Belgian veteran Ken De Dycker has announced his retirement from MXGP racing after a successful career in world motocross spanning 15 seasons. He;s had factory rides and big-team berths at KTM, Suzuki, Honda and Yamaha.

After racing the Dutch GP at the weekend, the former British champion said: “That’s it, that’s all! Not a lot more I can say at this moment. After my DNF in the first moto I was very disappointed and decided to call it a day. Mentally this season has been very demanding, because of all the small problems I encountered, having to change teams during the season and so on. After competing at the highest level for 15 years things have come full circle for me. I will contemplate what to do next but I’d like some time for myself to reflect first. To be honest I haven’t enjoyed the riding as much as I always have and that’s a pity. A big thank you to everyone who has supported me all this time no matter where they are from or how they’ve helped me!”

Marc Boone, team owner and team manager of 24MX Honda who De Dycker rides for, said: “It’s sad but we understand and respect Ken’s decision to retire from MXGP earlier than anticipated. Especially when the level in MXGP is higher than ever before it was a huge challenge for him to reach his highest level againe. We thank Ken for his efforts and professionalism and like to wish him all the best in whatever his next for him.”