About Milan Merckelbagh
5 Years Supersport
Halfway through the 2019 season, I switched to the Supersport 600 class, once again riding a Yamaha R6 with the Benro Racing team.
I joined the IDM Supersport class halfway through the season, and it was quite an adjustment to the level of competition. The bike was also completely different from the 300. There were several factors at play. After that, I raced with MGM Racing in the Superstock class for the rest of the year. There, I was able to take victories and managed to almost finish third in the standings with many wins, despite only joining halfway through the season. That was frustrating, but it was what it was. As a rider, I wanted more than I was able to achieve at that time. The MGM team supported me tremendously during those three years, for which I am very grateful. The big issue was that we didn't have the right data support to get the Yamaha properly set up, making it difficult to extract the last bit of speed from the bike. After the MGM Team quit the IDM I joined Hertrampf Racing. Again with the Yamaha R6. We decided to take the technical part of the bike and maintenance upon ourself for the next two years in the team. We have seen podiums but it was again not enough with almost no data support. The last race in 2023 my engine blew and in the winter test in spain another one broke. I had planned to race in the Supersport class for one last year in 2024, but due to the numerous technical problems and the expensive tuning required to make the engines faster, we have been considering the switch to the Superbike class for some time now.
Debut in World Endurance Championship
It has been an intense year 2024. My old buddy from the KTM Cup, Bram Lambrechts, called me to see if I was interested in participating in the World Endurance race at the Le Mans circuit. Another rider was injured, so it was a new challenge for me that I definitely don’t regret. For the first time, I rode a Suzuki, which was a strange bike for me, but after a few practice sessions, I became the fastest in the team. I have to be honest—I really enjoyed it, and afterward, I also raced at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the 8-hour race, as well as the finale at the Bol d’Or at the Paul Ricard circuit, where we finished tenth overall and sixth in the stock category, which was the best performance of the team so far. Maybe this is something for the future.
The Start of roadracing
I've built an impressive motorsport career despite my young age. At four years old, I received my first Yamaha PW and rode it around the Indenhof campsite, which is run by my parents.
After spending a few years competing in motocross, I transitioned to supermoto, where Marcel van Drunen took me under his wing and made me a youth champion twice.
At 15, I began competing in the standard KTM RC390 Cup. My best achievement was securing third place at the KTM World Final in Jerez.
After two years in the KTM RC390 Cup, I was set to join Arie Vos's team to compete in the World Supersport 300 Championship. However, at the last moment, another rider was given the opportunity to race. That was a major disappointment since we had everything prepared to participate.
As a result, we decided to compete in the IDM Championship in the Supersport 300 class, riding a Yamaha R3 with Benro Racing. Unfortunately, the bike was too slow compared to the others to seriously compete for top positions. I did race with a wildcard entry in the World Supersport 300 race at the TT Circuit in Assen, but it became clear that the Yamaha wasn’t competitive enough for good results.
Transfer to Superbikes
We wanted to test an R1 Yamaha with the Hertrampf Racing team, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. During the IDM races, we frequently interacted with Werner Damen, who offered us the opportunity to ride a BMW M1000RR at the Valencia circuit. Right from the start, that bike gave me a really good feeling, and I knew it was the motorcycle with which I could achieve great results. It felt good from the very beginning, which gave me a fantastic boost of confidence. Riding it is quite different from a 600, especially the electronics, which took some getting used to. The main thing at first was learning to save the rear tire to make it through race distances. The BMW has traction control, which the Yamaha R6 didn't have. After the first conversation with Werner, we quickly reached an agreement, and we were able to purchase the BMW M1000RR. Additionally, Werner provides me with the necessary technical support and a mechanic who is regularly present in our pit box during the IDM races. We trained at three different circuits in Spain to get to know the bike well. There were some fast guys there from whom I could learn a lot, and I look back on that experience with great pleasure. Afterward, I was convinced that I was riding a motorcycle for the first time in my career where I could give 100% and achieve great results. The electronics on this bike are really top-notch from the start, and I had a good feeling right away. I am extremely grateful to Werner for giving me this opportunity, and I hope to continue developing myself at the highest level. It has been a significant step up to Superbikes, but we worked very well together last season in 2024, which resulted in some great results.
