René Baeten

René Gommarus Desire Baeten was a Belgian professional motocross racer, born in Herentals on 10 June 1927, who competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1947 to 1960. He is best known for winning the 500 cc Motocross World Championship in 1958 on an FN motorcycle, defeating Bill Nilsson and Sten Lundin, an achievement for which he received the Belgian National Sports Merit Award that year. Earlier he had finished second in the 500 cc European championships in 1953 and 1954 behind Auguste Mingels, and second again in 1957 when the international federation first raised the competition to world championship status. When the FN factory withdrew from motocross in 1959 he had to ride as a privateer on a less competitive AJS and fell to ninth place in the championship. He died from injuries sustained in a motocross race in Stekene, Belgium, on 5 June 1960, a few days before his thirty-third birthday.