Stéphane Mertens is a Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 road racer

Road racing

Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...

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He made his Grand Prix debut in 1984

1984 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1984 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 36th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Defending champion Freddie Spencer was the pre-season favorite to win the championship however, teething problems with Honda's new V4 and early season injuries squelched his hopes...

, racing in the 250cc class. He also won the 1984 250cc Belgian Road Racing National Championship. He continued racing in the 250cc Grands Prix

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...

 in 1985

1985 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1985 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 37th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Honda's Freddie Spencer gave a dominating performance becoming the first man to win the 250 and 500 championships in the same year. Defending champion Eddie Lawson finished in...

, 1986

1986 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1986 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 38th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:A second world championship for the consistent Eddie Lawson. After a dominating 1985 season, the future looked bright for Honda's Freddie Spencer. However, once the season started,...

 and 1987

1987 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season

The 1987 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season was the 39th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season.-Season summary:Wayne Gardner became Australia's first-ever 500cc World Champion in a season that saw him score points in every Grand Prix. Randy Mamola would finish second yet again, one point...

. In he made the switch to racing production based motorcycles in the inaugural Superbike World Championship

Superbike World Championship

Superbike World Championship is the worldwide Superbike racing Championship. The championship was founded in . The Superbike World Championship season consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities...

. Mertens raced in the Superbike class until with his best result being a second place finish behind Fred Merkel

Fred Merkel

Fred Merkel is an American former motorcycle road racer and two-time Superbike world champion....

 in the season, while riding for Honda

Honda

is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

. In 1995 he began to compete in the motorcycle Endurance World Championship

Endurance World Championship

Endurance World Championship is the premier worldwide endurance motorcycle racing championship. The championship season consists of a series of races held on permanent racing facilities. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for teams and one for...

, winning that title in 1995 and 2002. Mertens was a member of the winning team at the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans

24 Hours of Le Mans (motorcycle race)

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Moto is a motorcycle endurance race held annually since 1978 on the Bugatti Circuit Le Mans, Sarthe, France...

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External links

• Stéphane Mertens Homepage