The newly branded Supercar Challenge is a continuation of the long running Dutch Supercar Challenge from years past. The series – now in it’s 13th year – adopts a split grid system, effectively creating two sub classes. The Sport and Supersport classes race together, while the Super GT, GT and GTB classes run merged and separate races at each weekend aside from the round at Spa.
As usual there are no issues with variety – with the range of cars stretching from lower powered Clio Cup cars in the Sport class, to state of the art GT cars in Super GT.
As you would expect, Super GT is the star of the show, and is packed with strong teams. Any British National GT fan in recent years will likely recognize the entry of Jim and Glynn Geddie. The Scottish duo have partnered up in the #112 United Autosport McLaren MP4-12C and look to have a very good shot at the title, even in their first season.
Other strong competition comes from the likes of series stalwart Jans Versluis in the #127 Veka Racing Ferrari 458 GT3 and Roger Grouwels in the #163 blue and red “throwback”, ex-works Pratt and Miller Corvette C5R.
In Supersport – the biggest class in the series – the teams will be looking to beat 2012 champion Peter van Soelen and his new co-driver Koen Bogaerts, driving for European Staffing Racing. They are once again running in the pink and white #401 BMW E46 Coupe GTR, which should be just as quick as last season.
The Monster brothers Ferry and Robin are also competing full time this season for Riwal Racing after finishing second overall last year by just a handful of points. Their #402 Seat Leon Supercopa is as ever, immaculately prepared, as they look for another run at the title.
Round 1 Zolder
The first round of the season was held at Zolder, in support of the new FIA GT series. The first race of the weekend was held on the Saturday and would be the first time the Sport and Supersport classes would meet in racing conditions.
Bas Schouten in his first ever qualifying session in the series managed to put his #434 JR Motorsports BMW 123 GTR on pole position, but it was ultimately short lived. Bogaerts dived up the inside of Schouten going into the first corner on the first lap – giving the #401BMW the lead in the Supersport class.
On the exit of turn one there was also more drama, as Ferry Monster would clip the back of Schouten’s BMW sending the Supercopa oversteering into the barrier on the inside. This would leave the Monster duo trailing far behind, but with only cosmetic damage.
In the Sport class, Eric van den Munckhof in his #502 Silhouette Ford Focus would hold the lead early on with the #534 Verhagen Racing Honda S2000 following closely behind.
After the first round of pitstops the Riwal Racing Seat – now with Robin Monster at the wheel – would take the lead of the race. Ferry had driven an extremely quick stint after the early off – and combined with a very quick pit stop – catapulted them to the lead in the Supersport class after running in dead last on lap 1.
It wasn’t long though, before Robin Monster would concede his first place. Jeroen Mul in the #434 BMW dived up the inside of Robin going into the Jacky Ickx chicane, giving JR Motorsports the lead. This move also gave the ever feisty Peter van Soelen the chance to take second place, and he did with ease, dragging past the Seat down the pit straight – making it a BMW 1-2.
In the closing stages of the race Robin Monster would further struggle with pace. Luc De Cock in the #411 Lotus 2/11 would navigate past him with no issues at the Ickx chicane – a very encouraging comeback from the back of the grid.
There was last minute drama in the race however, which would promote Robin back into a podium spot. In the dying laps Jeroen Mul would come in for an unscheduled stop and retire the car. “I had no idea how it happened, but we ran out of fuel.” – He explained.
The Sport class was eventually won by Aart Bosman in the ABW Racing Lotus Exige with the Power Motorsports BMW finishing second and the Verhagen Racing S2000 coming home a distant third.
The second race of the weekend was for the Super GT, GT and GTB classes. Pole was taken in stunning fashion by Glynn Geddie on his and the team’s debut in the series.
The McLaren’s time up front would be short lived though as the #112 Volvo Reed Racing Silhouette of Henry Zumbrink dived down the inside at turn one and took the lead.
He would however make contact with the #111 Racingteam Vernay Viper, spinning it round and sending it to the back of the field. Hoevenaars would later retire the Viper due to a broken driveshaft caused by the incident.
Jan Versluis in the Veka Racing 458 also made up ground in the turn one confusion and got past the United Autosports machine, taking second. Jim Geddie would later be hassled by Barry Maessen in the #201 Racingteam Vernay Viper, who would eventually pressure him into a mistake and take third off the Scotsman.
Versluis bided his time and later took the lead from Zumbrink after a shaky couple of laps due to tyre wear issues, Jan would go on to win the race for the hardworking Veka Racing squad.
Barry Maessen would take the class win in GT for Racingteam Vernay and the #302 Lammertink Racing Porsche would win GTB. It must be noted though that the Viper of Barry Maessen was moved up into the Super GT class after race one due to performance balancing issues, and would change number to #114.
