Jaak van Velthoven

Jaak Van Velthoven (24 January 1951[1]) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer.[2] He competed in the F.I.M. 500cc motocross world championships during the 1970s. Van Velthoven's best individual performance was a third place in the 500cc World Championship in 1973 with the Yamaha factory racing team.[3][4] He helped Yamaha develop a revolutionary motorcycle rear suspension that used a single shock absorber (invented by the Belgian engineer Lucien Tilkens)[5] instead of the traditional dual shock absobers.

Jaak Van Velthoven
NationalityBelgian
Born24 January 1951
Motocross career
Years active1970–1983
TeamsHusqvarna, Yamaha, KTM
Wins5

Van Velthoven also rode for the Husqvarna and KTM factory racing teams. He was a member of four winning Belgian teams at the Motocross des Nations in 1972, 1973, 1976 and 1977. Standing well over 6 feet tall, it was not difficult to distinguish him in the pack and he was often referred to as 'Long tall Jaak'.

References
  1. "Jaak Van Velthoven" (PDF). memotocross.fr. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  2. "Jaak Van Velthoven career profile". bestsports.com. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  3. "1973 500cc motocross world championship final standings". memotocross.fr. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  4. "1973 500cc motocross world championship". akejonsson.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  5. Magazine Moto73


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