Australian motorbike talent Drew De Boer signs MotoAmerica Championship contract with Yamaha

A Sunshine Coast motorbike star, who cheated death after a horror crash in Japan in 2023, has signed a multi-year deal to compete for Yamaha on the world stage.

Sunshine Coast motorbike talent Drew De Boer. Picture: Contributed.

A talented motorbike rider who just last year was clinically dead for 10 minutes has signed a multimillion-dollar deal to race professionally in America.

Drew De Boer, son of former Australian Superbike champion Simon, has reflected on his journey that entails a series of second chances.

Born and raised in Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, De Boer was quickly introduced to motorbikes from his father and by the time he was nine his family decided to relocate to the United Kingdom in the hope of securing De Boer a professional contract.

Eight years later, as a 17-year-old, De Boer earned a shot in the 125cc World Championship in Europe, but a series of personal setbacks led to the premature termination of his contract.

“I screwed it all up pretty quickly, just young dumb and stupid as they say,” he said.

“That set me back but I had no one to blame except myself.”

Sunshine Coast motorbike talent Drew De Boer. Picture: Contributed.

Without a contract, De Boer transitioned into becoming a test rider and development specialist, working for a number of leading teams including Suzuki.

In January 2023, De Boer’s career and life were nearly cut short after he was violently thrown from his bike travelling at 230km/h at Japan’s Suzuka Circuit.

The crash resulted in a fractured neck, shattered collarbone and pelvis, two broken legs, a broken arm and severe trauma to his entire body.

He was unconscious at the scene and immediately flown to the nearest hospital.

“I just remember waking up and having the doctors telling me that I would never walk again,” De Boer said.

“It was like my entire world had come crashing down in that instant.”

De Boer remained in ICU for three weeks and in hospital for a further two and half months.

Despite the extensive damage, De Boer underwent a miraculous recovery, enduring months of excruciating physical therapy, surgery, and mental battles just to regain basic mobility.

“It definitely tested me a lot of the time but my philosophy is to just keep pushing and get on with life,” De Boer said.

“I was so motivated to prove people wrong because I knew that drive and passion was still with me.”

Sunshine Coast motorbike talent Drew De Boer. Picture: Contributed.

By November De Boer was back on the bike.

“It felt like nothing had ever happened to be honest,” he said.

“It was such a surreal experience and it was just second nature once again for me.”

Last month De Boer caught the eye of Yamaha Racing during a testing week in California where he broke a number of Laguna Seca track records.

His times and performances earned him a three-year contract to compete in the MotoAmerica Championship.

“It’s very rare at my age because most of the time teams are looking at the next generation but I do think it’s a huge reflection on the maturity and experience I’ve had over the past 20 years,” he said

“Obviously I haven't been racing but I’ve always been behind the scenes pushing these bikes to their limits and that dream of becoming a professional has always been in the background.”

The now 36-year-old will join Yamaha Racing as a reserve rider in 2025 and is confirmed to race at full capacity in 2026.

“It’s incredible how life unfolds,” he said.

“It’s all happened quite quickly but I’m f*cking over the moon to be honest.

“It still doesn’t feel real, I’m still pinching myself each day but I’m really excited and grateful to get started.”