The Sunday race for the higher tier class would also be started on pole by United Autosports McLaren, and this time the Jim Geddie would keep his lead through turn one, with Zumbrink and Versluis right behind.
The race would eventually be won though, by a dominant Henry Zumbrink, after some ballsy moves to in the first two laps to get past Versluis and (Jim) Geddie. It was encouraging that the team didn’t suffer from the same tyre degradation issues seen in race 1.
Once again, the United Autosports McLaren would finish way down the order, showcasing further issues with race pace – after losing five places in the first three laps. It seemed that the issue was familiar: tyre degradation. Glynn Geddie managed to climb back up to fifth briefly, but would suffer a late puncture – eliminating the team’s chances of a good result.
Jan Versluis’ race would also end in disappointing fashion, retiring the car just before the half way mark due to engine troubles.
In the end, Zumbrink would win by a considerable margin, with Hoevenars coming home second, and a consistent outing by Roger Grouwels was capped off by a encouraging third place for the aging C5R.
“A fantastic result” said Zumbrink “In the end the car was perfect aside from a small tyre issue which was fixed at the first pit stop.”
Wim Lumbeeck would take GT class honors this time out in the DVB Racing Viper, while the Lammertink Racing boys would once again dominate GTB.
Race two for the Supersport and Sport class’, would see a different winner – this time coming from JR Motorsports. A flawless outing by the #434 BMW of Mul and Schouten – definitely avenged their race one disappointment.
Eric Van Den Munckhof initially lead the Sport class, but was clouted on the opening lap by Frank Myer’s BMW M3, sending him and his Focus spinning into the gravel.
Kim Boegharts lead the race from the start in the European Staffing Racing BMW, but the team’s pit stop wasn’t quick enough, and so the lead was lost to the JR BMW.
Van Soelen who took over was unable to make up the lost time, due to a scrap over second with the JR Motorsports BMW of Bert van der Zweerde. The battle unfortunately ended in disaster for Bert when the brakes failed on lap 24 sending him into a barrier.
Van Soelen’s race wasn’t uneventful beyond that incident though, as he was easily past by Robin Monster in the closing stages – securing the Riwal team a second place finish, and leaving the European Staffing team a lowly third.
“It was exactly what we needed, we felt very down after retiring from the lead three laps from the end yesterday.” Said Jeoren Mul.
It was a fine result in the Sport class for Aart Bosman and Van Der Kooi Lotus Racing team, who in the end took a commanding victory, and scored some very valuable points.
Round 2 Slovakiaring
The second race weekend for the series, would see the teams travel to Slovakia’s only racing circuit. The track historically provides exiting close high-speed racing, and this time out would prove to be no different.
Jan Versluis put his Veka RacingFerrari on pole for the Super GT, GT and GTB race on the Saturday, and would finish the race on the top step of the podium too. It was another great all-round performance by the series veteran.
Bob Herber in the Martino Rosso Racing Ferrari 458 and Jan Storm in the Storm Tagpoint Racing BMW Z4 would hold second and third behind Versluis from the start. A mistake by Storm however, left him with a puncture which in the end would leave him down in sixth place in Super GT.
Henry Zumbrink was sadly an casualty in race 1, with mechanical issues putting the Silhouette Volvo out of the running, after being as high as fifth.
The Martino Rosso team would lose ground after a long stop, which demoted the team to third overall following a scrap with the hard charging United Autosports McLaren – where they would eventually finish.
This left the United Autosports to pick up the pieces. With Glynn Geddie behind the wheel the pace was outstanding and he took second place once again in the final few laps after a costly error from Martin Lanting in front would send the 458 wide and into a gravel trap – handing the team a well deserved second place after a drive through penalty.
“He was much quicker than me anyway, he earned the second place – we are happy with third” Said Langting.
“I was pleased to be able to build a lead and get half a minute in front, but all in all a good race” Explained Versluis
GTB saw a good win come from the new #341 KTM crossbow of Rudy Lemmens and Michael Wretschko.
In the GT subdivision, the race was dominated by Jan van de Kooi but reliability issues with the oil pump hit in the very final stages of the race, forcing the team to retire the Exige after such a promising show of force.
This unfortunate mishap though, promoted the hard working duo of Craig Wilkins and Aaron Scott in the GT3 Racing Dodge Viper. The team took a surprise but deserving victory in their series debut, after starting on pole.
“We are very satisfied, it’s been a long time since we have had a win. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season” Said Craig.
In race 2, it would be Versluis once again winning the class. The start saw Versluis and Herber take off and create a sizeable gap, but another error by Herber would leave the Martino Rosso team once again in a hole and down to fifth.
Herber did however redeem himself after his off and get the 458 back up to second overall, by getting past Jim Geddie and Jan Storm in spectacular fashion, in just three laps.
