It’s going to be a hot summer for Valentin Debise in the International German Motorcycle Championship. The 29-year-old Frenchman from Team Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing will not only be competing in the Superbike class, but he has also entered the IDM Supersport 600 on a Kawasaki.
“It was his idea,” said Kawasaki manager Carsten Haufe from the German importer’s headquarters in Friedrichsdorf, which supports the team. “Valentin would have also raced in both classes of the French championship. He was very fast there on the 600cc Kawasaki, by local standards. But there are many factors suggesting he’ll be just as fast in the IDM. Valentin is highly motivated, and he’s already received a ZX-6R from us.”
Debise made his IDM debut last year at the Hockenheim finale, when he stepped in as a substitute for Erwan Nigon on the Kawasaki Weber-Motos Racing team in the IDM Superbike 1000 class. His compatriot was fulfilling a concurrent commitment in the Endurance World Championship. In his absence, Debise secured a third-place finish, marking Kawasaki’s best result of the season in the premier class. The French Championship rider could not have made a better case for his future career in the highly regarded IDM.
Manager Haufe believes that Debise is handling the dual demands of training and racing in two classes well. “He’s already completed the first test and ridden both bikes.” However, Haufe makes one thing clear: “When it comes to the championship, the IDM Superbike 1000 with the ZX-10RR is clearly the priority.”