The color of hope in the IDM Supersport 300 is lime green. Instead of the bold Kawasaki green, the NUTEC-RT Motorsports by SKM-Kawasaki team—new to the IDM—is racing in a softer shade, just as it does in the World Championship. The team, led by Team Manager Rob Vennegoor, technician Frank Krekeler, and Knut Beinlich, is supported in the IDM by Kawasaki Germany. This means that, alongside the Freudenberg World SSP Academy, a second World Championship team is now competing in the IDM junior class this season.
But while the team led by Carsten and Michael Freudenberg—renowned for its work with young talent—will field only defending champion Toni Erhard (Schwarzenberg) at all 2019 IDM races, the Lindgrünen will consistently field at least three riders at every race. Alongside the fast Dutch rider Colin Velthuizen, two talented riders from Thuringia—Micky Winkler from Schleiz and Troy Beinlich from Pößneck—round out the team and will race on Kawasaki Ninja 400s. Ana Carrasco won the world championship last year on a Supersport 300 machine like this one.
Since Schleiz, NUTEC-RT Motorsports by SKM Kawasaki has been fielding a fourth Ninja 400 for 15-year-old talent Marvin Siebdrath from Wildenfels near Zwickau. “With him, our team is complete,” says Rob Vennegoor, delighted with the new addition. Siebdrath, who—like his new teammate Colin Velthuizen—competed in the European Talent Cup (ETC) in 2018, joined the highly professional Kawasaki team on the recommendation of Knut Beinlich. “Our goal is to prepare IDM junior riders for higher-level challenges,” says Beinlich, who also coaches his 16-year-old son Troy at NUTEC-RT Motorsports.
The team's top rider heading into the next two races at the Schleizer Dreieck is Colin Velthuizen. The 15-year-old Ninja rider from Heerjansdam has fought his way to third place in the IDM standings. His best results so far have been second-place finishes at the Lausitzring and in Oschersleben.
The Dutchman’s goal is the Supersport 300 World Championship. “My team provides me with a good foundation for this because it runs its own World Championship team,” says Velthuizen.
Knut Beinlich emphasizes that the new IDM team is being built with the future in mind. “This isn’t meant to be a flash in the pan,” he says. The IDM is intended to pave the way for young talent to advance to the World Championship. The former racer and team manager considers the 300cc class an ideal training ground for up-and-coming riders: “Many have criticized the class, but overall it offers affordable motorsports.” Another major advantage of the Supersport 300: Thanks to the regulations set by the FIM, these motorcycles can be used anywhere.