The field of riders in the IDM Supersport 300 is growing. The Molenaar Racing Team plans to field three young guns in the prestigious junior class: Thom Molenaar, Sven Doornenbal, and newcomer Senna van den Hoven. All three will race on a Kawasaki Ninja 400 in the Arie Molenaar Motors/Nutec colors. The trio has already completed their first test laps.
In mid-January, the team put in several laps on the racetracks in Jerez, Almería, and Cartagena. The team spent a full week testing many different components and fine-tuning the bikes’ setup. Also on board: former World 300 Supersport World Champion Jeffrey Buis, serving as a supporting mentor. Twenty-two-year-old Thom Molenaar and Sven Doornenbal, who is two years younger, benefited considerably from the collaboration. Molenaar was able to improve his lap times on all tracks, and Doornenbal also felt right at home on the Kawasaki with the team.
For Senna van den Hoven, the test week in Hoven was mainly devoted to getting to know the Kawasaki Ninja. He already competed in the IDM Supersport 300 last season, but swapped his Yamaha for the Kawasaki for 2023. The 19-year-old Dutchman sees this as another opportunity in his career and says, “First of all, I’d like to thank Arie Molenaar for letting me be part of this team.” He enjoyed the week in Spain, but he also knows, “It’s going to be a learning season, and my goal is to finish in the points in every race.”