Interview with Jelle van Huizen (Outlaw Racing)
In a short time, Outlaw Racing has become a household name in the Netherlands and Belgium as a webshop. The thousands of fans and many rave reviews speak volumes. However, far fewer people know Jelle van Huizen, the driven founder of Outlaw Racing. MXmag spoke to him about motorsports, his business and his passion: vintage dirt bikes.
Who Outlawracing.nl only know about their online activities would be surprised by a physical visit to the store. The 'Outlaws' - six full-time employees and several part-timers - move into a beautiful showroom of 250 m2 on the Apolloweg in Leeuwaarden, with a workshop and an extensive warehouse. In that showroom, the various project bikes, built by Jelle and his father, are the big eye-catchers. You immediately feel the passion for beautiful things. That matches nicely with the offer!
What is your past as a rider?
Jelle van Huizen: “I did grass track for 10 years and supermoto for a while. But no competitions. Grass track is also very popular here, by the way, we also have a lot of customers there. And that is also where Outlaw Racing emerged as a store.”
How did you end up with the name Outlaw Racing?
from Huizen: “I started with tires and hour meters. I sold many of those hour meters on eBay. I bought it from PitPosse in America, they had outlaw as a brand name and they liked the idea of me using that name in the Netherlands. That's how it actually happened, so I didn't come up with the name myself. I think it's a nice name, although we're not outlaws at all. Not at all!"
What were you doing before you started the store?
from Huizen: “I was still at school, where I studied electronics. I only had another job for one year, which was developing electronics. A serious job too. In the long run it was also difficult to combine with the store.”
But logical and structured thinking and acting, which is so typical of e-commerce, was already in your blood?
from Huizen: "That's true. I'm very happy with that too. I don't do much with that specific knowledge about electronics now, but the way of thinking and structured working have certainly helped me. Moreover, I had also learned something about software, ICT and technology. All in all, a good combination for what I do now.”
Some merchants viewed e-commerce as outlaws in the early years. Online trading was the youthful violence that came to disrupt the market.
from Huizen: "That's true. In the meantime it has become more accepted. When we started with a webshop, large motorcycle stores had no webshop at all. You did indeed hear that criticism: an online shop was by definition run by some kind of noob who sold from his attic room without any costs and everything was nice and cheap. For us it was never an approach to act that way. But many motorcycle shops in our area were always burning their batteries, so to speak! For example, they told suppliers: 'If you supply them, we won't buy anything anymore.' It was quite difficult to acquire certain brands in those early years. At a certain point they heard what you do and what you can do. Then things work out fine, fortunately. At one point we became a customer of Parts Europe. Although that was quite a challenge in the beginning. Step by step we expanded our range with other suppliers.”
When did you start Outlaw Racing?
from Huizen: “The impetus was given in 2009, but that was first on eBay. Then I did it alongside my job, if I remember correctly we started the physical store in 2012. Before that we only had a webshop with a showroom. The next step was another building with a real store. Three years after we started the physical store, we moved to an even larger building where we are now. In itself a serious store, but the corona period also makes you think. For a while people were not allowed to shop and the question is of course how important physical stores remain at all. I do think that stores will remain, although something will change.”
In many sectors, 2020 marked the definitive breakthrough of e-commerce. How did that go for you?
van Huizen: “Our 2020 was good, our best year ever even. The acceptance of e-commerce certainly plays a role in this. But cross riders also like to go to a shop. They also like to try things on, see them or just have a chat. And they want it quickly: they think 'today I need a few oil filters and a few liters of oil'. Preferably right away. I think that will remain so. Although we have noticed that many new customers have been added. We saw fewer regular customers in the store. They drive less or they need less. As you say, it does indeed seem that the threshold for e-commerce is starting to lower. Cooblue en bol.com have now become a broad concept in both the Netherlands and Belgium. People are now used to ordering online.”
E-commerce also creates a certain expectation pattern, the idea that everything is immediately available.
van Huizen: “That's right, think about that for yourself. We aim for the widest possible range, so that fewer packages need to be sent and more combined shipments can be sent out. That's our plan. For some people it might be strange to talk about that if you work in an industry that is not environmentally friendly. A PostNL driver pointed out to me how often they are on the road for small packages, with many stops and a van that is largely empty. That makes you think. I also think that people will become more aware after this time.”
Where does Outlaw Racing stand compared to the competition in the Netherlands, is that in the top three?
van Huizen: “I have no idea how many others are selling. But I do hope we are in the top three! Yet there are always people who don't know us, even though I think we are well known and popular now. It is not necessarily the aim to be the largest. We want to be the best, we want to offer the best service. That's what we're going for!”
