Despite seeing his promising 2026 season brought to an early end through injury, Scott Smulders has done enough to convince the SixtySeven Racing team that he remains a key part of their future plans.
We can exclusively reveal that the Dutch rider has extended his contract with the German-based squad and will continue to contest the MX2 World Championship with the team during the 2027 season.
Smulders enjoyed an impressive pre-season and successfully translated that speed into the opening rounds of the MX2 World Championship campaign before suffering a spleen injury that effectively ended his season prematurely.
When we asked team owner Markus Weinbuch if reports of Smulders signing a new deal were accurate, he confirmed the news.
“As always, it seems you have very good sources (note: thank you, Markus!). Yes, we can confirm that Scott has extended his contract with the team. We are very happy about that and believe we can achieve a lot together in the future”, Weinbuch told GateDrop.com.
The contract extension is a significant vote of confidence in Smulders, who showed encouraging potential during his first season with the team before his injury setback.
While there remains a slim possibility that the Dutchman could return to competition before the end of the current campaign, his focus is increasingly shifting towards preparing for 2027.
Weinbuch also provided an update on Smulders’ condition and explained why the team is taking a cautious approach to his recovery.
“At the moment, we expect Scott might be able to race only one more event before the end of the season. Unfortunately, the injury turned out to be much more serious than initially thought. His spleen has been damaged to the point where even minor impacts currently pose a significant risk. A hard landing or even a relatively small fall could potentially cause internal bleeding. Mentally, Scott is already ready to race again, but with this type of injury, we have to be extremely careful and put his health first”.
For Smulders, securing his future despite missing much of the season should provide a major boost as he continues his rehabilitation. With the support and confidence of SixtySeven Racing firmly behind him, both rider and team will now be aiming to put the frustrations of 2026 behind them and return stronger in what they hope will be a breakthrough 2027 MX2 World Championship campaign.
