Jorke Erwig is trying something new and is thrilled about it. Together with the Dutch team Affeto Corse, the 19-year-old from Gescher—a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia—who finished 17th in the IDM, is gearing up for the British Supersport 600 Championship.
Eight years ago, he took part in an ADAC introductory course for the first time. After that, there was no stopping Erwig when it came to motorcycle racing. The fact that he lived near the Dutch border was an added bonus. This allowed the teenager to train on a pocket bike at indoor kart tracks in the winter and on the Junior Track in Assen in the summer.
When he signed up for the Supersport 300 class in the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM), his first name was initially the topic of conversation. But hardly anyone asked what the name actually meant. Here’s the answer: The name Jorke has no specific meaning and is a very rare first name. Extrapolated to the German population, there are an average of 420 boys and men with this name. In other words, one in every 200,000 people we encounter in life will have the name Jorke. After the junior class, he moved up to the IDM Supersport. Riding for the Kawasaki Weber Team, Erwig finished 19th and 17th overall in the standings over the past two years.
Now they are making the move to the BSB with Affetto Corse and the Ducati Panigale V2. The team was founded in 2024 by Kevin van Leuven and Tasia Rodink. Both have experience as riders in various championships as well as in team roles—Kevin as a mechanic, data engineer, and crew chief, and Tasia as a coach, assistant mechanic, and tire expert. Together, they have competed in prestigious championships such as the ONK, IDM, BSB, and the Superbike World Championship.
“After being actively involved in racing for so long and working with various racing teams, it’s now time to apply all that knowledge and experience to our own racing team,” says Tasia Rodink. The anticipation for this adventure is palpable. And it’s a plus that Erwig speaks Dutch, thanks to his early years racing in the Netherlands. And there will be plenty of observers following his career with interest.