Typical for Outlaw Racing is indeed the customer service that has high added value. When you call, you get someone who knows about technical products. That is not evidence.
van Huizen: “You're missing the point in that regard. For me that is very important. It is in my nature to make customers satisfied. I also think it should be that way. Because I still want to be able to sell to the same customer in five or 10 years. Of course, things sometimes go wrong. The busier it is, the greater the chance that something will go wrong. If something goes wrong, we try to solve everything as best as possible for the customer. I emphasize that very much within our team. It is important that the customer gets his stuff because he just wants to drive again! He or she is not concerned that something has gone wrong with a supplier or whatever. That customer wants to race again on Sunday. That's why I say: do everything you can to make that happen. For example, if something is not available, please provide an alternative and respond as quickly as possible. We are constantly working on that. There is always a bit of distance because you don't go to the physical store. We are aware of that. There remains a bit of a barrier that you have to bridge. That is precisely why customer service is our top priority.”
You are in the north, but in the meantime you live throughout the country and also in Belgium. How did that evolve?
van Huizen: “It is certainly not the case that we only sell in our area. On the contrary, we have many customers in Brabant and the Achterhoek. Belgium then follows as a region at number three. We recently also launched a German webshop that is getting better and better. It is also logical that Brabant and the Achterhoek are important to us because that is where the most cross-country racing takes place. In itself it is special that we have so many Belgian customers because there is also serious competition online. Gear2Win and Sixstar are established names. I always enjoy doing business with a Belgian, they are always friendly. That is a credit to the Flemish.”
Do you still get around to driving a bit?
van Huizen: “Well, way too little. Once or twice a year. We are here six days a week, two or three of which are evenings. You know that there is more to motocross than just picking up the bike and riding a few laps. It has to be clean again, it has to be ready again. There are also other things that need to be done on Sundays. (laughing) If I want to keep my wife, I can't do it on Sunday, I can do the job! It's also been a bit. At a certain point, driving is your hobby and now it is serious business, not pure fun. I miss it very often, but I get a lot of satisfaction from building beautiful replicas, that kind of thing.”
You are very enthusiastic about vintage motocross. What has been your most beautiful construction project so far?
van Huizen: “I have built three Kawasakis but... the most beautiful one is the Suzuki RM250AF. A Suzuki 250cc two-stroke engine from 2008 in a 2020 RM-Z frame. Actually, my father built it 80% of the time. That really turned out to be a very nice engine. I'm proud of those Kawas too. They are as good as new: a Mike Brown replica, a Mike Kiedrowski replica and a Jamie Dobb replica. I also have a few Suzuki's that I think will be my most beautiful project! We are also working on a KTM 125 engine in a Suzuki RM-Z 250 frame. That will be fun too.”
How do you select for your next projects? Is it a technical challenge, a certain color scheme or the rider who rode it?
van Huizen: “Those three criteria are all important. Who was your favorite supercrosser back in the day?”
Tom Jacobs: "I'm afraid I'm not very original: Jeremy McGrath!”
from Huizen: Precisely! My father was always a big Suzuki fan. That's why I prefer someone like Greg Alberteijn or Travis Pastrana. So that will still be on my wish list. But usually something comes your way, hey, this is a good basis and then you start combining things. Just tell us what you like and that's how it starts. There are already many replicas of Pastrana. I don't want to be the umpteenth in line!
Who are your favorite riders of the current generation?
from Huizen: “First of all I think of Jeffrey Herlings. And also Glenn Coldenhoff. It is very special that we have two such world top players in the Netherlands at the same time. We can be proud of that! Other riders I'd like to see do well? There are of course many excellent riders in the World Cup, but what I miss a bit at the moment as a Suzuki man are RM-Z guys in the GPs of course... Hopefully that will change soon. We also try to keep the yellow fire burning ourselves, which is why we support some Suzuki teams abroad.”
Are you noticing that vintage motocross is on the rise as you hunt for a new project bike?
van Huizen: “Yes absolutely. That in itself is not a bad thing because it would be a shame to throw things like that on the scrap yard. It's not scrap metal! Actually, all dirt bikes are quite expensive. The range of vintage dirt bikes is also not that great at the moment. Most engines apparently have a good spot.”
What happens to a finished project? Will it be displayed in the store, driven or sold?
van Huizen: “These are displayed in the store. We have a nice balustrade where the motorcycles stand. I sold two but with regret in my heart. I'm not very good at selling. Even motorcycles that have been here for a number of years are still nice to look at. If I ever sell them, it has to be to the right person!”
Once they are ready, will they still be driven?
van Huizen: “Actually, they are too beautiful to drive anymore! That would be a waste."
As a young entrepreneur you have developed Outlaw Racing into a success. You employ six employees and some part-time people. What is your advice for young people who want to start their own business?
van Huizen: “Just do it, you just have to get started. Keep in mind that you have to have a very long breath. With a lot of patience and hard work, things should always turn out well. Make sure you keep costs manageable. Those are the basics. Having your own business is also a bit like a dog. How much love do you put into it? What do you put into your business? How much time can or want to put into it? That will also determine whether or not it will be a success. In any case, you have to keep in mind that it will be a long road.”
Tekst: Tom Jacobs
Photos: Outlaw Racing
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