He never would have believed he could win a title in the very first year of his international career. But in 2021, Nick Roelfsema won the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup DE | NL with one victory, seven additional podium finishes, and an 11-point lead over second-place finisher Bryan Cohen. On the day of his triumph at the season finale in Hockenheim, the teenager was exactly 15 years and 13 days old.
He had put on his leather suit half an hour before the race and retreated to be completely alone. The calm before the big attack is his recipe for success. Roelfsema says, “I had my breakthrough moment at the Red Bull Ring. Because after my victory, I knew I could beat Bryan Cohen. That gave me a lot of confidence.” Staying calm and believing in himself—that’s what the Dutchman relies on. While other competitors crank up the bass and listen to loud music, he remains completely composed.
Roelfsema has been riding motorcycles since he was nine years old. It all started on a minibike. Now, at 15, as the R3 Cup champion, he will move up to the IDM Supersport 300, the highly competitive junior class in Germany’s top road racing series. The junior rider is relying on the knowledge he gained in the Cup. He reveals that he’s already picked up quite a bit there, including the right suspension settings for the Yamaha YZF-R3.
Roelfsema will race for Team Apreco, which is backed by Yamaha Motor Europe (Benelux) and Ten Kate Racing Products. And there will be more bikes on the grid: Senna van den Hoven, who finished fifth overall in the 2021 Yamaha R3 Cup, will join Roelfsema in the IDM Supersport 300 class in 2022. In the higher IDM Supersport class, Twan Smits is set to ride the Yamaha YZF-R6.