: January 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
Georges Jobé was a force of nature on a motocross track. The Belgian rider exploded into the world championship scene as a teenager, quickly establishing a reputation for fearless, aggressive riding and remarkable physical strength. His prime years defined an era in the premier 500cc class. Between 1980 and 1992, he captured five World Championships, a tally of raw dominance built not on flashy single wins, but on relentless, season-long consistency and an intimidating presence. He was a master of deep, rutted tracks, using his power to muscle his bike through conditions that defeated others. Jobé's rivalry with fellow greats like Eric Geboers and André Malherbe fueled some of the sport's most epic battles. Even after retiring from world championship competition, his passion for racing remained undimmed, tragically underscored by his death from injuries sustained in an enduro event. He is remembered as a titan of the sport, a rider whose name became synonymous with winning in motocross's most demanding category.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Georges was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Georges Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Georges's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2012Died at 51
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Won the FIM 500cc Motocross World Championship five times (1980, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1992).
- Earned 50 Grand Prix victories over his career in the Motocross World Championships.
- Named Belgian Sportsman of the Year twice, in 1987 and 1992.
- Competed at the highest level of motocross for 15 seasons, from 1979 to 1994.
Did You Know?
He was known for his intense physical training regimen, which included lifting heavy weights, unusual for motocross riders at the time.
Jobé won his final 500cc world title in 1992 at the age of 31, defeating much younger competitors.
His son, Julien Jobé, also became a professional motocross racer.
He was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2018.
“On the track, I rode to win, not to finish second.”
