Melvin van der Voort is entering his fifth year with Team SWPN. In 2023, the groundwork will be laid for a move up to the World Motorcycle Championship. By his side throughout is “Zorgeloos Kind,” a foundation that provides recreational activities for seriously ill children, particularly those with cancer.
When a small group of children gathers around Melvin van der Voort’s Yamaha in the paddock, these young patients are on a big adventure and their eyes light up. And when “their” Melvin is racing for championship points, everyone is keeping their fingers crossed. The outings organized by the “Sorgeloos Kind” Foundation give them and their families the strength to keep fighting their illness. The SWPN team is a partner of the foundation and helps them forget their worries for a little while. The gratitude is priceless: a happy smile.
Melvin van der Voort is set to begin his fifth season with SWPN. In his first two years, he competed in the IDM Supersport class before moving up to the higher Supersport. Van der Voort is only 17 years old and continues to develop on the Yamaha YZF-6R. After his one-two finish at Assen, he was unstoppable. He followed that up with three more wins in the remaining four races. This run propelled him up to second place in the overall standings. Now, his goal is to win the title in preparation for a potential move to the Supersport in 2024.
Mario Janssen is proud of his SWPN riders, including Superbike rider Rob Hartog. The Country Manager for Yamaha Motor Europe’s Benelux branch says: “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with SWPN and of how the team performed in 2022. Having two riders from the Benelux countries finish in the top three of the highly competitive IDM is a fantastic achievement. It’s great that the team has remained intact, providing an excellent foundation.”