Eric van de Poele

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Eric van de Poele
Eric van de Poele.jpg
Born (1961-09-30) 30 September 1961 (age 63)
Verviers, Liège, Belgium
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Belgium Belgian
Active years 19911992
Teams Modena, Brabham, Fondmetal
Entries 29 (5 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 0
Podiums 0
Career points 0
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1991 United States Grand Prix
Last entry 1992 Italian Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Participating years 1994, 19961998, 20002002, 20082010
Teams Clayton Cunninghman Racing, Racing for Belgium/Team Scandia, Nissan Motorsports/TWR, Doyle-Risi Racing, Team Cadillac, Team Bentley, Krohn Racing
Best finish 3rd (2001)
Class wins 3 (1998, 2001, 2002)

Eric van de Poele (born 30 September 1961 in Verviers) is a Belgian racing driver and former Formula One driver. He participated in 29 Grands Prix, debuting on 10 March 1991. He scored no championship points and failed to make the grid 24 times.

After a difficult 1984 season in French Formula Three, van de Poele then won the Belgian and Benelux Formula Ford titles, also racing in the Belgian Touring Car Championship.[1] He subsequently raced in German Touring Cars Championships, winning the 1987 championship despite not winning a race all season.[2] He also won the 1987 Spa 24 Hours, sharing a car with Didier Theys and Jean-Michel Martin.[2] He also dabbled in British Formula 3. For 1989, he moved up to Formula 3000, finishing fourth, and then runner-up in 1990.

After this, he signed for the Modena Formula One team for 1991, driving their Lamborghini cars thanks to backing from long-time sponsors Lease Plan. He was unsuccessful in the first two races, failing to pre-qualify, but made it onto the grid for the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix. There he impressed in the rain, running fifth in the last lap before the car ran out of fuel, dropping him to ninth. The team, in financial difficulties, failed to build on this success, and van de Poele would not race again that year.

He then signed for Brabham in 1992, but the team were low on money. The Belgian qualified for the opening South African Grand Prix, finishing 13th, but then failed to qualify the outdated car again. He frequently matched team-mate Damon Hill in the other Brabham, however. For the Hungarian Grand Prix he switched to the promising Fondmetal team. He qualified the car at the first attempt, only to spin out. He then started an excellent 15th for the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing 10th, and qualified again for the Italian Grand Prix, only for the clutch to break. After this, Fondmetal also hit money troubles and withdrew, leaving van de Poele without a drive.

Aside from a largely unused capacity as test driver for Tyrrell in 1993, van de Poele has since found considerable success in Touring Cars and sports cars, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1995 and 1996 and the Petit Le Mans in 1998. He has also added to his 1987 win in the Spa 24 Hours four more wins in 1998, 2005, 2006 and 2008, giving him the record of five wins in the event.[3]

In 2008, van de Poele competed in the Rolex Sports Car Series.

Racing record

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DC Points
1989 Players/GA Motorsports/
Colt Racing
SIL
6
VAL
3
PAU
Ret
JER
4
PER
Ret
BRH
Ret
BIR
14
SPA
4
BUG
2
DIJ
5
5th 19
1990 GA Motorsport DON
6
SIL
5
PAU
1
JER
9
MNZ
9
PER
Ret
HOC
Ret
BRH
Ret
BIR
1
BUG
10
NOG
1
2nd 30

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WDC Points
1991 Modena Team SpA Lambo 291 Lamborghini V12 USA
DNPQ
BRA
DNPQ
SMR
9
MON
DNPQ
CAN
DNPQ
MEX
DNPQ
FRA
DNPQ
GBR
DNPQ
GER
DNQ
HUN
DNQ
BEL
DNQ
ITA
DNQ
POR
DNQ
ESP
DNQ
JPN
DNQ
AUS
DNQ
NC 0
1992 Motor Racing Developments Ltd Brabham BT60B Judd V10 RSA
13
MEX
DNQ
BRA
DNQ
ESP
DNQ
SMR
DNQ
MON
DNQ
CAN
DNQ
FRA
DNQ
GBR
DNQ
GER
DNQ
NC 0
Fondmetal Fondmetal GR02 Ford V8 HUN
Ret
BEL
10
ITA
Ret
POR JPN AUS

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Pos Pts
1994 Old Spice Nissan Racing Nissan Primera eGT THR
1

13
BRH
1

DNS
BRH
2

DNS
SNE
1

9
SIL
1

13
SIL
2

12
OUL
1

14
DON
1

17
DON
2

13
BRH
1

14
BRH
2

12
SIL
1

DNS
KNO
1
KNO
2
OUL
1
BRH
1
BRH
2
SIL
1
SIL
2
DON
1
DON
2
22nd 2

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1992 France Peugeot Talbot Sport Austria Karl Wendlinger
France Alain Ferté
Peugeot 905 Evo 1B C1 208 DNF DNF
1994 United States Clayton Cunningham Racing United States Paul Gentilozzi
Japan Shunji Kasuya
Nissan 300ZX Turbo IMSA
GTS
25 DNF DNF
1996 Belgium Racing for Belgium
Belgium Team Scandia
Belgium Marc Goossens
Belgium Éric Bachelart
Ferrari 333 SP WSC 208 DNF DNF
1997 Japan Nissan Motorsport
United Kingdom TWR
Italy Riccardo Patrese
Japan Aguri Suzuki
Nissan R390 GT1 GT1 121 DNF DNF
1998 United States Doyle-Risi Racing South Africa Wayne Taylor
Spain Fermín Vélez
Ferrari 333 SP LMP1 332 8th 1st
2000 United States Team Cadillac South Africa Wayne Taylor
Italy Max Angelelli
Cadillac Northstar LMP LMP900 287 22nd 12th
2001 United Kingdom Team Bentley United Kingdom Andy Wallace
United States Butch Leitzinger
Bentley EXP Speed 8 LMGTP 306 3rd 1st
2002 United Kingdom Team Bentley United Kingdom Andy Wallace
United States Butch Leitzinger
Bentley EXP Speed 8 LMGTP 362 4th 1st
2008 United States Risi Competizione
United States Krohn Racing
United States Tracy Krohn
Sweden Niclas Jönsson
Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 12 DNF DNF
2009 United States Risi Competizione
United States Krohn Racing
United States Tracy Krohn
Sweden Niclas Jönsson
Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 323 22nd 3rd
2010 United States Risi Competizione
United States Krohn Racing
United States Tracy Krohn
Sweden Niclas Jönsson
Ferrari F430 GT2 GT2 197 DNF DNF

References

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External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by German Touring Car Champion
1987
Succeeded by
Klaus Ludwig