Derek Kelley recently travelled to Europe to take on the deep sands of Belgium and the Netherlands. The American rider spent ten days in Europe during the off-season, taking on the legendary Lommel circuit and even lining up for the Vlissingen Beach Race, one of the most unique events on the Dutch calendar.
It marked Kelley’s first time riding Motocross in Europe, and he quickly discovered that life – and motocross – on this side of the Atlantic offers a whole new experience. From battling soft sand and wooden track markers to sharing the circuit with Jeffrey Herlings during a practice day at Lommel, Kelley embraced the trip as both a learning opportunity and an adventure.
We caught up with him to talk about his time in the Netherlands and Belgium, the differences compared to what he’s used to in America, whether he could see himself returning to Europe in the future and much more.
GateDrop: Derek, what made you decide to come over to Europe in the off-season – and specifically to Belgium and the Netherlands?
Kelley: The Owner of MX6, Chris, asked us riders if one of us wanted to come over to Europe to race the Beach race at Vlissingen and I jumped on the opportunity. I haven’t had the chance to visit Europe let alone ride so I didn’t let that slip by.
GateDrop: How long did you spend in the area?
Kelley: We spent 10 days in the Netherlands checking out the tracks in the area and seeing some sights.
GateDrop: Aside from racing WSX, had you ever ridden or trained in Europe before, or was this your first time?
Kelley: I have never really travelled overseas other than to race the WSX rounds in 2022 and 2024. We also didn’t have any events in Europe other than the UK round in Cardiff.
GateDrop: How did the opportunity come about – was it something you organised yourself, or did someone help set it up? I believe Buitenhuis Racing was involved?
Kelley: Chris and Buitenhuis Racing have had a relationship for the past couple of years which started when one of Chris’s riders went over to race the Junior FIM world championship in 2024. Buitenhuis Racing helped them out when they were over there and that led to Kevin Buitenhuis racing Southwick this year with the help of MX6. Kevin has raced the beach race at Vlissingen a few times and he invited us over to do it this year.
GateDrop: You got to ride Lommel for a practice day, one of the most famous and toughest sand tracks in the world. What was that experience like? In the video you posted, I promise you, it was flat for Lommel (laughs) – you should see it on race day!
Kelley: It was definitely a cool experience getting to ride such an Iconic track. I definitely could tell it was pretty smooth compared to what it can get for the GP’s. I honestly wish it was more rough so that I could have gotten the full experience!
GateDrop: Did you ride just one day at Lommel – did you ride on any other tracks in the area?
Kelley: We rode 4 different tracks in the area, MSV-Salz Amersfoort/Leusden, Lommel, Berghem, and the Arnhem GP track.
GateDrop: How did Lommel compare to the tracks you’re used to back home in the States?
Kelley: There really isn’t anything that can compare as far as the AMA tracks go in the US. The only thing close would maybe be one of the tracks at the sand box in Florida.
GateDrop: Was there anything that surprised you about the track or the way riders approach it? Were there any other top riders there on the same day?
Kelley: Probably the thing that surprised me most would be the stuff that they put around the track. Such as the wooden poles at Lommel, or the metal flagger towers right next to the jumps in Arnhem. It just seems a little dangerous if someone was to get impaled by one of those if they got out of control. When we were at Lommel, Herlings was there which was pretty cool to to see him ride in person and try to pace him around the track.
GateDrop: Did you make any changes to your bike setup for the deep sand, or did you run your usual settings?
Kelley: We definitely made some adjustments to the bike to make it work better for the sand. We dropped the forks down pretty far to raise up the front end. The biggest adjustment was the way I rode the bike. I am used to sitting far up and using the front tire to turn, vs in the sand you have to sit way back and not use the front brake at all.
GateDrop: You also raced the Vlissingen beach race in the Netherlands – how did that go? To be honest, I think you did quite good!
Kelley: I feel like my results were definitely worse that what I rode at times (laughs). It was different than anything I’ve raced before so I struggled a bit to ride all out. In moto one, I had a rear brake failure that slowed me down quite a bit but it honestly probably led to a better result because it forced me to slow down and be precise. I only had one fall and I think I ended up 11th. In the second moto I had all of the controls working well and that allowed me to ride faster but that also led to a bunch of mistakes and like 4 crashes (laughs). I ended up 14th in that one although I had faster lap times but I guess that doesn’t matter much.
GateDrop: I am assuming you don’t have that type of racing in America?
Kelley: No definitely not. We are not allowed to ride on beaches in the US so that is probably why!
GateDrop: The beach races in Europe can be wild – what was the most challenging part for you?
Kelley: I think the start was quite the challenge for me being rope and an odd starting procedure. Also the beach sand being so fluffy was tough as well.
GateDrop: Did you get a chance to talk to any local riders or learn from their approach to these types of events?
Kelley: I didn’t get to talk to too many people but Kevin helped me out a ton and gave me some tips that I think helped me.
GateDrop: You are back in the States now – did you discuss with Buitenhuis Racing that you’d maybe come back in the future?
Kelley: We talked about coming back out in the future for sure but we haven’t made any plans as of now.
GateDrop: If you come back would it be for more beach racing or would you have interest in doing a round of MXGP? Even EMX Open at Lommel would be cool!
Kelley: I would like to do another beach race as I now have experience with it and think I could do much better with another try. But I also would love to try and race a GP or something like that. I saw that the Dutch National Championship was that same weekend and I wish I was able to do that one too.
GateDrop: What did you take away most from this trip, both as a rider and as a person?
Kelley: I just love to get to see other cultures and countries. I love the food and all of the old buildings. The roads were very nice and everything was super clean. I also am very fortunate to be able to ride those iconic tracks and get to sharpen my sand skills. I actually am better at sand than what I thought (laughs).
