Thirty years after winning his first national title as a 13-year-old, Tico motocross legend Adrián Robert confirmed his reputation as Costa Rica’s most successful rider, winning his 40th national championship title Dec. 6 at the La Olla track in Sabanilla de Alajuela, northwest of the capital.
Amid the dust and the high revs, the 43-year-old champion roared to a convincing victory in the veteran-category final, after winning both of his heats and taking his tally of points to 400 for the year. His closest competitor, Alberto Antillón, closed the season with 339 points to take second place among the veterans.
The weekend event was the eighth and final national motocross tournament of the year, with more than 1,000 people turning out to cheer on riders at La Olla. Robert, who started riding motorbikes at the age of 5, told The Tico Times, “The goal I set myself was to win all my heats in the eight tournaments this year. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I did it and am extremely happy.
“I intend to carry on for a few more years and next year would like to try to compete in endurance, cross-country and race motocross, for no one has ever won all three, and that is my plan. ”
In addition to receiving his championship trophy, Robert was presented with a plaque from the Moto Club de Costa Rica to mark his 40th title.
“I really have my five older brothers to thank for this, because they got me into riding, and my father, of course, who was a race car driver,” Robert said. “The advantage I have is that I started young and had plenty of space at our place in Guanacaste (in northwestern Costa Rica) to indulge my passion.”
The tournament, organized by Moto Club in conjunction with SM Producciones, was divided into different categories, from amateur to professional and from young riders to veterans.
Roberto Castro, for the second year running, took top spot in the principal MX1 category, despite fierce competition from Johan Mora, who ultimately couldn’t make up ground on the 12- to 18-point deficit that separated the pair.
“This has been a great year, despite the injuries and the suspensions,” Castro said.
“Winning the national championship is a great way to finish the season, because to me the championship is so important. It’s great to win for the second year running when you consider the high level of competition that’s out there.”
