Two years ago, Jeffrey Buis finished fourth overall in the IDM Supersport . With a third-place finish each at Assen and Hockenheim under his belt, the then-Yamaha YZF-R3 rider took his experience with him and moved up to the World Championship. His first year in the World Championship was a learning experience for the Dutchman, but now he is the world champion.
The path to the very top via the IDM Supersport proved to be the right choice. The boom in this junior class had already taken off two years ago, with 35 riders on the starting grid.
It was already clear even before the final race in Estoril that the Netherlands would have its first-ever world champion. Jeffrey Buis was locked in a battle with his teammate and fellow Dutchman Scott Deroue (MTM Kawasaki MOTOPORT), who also had extensive IDM experience.
With four wins and eight podium finishes, Buis became the first Dutch world champion in the FIM Supersport . The Meppel-born rider had withstood not only the pressure from Deroue but also from other top riders such as Bahattin Sofuoglu (Biblion Motoxracing Yamaha WorldSSP300), Unai Orradre (Yamaha MS Racing), Ana Carrasco (Kawasaki Provec WorldSSP300), and Tom Booth-Amos (RT Motorsports by SKM – Kawasaki).
“The season was great,” the 18-year-old exclaimed. “At the start of the season, I didn’t expect to become world champion, but the team worked really hard. At MotorLand Aragón, we won three out of four races.”