Motul superfan Samuel El Nieto takes the Superfan experience to a whole new level!

For Samuel El Nieto, the experience of being the Motul Superfan during the TT in Assen last summer had a big impact. That big, he decided to immortalize it by having the Motul superfan logo tattooed on his arm. Apart from his passion for motorsport, the Assen local also has a love for ink, but only when it really means something. For Samuel, the Motul Superfan experience during his home race, and the track he grew up with, means a lot. We joined him to share the experience at Gerald Olthuis’ tattoo shop ‘Ollies ink’. 

It was actually quite funny, after I got selected, my first real thought was: ‘this is not real, literally’. I couldn’t believe I was actually selected. For a second, I thought it was a scam (laughs). Obviously it wasn’t and when I got the call I was selected, I felt flabbergasted. When I arrived at the track, my life simply changed. When I met the Motul team and received the Superfan outfit, it all started to dawn on me. 

What does the Assen TT circuit mean to you? It’s safe to say you have a mutual history with the location?  

It all started with my dad, he used to take me to the track very often. I literally grew up peeking through the fence as my heroes rode by. The TT circuit is the place where I fell in love with motorsport. To get full acces to the biggest event of the year was incredible. For the occasion I took my family along; my wife, daughter and of course my father. It was a bit of a full circle moment. He first started to take me to races and now I took him to the TT. 

Without a doubt, the pit-walk. The feeling of wandering through the pit lane and seeing all the mechanics work on the bikes, was so surreal. It really made me a bit emotional. I might look like a tough guy but this really got under my skin. I met a lot of riders during the weekend. I even met Johann Zarco in the public bathroom, that was a funny experience as well. 

All my Tattoo’s have their own meaning. I have one of the city of Rome and Julius Caesar. I visited the city and fell in love with it. My daughter is also named Romé and her date of birth is also tattooed on my arm. I have been thinking having a tattoo which would be track-related for a long time. As it means so much to me and the Motul Superfan experience was just the ultimate experience. In every way, timing was perfect. I’m very proud to have the track layout and the logo on my arm and I have so many good memories of Assen. It really became a part of my life. Funny story, I’ve never rode round Assen on a bike. I’ve done track-days in a car before, but never on a bike. I should get around doing it soon.