Greg Albertyn
Encyclopedia
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
racer. He is now a real estate developer in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
.
Affectionately nicknamed "Albee", Greg won several South African and Dutch national motocross championships before moving onto the World Motocross Championship Grands Prix. Based in Europe, Greg and Belgian Stefan Everts
Stefan Everts
Stefan Everts is a motocross racer from Belgium, who retired in 2006 after securing his record 10th World Title. He also holds several other motocross records....
had a fierce rivalry in the early part of their careers, with Albertyn usually getting the upper hand. Greg won the 125cc World Championship in 1992, and moved to the 250cc class for 1993. Greg won that premier class in his first attempt. He successfully defended his championship in 1994. By that time he was already fielding offers to race in America for the AMA
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
National motocross and supercross
Supercross
Supercross is a motorcycle racing sport involving off-road motorcycles on an artificially-made dirt tracks consisting of steep jumps and obstacles. Professional supercross contest races are held almost exclusively within professional baseball and football stadiums.-History:Supercross was derived...
championships.
Suzuki team manager Roger DeCoster
Roger DeCoster
Roger De Coster is a Belgian former world champion motocross racer and current motocross team manager.-Motorcycling career:...
hand picked Albertyn to return his team to the top. Supercross racing was completely foreign to Albertyn, as he crashed his way through that series, his injuries hampered him for the outdoors where he was expected to shine. He did score and handful of podiums, showing his potential.
1996 was more of the same, with Albertyn only scoring a handful of top ten finishes in supercross. However, he did manage to stay relatively injury-free, and by the time the outdoors rolled around, Albertyn scored his first win at Unadilla and a few more podiums.
Teamed with Jeremy McGrath
Jeremy McGrath
Jeremy McGrath is one of the most popular American Motocross/Supercross champions in the history of the sport. He was most active in the 1990s earning the title the "King of Supercross." His tricks during jumps on the supercross track, the most famous of which he called the "Nac Nac", helped spawn...
on Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
for 1997, Albertyn greatly improved his supercross technique, and had finally begun to adapt. He won the Supercross season opener in Los Angeles, and scored many other podium finishes. He won the Hangtown National and was very competitive outdoors, but DNFs riddled his season. For '98, Albertyn improved his consistency to finish second outdoors behind Doug Henry.
1999 would be Albertyn's greatest year. In one of the most competitive AMA National Championships
ever, Albertyn bested Kevin Windham
Kevin Windham
Kevin Windham , is a professional motocross racer from Centreville, Mississippi. At 17 he received a full factory ride from Team Yamaha...
, Mike LaRocco
Mike LaRocco
Mike LaRocco is a former professional Supercross and Motocross racer. He is often referred to as "LaRocket" or "the rock" and raced a Kawasaki 125, 250, 500cc two strokes and a Honda 450cc four-stroke dirt bike.Mike LaRocco was a pro from 1988 to 2006, a record 19 seasons. He made his 214th start...
, Doug Henry, Ezra Lusk, Jeff Emig
Jeff Emig
Cam Jeffrey Emig was one of the premier motocross racers of the 1990s with 4 major titles for Yamaha and Kawasaki. His main rival was Jeremy McGrath. Emig won more motocross races than any other competitor in the 1990s with 36 wins and 4 titles...
, Sebastien Tortelli
Sebastien Tortelli
Sebastien Tortelli is a two-time World Champion motocross racer. A longtime factory-sponsored rider, Tortelli has been a top ranked rider in both AMA National and Supercross competition, as well as the European-based Motocross Grand Prix World Championships.-Early European success:During his early...
, Mickael Pichon
Mickaël Pichon
Mickaël Pichon is a French motorcross racer.Pichon took part in the Supercross circuit in the USA from 1995 until 1999. He became World Champion twice in this competition, while racing for Kawasaki. He then came back to Europe and signed a contract with Suzuki to compete in the 250cc motocross...
, Jimmy Button
Jimmy Button
Jimmy Button is a professional motocross racer, born in Phoenix, Arizona. He is married to his wife Kristi. He enjoys snow boarding, water skiing, and mountain biking.- History :...
and John Dowd
John Dowd (motocross)
John Dowd is a professional motocross racer from Chicopee, Massachusetts. Otherwise known as "The Junk Yard Dog." John Dowd entered his first motocross race at age 20, considered old if you wish to carve out a career in the very competitive sport. John Dowd took to the demanding sport incredibly...
to earn his first AMA title. It was the first premier-class championship for Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
in almost 20 years.
Albertyn broke his femur at the 2000 Atlanta supercross. He hastily returned to defend his outdoor title with the rod still in his freshly healed bone. He was very competitive, but could not hold off the emergence of Ricky Carmichael
Ricky Carmichael
Ricky Carmichael is a racer known for his success in Motocross. He is currently competing in NASCAR. He drives the #4 Monster Energy Chevrolet Silverado for Turner Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series and the #30 Chevrolet Impala part-time for Turner Motorsports in the Nationwide Series...
. Albertyn announced his retirement at the end of the season.
Today he works as a real-estate developer, and still rides regularly. Albertyn was one of the original investors in Pole Position Raceway
Pole Position Raceway
Pole Position Raceway is a chain of indoor karting facilities located in the United States. According to their website, the company plans to operate dozens of future locations "within the next decade"...
, a chain of indoor go kart tracks created by Ken Faught
Ken Faught
Ken Faught has been involved in motorsports for over two decades. He has served as the editor-in-chief of several national magazines. He is also the co-founder of Pole Position Raceway, a chain of indoor kart tracks in North America....
and Jason Williams. Periodically, he comes out of retirement to race select events. In the last 3 years, he's scored top ten finishes in every one of his outings, such as the 2003 Glen Helen National and the 2004 South African Grand Prix.