Kawasaki is fielding a junior rider, Jorke Erwig, in the IDM Supersport 300. The 14-year-old has signed a contract with RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki. He’ll be racing a Kawasaki Ninja 400. But who exactly is Jorke Erwig from the town of Gescher in western Münsterland?
In any case, he is the only one of a total of five young German riders who made it to the final day of the European Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup tryouts. All the others had been eliminated before him in the grueling selection process. The fact that he ultimately didn’t secure a spot is another matter entirely. His next stepping stone to the top is now the IDM Supersport 300, with mentor Robert Schotman—a former Red Bull Rookie and Supersport World Championship rider—by his side. Team owners Rob Vennegoor and Frank Krekeler have high hopes for their young talent.
Jorke Erwig got into motorcycle racing by chance. While on vacation, he and his brother were allowed to ride around on small motocross bikes. That laid the foundation. After many discussions, his parents signed him up for an ADAC introductory course. “After a season of training on a pocket bike, I raced in the Dutch Open 125 class on a Suzuki GSX-R 125 in 2018 and immediately finished third in the overall standings,” Jorke laughs mischievously, his freckles dancing on his nose. Last year didn’t go quite as smoothly: fourth place. That only fueled his ambition even more. Now Jorke Erwig is absolutely eager to conquer the IDM.