Weber Kawasaki: Erwig stays and Kyle Smith comes / IDM Supersport 600

Last year Jorke Erwig was still a rookie in IDM Supersport. Now he has extended his contract with the Swiss team and starts with Kawasaki according to the principles of Next Generation. There is also a new colleague.

Team boss Emil Weber, who will continue his partnership with Kawasaki Germany in 2024, is spending a lot of time and energy in the IDM Superbike class, where he competes with Argentine Leandro Mercado and German Johann Flammann. But there is still a great sports department in the Weber team.

The team is there with two pilots. Jorke Erwig, who already raced with Kawasaki in the IDM Supersport 300 and jumped to the Supersport class last year, has signed with the team for another year. “We also have a new teammate, Kyle Smith,” Weber now reveals. Smith is already 32 years old and has a lot of experience after many years in the World Supersport Championship.

Erwig can certainly learn a lot from Brit. Both were already testing in Valencia. SPEEDWEEK.com spoke with Jorke Erwig, who has a lot planned for the upcoming season after his rookie year in 2023.

SPEEDWEEK.com: What motivated you to compete with Weber Kawasaki for another year?

“I’ve felt good with the whole team since day one and I’m very happy to continue working with Emil Weber, my crew and Kawasaki Germany. This season I’m also getting new material and we should be able to make more progress with that.”

You were already in the test in Valencia…how did it go for you?

“Winter testing went very well. We were lucky with the weather and we were able to drive a lot, test a lot and learn. We will be able to test before the season to finally start the season in the best possible way at the Sachsenring.”

In 2023 you have already earned points regularly…how do you rate your chances in your second year of SSP?

“After a rookie season that was difficult for me, the first goal is to implement what I learned and experienced from 2023 with the winter tests. But since the class will be stronger than last season, we will only be able to evaluate where we and the others stand after the first race. Me and my team will give everything and then take it from race to race.”

How do Next Generation Rules affect you?

“Last year I was probably the only motorcyclist in the field who rode a motorcycle according to the old rules. This year I will also ride a motorcycle according to the Next Generation principles, which we were able to test with during the winter. Overall, this is a clear improvement in terms of pure performance and portability, for example.