End of an era. Two-time world champion Jeffrey Buis announced his retirement from professional racing on Wednesday, October 21st, 2026, hanging up his helmet after eight years in the paddock and over 120 races.
Now, the 25-year-old leaves behind an incredible tally of 18 wins and 30 podiums across three different championships. Arriving in the WorldSSP300 category in 2019 with the Belgian MTM Kawasaki squad after taking fourth in the 2018 Dutch Supersport 300 championship, the Dutchman wasted no time making his mark. His sophomore 2020 campaign proved nothing short of a masterclass. Sitting in P15 after the opening round, he stormed back with four wins and eight podiums in twelve races to claim his first World Championship ahead of his countryman Scott Deroue. A bronze-medal finish followed in the fiercely contested 2021 season with three wins and five podiums, alongside two wildcard appearances in WorldSSP.
After spending 2022 in WorldSSP, Buis returned to World Supersport 300 for 2023. That campaign started in chaotic fashion. The #6 grabbed only eight points at the season opener at Assen—a circuit where he ultimately secured three wins and four podiums across his WorldSSP300 and 2026 WorldSPB career. Bounce back he did, taking a Race 1 win and P3 in Race 2 at Barcelona, though Misano yielded a meager five points. But true champions weather the storm. A double victory at Magny-Cours combined with a P2 and a win at Aragon gave him just enough breathing room to fend off a late charge from Jose Luis Perez Gonzalez, snatching the 2023 title by a mere seven points.
Following more strong results in the final two seasons of WorldSSP300, Buis took on the newly formed World Sportbike category. Trading his WorldSSP300 KTM RC 390 R for a Suzuki GSX-8R fielded by the Track & Trades Wixx Racing squad, he immediately made waves by collecting three podiums in the first three rounds, including a victory at Assen. He finally stepped out of the boxes for the last time following Race 2 at Jerez at the season finale, bringing down the curtain on a remarkable tenure.
Reflecting on his journey, Buis shared a heartfelt message on social media: “Every story has an ending. And after years of chasing dreams, fighting for every position and living for the next race, the time has come to close this chapter. After 18 victories, 30 podiums and 2 World Championship titles, I have decided to bring my professional racing career to an end after this season. From a young boy with a dream to becoming a two-time World Champion, it’s been a journey full of unforgettable moments, sacrifices, highs and lows. I gave everything I had to this sport, and I wouldn’t change a thing. This decision hasn’t been easy. Racing has been my life for as long as I can remember, but sometimes you have to be realistic and choose a different path. To my family, team, sponsors, partners, friends and everyone who has supported me along the way: THANK YOU. None of this would have been possible without you.”
