Roger De Coster

Roger De Coster (born 28 August 1944) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won five FIM 500cc Motocross World Championships. De Coster scored a record 36 500cc Grand Prix victories during his racing career, making his name is almost synonymous with the sport of motocross during the 1970s. His stature in the sport of motocross is such that, he is often simply referred to as "The Man." In 1973, De Coster was named the recipient of the Belgian National Sports Merit Award. As a team manager, De Coster captained the first American team to win the Motocross des Nations in 1981. De Coster was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. The motorcycling publication Cycle News named him Motocrosser of the Century in 2000. In 2010, he was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements.