The Dutch SWPN team will continue to compete in two classes of the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM) in 2024. Rob Hartog will compete in the Superbike class for the third consecutive year. Sasha de Vits is the team’s new Supersport rider, and the team is supported by Yamaha Motor Benelux.
Rob Hartog has had a difficult second season with the team. He missed most of 2023 due to an injury he sustained during training for the World Endurance Championship. Although he undertook tests in an effort to return to the IDM, he was unsuccessful for a long time. It wasn’t until the last two events in Assen and Hockenheim that the Dutchman, who will celebrate his 32nd birthday in a week and a half, made an appearance. Now the IDM Superbike is starting over from scratch, and Hartog is out for revenge. His personal partners and sponsors have remained on board. With some updates to his Yamaha R1M, he is optimistic about racing at the front of the pack again in 2024. As a reminder: In 2022, the rider with start number “47” finished third overall in Germany’s top class of road motorcycle racing.
In the IDM Supersport class, rising star Sasha de Vits has joined Team SWPN. After Melvin van der Voort unexpectedly parted ways with the team with which he had won the championship title in 2023, the team spent a long time searching for a replacement for the vacant spot and finally found one in de Vits. However, the 22-year-old Belgian is no stranger to the IDM or the Yamaha family. In the past, he raced in the Yamaha R3 Cup and the IDM Supersport 300. For him, the upcoming season is primarily about getting to know the Yamaha YZF-R6 and the team’s way of working.
Team manager Frank Brouwer, who announced the signings of Hartog and de Vits, said: “Together with Rob, we hope to continue on our path to success. Sasha is new to our team, but he’s someone we’ve been keeping an eye on for some time. We see the necessary potential in him and hope to provide him with stability and help him develop as a rider.”
Mario Janssen, Country Manager for Yamaha Motor Europe’s Benelux branch, has no doubts about the project and believes “that we will once again secure many podium finishes next season with riders Rob Hartog and Sasha de Vits.” Testing will take place in Spain in April.