Jeff Smith, riding for the
BSA factory racing team won the 500cc motocross world championship to become the first British rider to claim the premier division, beating out former two-time world champions
Rolf Tibblin and
Sten Lundin. The Husqvarna factory stopped producing their
four-stroke motorcycles in 1963, leaving Tibblin without a motorcycle for the 1964 season. He teamed up with engine tuner Nisse Hedlund to build their own complete motocross machine in time for the 1964 season. In the 250cc division, Husqvarna factory rider
Torsten Hallman was favored to repeat after his dominant performance in the 1963 championship. The return of
Greeves factory rider
Dave Bickers after a two-year absence should have made him Hallman's biggest challenger; however, he was upset by the unexpected arrival of 20-year-old
privateer Joël Robert, riding a
ČZ motorcycle. After Hallman won the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix, Robert reeled off a string of four consecutive victories to take the championship points lead. Bickers was able to relegate Robert to second place at the Luxembourg Grand Prix; however, his Greeves proved to be too fragile and underpowered to pose a serious challenge. Hallman was able to recover with a victory at the Italian Grand Prix, but then Robert won another four Grand Prix races in succession to clinch the World Championship. The 20-year-old Robert became the youngest motocross world champion at the time.
Victor Arbekov became the first Russian competitor to win a Grand Prix overall on 2 August at the East German Grand Prix. == Grands Prix ==