Joël Smets (born 6 April 1969) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Racing Sports Director for KTM motorcycles. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1989 to 2005. Smets is notable for being a five-time motocross world champion, six-time Belgian national champion and was Belgian Sportsman of the year in 2000. His 57 career Grand Prix victories ranks him fourth overall among motocross world championship competitors. International career Smets was born in Mol, Antwerp. Nicknamed The Flemish Lion during his career, Smets was named after his parents' favorite rider Joël Robert. He didn't start racing until he was seventeen years old and found his feet on the Grand Prix scene rather quickly. In 1993 Smets won the German Grand Prix, and finished the season in third place in the 500cc championship. A year later Smets, riding the Vertemati machine, won two Grands Prix and again finished third in the world. By 1995 and racing for the Husaberg factory he was set to clinch his first ever world title, winning the 500cc championship from American Trampas Parker. The battle between Parker and Smets was a tense one with Smets wrapping up the title in the last round of the series in Germany. A knee injury during the 1996 season hampered the defense of his world championship and, New Zealand's Shayne King claimed the championship crown. Smets came back from his injury to win two consecutive 500cc world championships in 1997 and 1998. He also represented Belgium at the 1998 International Six Days Enduro, a form of off-road motorcycle Olympics, and won a gold medal by winning the 400cc four stroke class. Smets' title defense in the 1999 season was marred by eight mechanical failures as he finished third in the championship. Smets joined the KTM factory racing team for the 2000 500cc world championship and dominated the competition by winning 12 out go 16 Grand Prix races, including eight Grands Prix in a row. He finished second to Stefan Everts in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. In 2003, competed in the newly formed MX1-GP championship for machines with 450cc four stroke engines. He rode a KTM to a second-place finish behind Everts in an exciting season of racing. Smets also contested the MX3 class for motorcycles with a 650cc engine capacity in 2003, winning that title, picking up his 57th Grand Prix victory and his fifth open