He represents Sweden in the major competition in Belgium

Ten-year-old Edwin Astbrandt from Vimmerby lives motocross – around the clock. He’s been doing this since he was a kid. Where other kids got a pacifier and a blanket when they went to bed, Edwin had a small toy motorcycle lying on his chest.

– When he was in his diaper, he screamed like a man possessed if he wasn’t allowed to get on the saddle of his father’s motorcycle, says mother Michaela Estabrant.

And so it continued.

-Edwin is a kid who, when he decides something, he does it right. It was that way with school, and it really is that way with motocross.

– He trained and struggled a lot, and I don’t know how many hours he spent on the bike. There’s nothing but crossover for him – if he’s not driving himself, he’s watching crossover on TV or playing video games. He follows all the drivers and knows everything, it’s absolutely crazy, Michaela says and laughs.

The best in Europe

Interest, determination and perseverance also led to sporting success. Today, Edwin is one of the country’s best ever motorcycle riders in his age group, and has won most of the races he has contested on his 65cc car in Sweden this year.

Some time ago, Svemo (the Swedish Motor Sport Federation) informed Edwin that he had been selected to participate in the Coupe de l’Avenir, a competition comparable to an EC youth team. Edwin, along with the rest of the Swedish elite (two other 65cc drivers, three 85cc drivers and three drivers in the open class), make up the Swedish team that is in Belgium this weekend to compete against the best drivers in Europe. Other participating teams are Norway, Belgium, France, Ireland, Latvia, Finland, Iceland, Switzerland and Great Britain. The youngsters competing range in age from 10 to 17, and for Edwin it’s the last thing he does before stepping onto an 85cc bike.

– It couldn’t get any bigger than this for Edwin. This was the dream and goal last year when the 2022 selection was made. Then he decided to join this year, and he has been working towards it ever since. Michaela says that when he received the news from Svemo, tears welled up.

Head to the French border

On Thursday afternoon, the Astbrandt family moved from their home outside Vimmerby. After a long journey, they arrived early Friday morning in the small town of Queverin in the southwestern corner of Belgium, near the French border, where the Coupe de l’Avenir tournament is being held.

On Saturday, free training and possible group qualifiers await us. Father Mathias Astbrandt says the final, with a clean qualifier, will be played on Sunday.

– All teams’ points in all categories have been combined, and we’ll find out on Sunday afternoon how things went. We are now preparing as best we can and are currently waiting to receive the Sweden jerseys from Svemo representatives who will be arriving soon, as Matthias told us on Friday afternoon.