Smets was born in
Mol,
Antwerp. Nicknamed
The Flemish Lion during his career, Smets was named after his parents' favorite rider
Joël Robert. He didn't start racing until he was seventeen years old and found his feet on the Grand Prix scene rather quickly. In 1993 Smets won the German Grand Prix, and finished the season in third place in the 500cc championship. A year later Smets, riding the
Vertemati machine, won two Grands Prix and again finished third in the world. By 1995 and racing for the
Husaberg factory he was set to clinch his first ever world title, winning the 500cc championship from American
Trampas Parker. The battle between Parker and Smets was a tense one with Smets wrapping up the title in the last round of the series in
Germany. A knee injury during the 1996 season hampered the defense of his world championship and, New Zealand's
Shayne King claimed the championship crown. Smets came back from his injury to win two consecutive 500cc world championships in 1997 and 1998. He also represented Belgium at the 1998
International Six Days Enduro, a form of
off-road motorcycle Olympics, and won a gold medal by winning the 400cc four stroke class. Smets' title defense in the 1999 season was marred by eight mechanical failures as he finished third in the championship. Smets joined the KTM factory racing team for the 2000 500cc world championship and dominated the competition by winning 12 out go 16 Grand Prix races, including eight Grands Prix in a row. He finished second to
Stefan Everts in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. In 2003, competed in the newly formed MX1-GP championship for machines with 450cc four stroke engines. He rode a KTM to a second-place finish behind Everts in an exciting season of racing. Smets also contested the MX3 class for motorcycles with a 650cc engine capacity in 2003, winning that title, picking up his 57th Grand Prix victory and his fifth open class world championship leaving him ties with
Roger De Coster. Smets joined
Sylvain Geboers' Alstare
Suzuki Team for the 2004 season but, suffered a major injury at the season opening round in the Mantova International. The injury saw him miss his assault on any title in 2004. The 2005 season was another season he would not reach his true potential as he battled to match Everts on the track. He did win races, but could never get that Grand Prix overall. He announced his retirement from international competition at the age of 37 after injuring his knee at the Gaildorf circuit in Germany. In 2015, Smets was named Racing Sports Director for
KTM motorcycles. ==References==