The Supersport 300 (SSP 300) class in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) is known for its intense races. In recent years, the young riders have kept us on the edge of our seats in virtually every race, leaving us with sweaty palms and gasping for breath. It’s no wonder this class is known as “the young wild ones.”
The upcoming season is sure to be another wild ride in this class, even if—as things stand—the starting grid will be smaller than in previous years. One of the riders returning to the grid is Niklas Böhlen. The Swiss rider competed in his first season in the SSP 300 class in 2023—a time that brought him many challenges and valuable lessons.
At 25, he may be the oldest in his class, but his experience on the racetrack is still limited. That’s why his debut year was both exciting and challenging. “The first year was tough,” he admits. “I learned a lot, since I’d only raced in mini-bike series in Switzerland and Italy before. The transition to bigger bikes and tracks was therefore unfamiliar,” says the 2017 Swiss Rennmofa Cup champion. Despite this adjustment, he narrowly missed the points in his first race at the season opener at the Sachsenring. A solid start for a rookie.
Niklas, who is from Wattenwil, spent the past winter months preparing for the upcoming season through fitness training. In addition, he traveled to Spain in the spring for a full week of training. He would have liked to spend more time on the track. “Unfortunately, the budget didn’t allow for it,” he explains. Nevertheless, Niklas is confident that his preparation will be sufficient to achieve his goals this season.
In addition to his racing career, Niklas works as a service technician in the home appliance industry. He says that technology and motorcycling have always been his thing. When he looks back on how his passion for motorcycles began, he fondly recalls riding his first laps on a Yamaha PW 50 at his parents’ farm when he was four years old.
This coming weekend, the Swiss rider is set to take to the track again on his Kawasaki Ninja 400. He says he hasn’t made any major changes to the bike since last year, even though the electronics pose a challenge for him. “We don’t have the technical experience that the big teams in the IDM have. But I’m really happy with the bike and am incredibly excited for the Sachsenring.” Because in his second season, it’s no longer just about gaining experience. His goal is to also score some points for Switzerland.