Australia has a rich history in Motocross and Supercross on a global scale, creating some of the world’s best riders despite the distance we live from both the United States and Europe respectively.

Following Dean Ferris’ big win last weekend in the Belgian round of the MX2 Motocross World Championship, we decided to compile a list in no particular order of milestone MX/SX performances by Aussies internationally.

Of course there have been many more talented Aussies who have taken on the sport’s best and excelled with numerous podiums and exceptional results, so we invite you to add your own memories in the comment section below.

For now though, following a week of full-throttle bench racing including help from our Facebook fans, here are 10 performances plus a a few more as MotoOnline.com.au recollects many moments that put Australia on the moto map.

Rider: Chad Reed
Series: 2003 American Supercross Championship
Category: 250cc (now 450SX)
Event: Anaheim I
Achievement: Chad Reed’s breakout performance at A1 in 2003 will forever go down in history as a milestone for the sport in Australia. Reed became the first first Aussie to win at the highest level of the sport, and he did so in the opening race of his first full season aboard a factory Yamaha YZ250.

Rider: Jeff Leisk
Series: 1989 Motocross World Championship
Category: 500cc
Event: Finnish Grand Prix
Achievement: Leisk’s first grand prix race win may have come in 1988 at San Marino, however his first official 500cc World Championship overall was had at the Finnish GP in 1989. It was the first ever Australian victory in the world championship and the Aussie pioneer went on to finish runner-up in the series.

Riders: Team Australia – Chad Reed (MX1), Matt Moss (MX2) and Brett Metcalfe (MX3)
Series: 2011 Motocross of Nations
Category: Overall
Event: Saint Jean d’Angely, France
Achievement: The trio of Reed, Moss and Metcalfe raced to third overall and Team Australia’s first podium in the iconic event. Reed won a moto that year once again, in what was an epic result for the all-star line-up.

Riders: Chad Reed, Jake Moss and Michael Byrne
Series: 2009 American Motocross Championship
Category: 450 Class
Event: Southwick
Achievement: In the first and only time it’s ever happened, Reed, Moss and Byrne went 1-2-3 in the first moto at the historic Southwick round of the nationals. Byrne claimed second overall that day, while both Reed and Moss were forced out of the points during the second.

Rider: Dean Ferris
Series: 20013 Motocross World Championship
Category: MX2
Event: Bastogne, Belgium
Achievement: It’s made headlines across the industry over the past week, and Ferris’ first victory in the world championship came with pole position followed by a stylish clean-sweep. The result places the 23-year-old alongside Leisk, Reed and McFarlane as the only Aussies to win GPs.

Riders: Andrew McFarlane and Michael Byrne
Series: Motocross World Championship
Category: 500cc
Event: Australian Grand Prix
Achievement: It was an event that brings back emotional memories for much of the Australian moto industry, the race that put the late Andrew McFarlane and fellow experienced international Michael Byrne on the map. Armed with 500cc two-strokes – McFarlane a trick Kawasaki and Byrne a Honda – they set the 20,000-strong crowd alight as McFarlane raced to fifth overall via 3-9 results and Byrne ninth with a 4-15 scorecard. Memories of McFarlane leading moto one are still vivid for those who were at the race!

Rider: Chad Reed
Series: 2001 Motocross World Championship
Category: 250cc
Event: Lierop, Netherlands
Achievement: On his way to second in the world title as a rookie, Reed was the first Aussie to win a 250GP in what was a pivotal year in his career. To this day those memories are still some of the most special for the Reeds and deservedly so.

Rider: Jay Wilson
Series: 2009 Junior Motocross World Championship
Category: 85cc
Event: Taupo, New Zealand
Achievement: It may not be at the same scale as his more senior company featured on this list, however Wilson’s world title win earned him the title as our first ever world champion in the discipline. And just as importantly, his success set the tone for a long list of strong results at the event, boding well for the sport’s future in Australia.

Rider: Andrew McFarlane
Series: 2005 Motocross World Championship
Category: MX2
Event: British Grand Prix
Achievement: When McFarlane won the British GP that season on his way to finishing second behind Antonio Cairoli in the title, he actually became Australia’s winningest grand prix rider in history. That in itself is no meant feat and is just one of the reasons why Sharky will forever be recognised as one of the sport’s greats.

Rider: Chad Reed
Series: 2009 American Motocross Championship
Category: 450 Class
Event: High Point
Achievement: Following an 11th hour decision to contest the outdoors with Suzuki in 2009, Reed’s first career 450 Class overall came with a 1-1 at High Point – the circuit in which he claimed his first 250 Class round win as a rookie back in 2002. He went onto win the championship, which is his lone national title.

Honourable mentions:
– Jeff Leisk in the 1986 AMA MX 125cc at Washougal. First Australian to win a moto on his way to third overall.

– Team Australia in the 1988 MXoN at Dung, France. Jeff Leisk, Craig Dack and Glen Bell finished a historic fourth overall. It remained our best until 2011!

– Chad Reed in the 2001 MXoN at Namur, Belgium. Reed won the first moto, but crashed in the second and handed the individual overall to Namur legend Stefan Everts.

– Craig Anderson in the 2003 AMA MX at Southwick. Aussie legend comes good with Lites class overall. Even better, Byrne was second overall.

– Jeff Leisk in the 1986 125cc AMA MX at Holister Hills. First podium finish overall for an Aussie in the 125cc class.

– Chad Reed in the 2002 AMA MX Lites at High Point. Became to first Aussie to win an AMA outdoor overall.

– Brett Metcalfe in the 2011 AMA MX at Southwick. Metty’s one and only US national victory after over eight years of trying.

– Jeff Leisk in the 1986 AMA SX at Seattle. Raced to Australia’s first ever premier class podium at the heights of American Supercross in its infancy.

– Chad Reed in the 2002 AMA SX Lites at Indianapolis. On debut in the class, Reed won the race convincingly and went on to win the title with relative ease!

– Caleb Grothues in the 2012 Jnr World MX at Bulgaria, Belgium. Winner of the 65cc world title after a massive year for the youngster.

– Jeff Leisk in the 1988 500cc World MX at San Marino, Italy. First ever Aussie to win a world championship race, but a mechanical denied him the overall.

– Andrew McFarlane in the 2004 MX2 World MX at Gallarate, Italy. Became the lone Aussie to sweep both motos in his first GP win until Ferris did last weekend.