Once again though Versluis was too far ahead to be challenged. It was another quiet race at the front for Veka Racing, aside from having to get past the struggling Silhouette Volvo of Zumbrink, who was out of sync during the pit stop cycle
Race 2 was also another solid outing for United Autosports, Jim Geddie was the hero this time out and drove the McLaren up to third overall, giving the team two consecutive podiums.
Pierre-Etienne Bordet managed to win the once again decimated GT class with the GT3 Racing Viper of Scott and Wilkens once again finishing well in second. GTB, also low on runners by the end (two) was won once again by the KTM Crossbow of Rudy Lemmens and Michael Wretschko.
The other half of the event would see the Sport and Supersport categories back at it again for two races.
Race one was an impressive victory for Luc de Cock in the Lotus 2/11. He ran an almost lights to flag race, and built up a “Versluis-like” gap up front.
The racing behind the Lotus though was spectacular. The Riwal Seat and #434 JR Motorsports BMW had a monumental scrap over third place in the first third of the race. The Monster brothers had good pace, but the Seat just wasn’t quick enough in the infield section in the later stages.
Once the JR BMW got past the Seat, Mark van der Aa set his sights on second. Van Soelen managed to fend off the Mark, and finished just two seconds up the road.
In race two it was almost the same story at the front. De Cock led from the start, and it wasn’t until midway through the race that he was met with any competition. Koen Bogaerts’ Staffing Racing BMW – which was exceptional down the long straights all weekend – enabled the team to have a chance at victory over the nimble Lotus.
Koen had a good run on the Lotus going into the first chicane lap after lap and kept briefly taking the lead. De Cock though, would take it back in the twisty infield section- a real David vs Goliath battle!
This series of events would repeat until a driveshaft issue would force the 2/11 to lose valuable time in race just after the halfway mark – he would eventually finish seventh. A puncture also hindered the progress of the Staffing BMW, and despite Van Soelen’s efforts, the pink and white 1 series would finish a distant eighth.
Another entry to suffer issues during the race was the Spork Racing Seat Leon of David Nye. Nye looked good for a place on the podium all race, running a solid third after pitting, but trouble with the gearbox forced the team to retirethe car just a few laps from the end. This handed the place to the #434 JR BMW, who would eventually climb to second, getting past the Riwal Seat.
So in the end it would be a surprise win for the #110 BMW of Marco Poland and Bert van de Zweerde – consistency and staying out of trouble was definitely the key to the victory.
The Sport class in both races provided some entertaining battles.It was overall a great weekend for Eriv va de Munkhof, who drove his Focus Silhouette to second in race one nd an impressive victory in the second race. The first race saw a great win for Aart Bosman, after so many issues with the Lotus Exige up to that point, it was extremely satisfying to team to nab a win.
Round 3 Spa
The Supercar Challenge circus would find themselves closer to home for the third round of the year. The Spa round is the biggest event for the series, with both grids – already bolstered by one off entrants – combining for two 60 minute races.
The first race of the weekend would see an exceptional performance from Roger Grouwels in the C5R. The team would take a hard earned win at the tough Spa circuit after battling with Jan Versluis throughout.
Jan looked like he would be able to take his third win in a row, but a drive-through penalty ended his chances of beating the Corvette to the line. The penalty not only lost the Veka Racing team’s chances of a victory, but it also put them in the sights of the United Autosports McLaren of Glynn Geddie.
After taking pole, and leading the first lap, it seemed the Geddie duo would be able to take their first win of the year. The car faded on pace though, and Jim was forced to give up the lead early on. But It was not all doom and gloom, as they finished second in the race after Glynn forced Versluis to make a trip through the gravel. “Nice to know my past Rallycross experience still comes in handy!” Jan said.
In the GT class, Pierre Etienne Border took a great victory on home soil in the Delahaye Racing Volvo S60 Silhouette. After so many engine failures in the opening rounds, the result at Spa put the team’s season back on track – as they look to continue similar form for the rest of the season.
The GTB class also saw a new winner, this time coming from Marcel van Berlo’s Porsche 997, a perfect debut in the Supercar Challenge for the new team.
In Supersport, it would be another victory for the Luc de Cock, after starting from pole he initially fell back behind the European Staffing BMW, but fought his way back into the lead. In the end it was another show of dominance from the much improved 2/11, finishing over 40 seconds ahead of the Boegarts/Van Soelen entry in second by the time the flag fell.
Aart Bosman would make it a double win for Lotus teams in the lower ranks, putting his Exige once again on the top step of the podium in the Sport class, after a lengthy battle with the Verghagen Racing Honda S2000.
The streak surprise victories up front would extend into Sunday’s action too. The Super GT class would this time be won by guest entrant Niek Hommerson, entered in a Martino Rosso 458 – in extremely wet conditions.
The race started under safety car conditions, and really jumbled the order early in the race, with a GTB car taking the overall lead at one stage. Hommerson’s performance in the conditions was masterful and mistake free.
Behind the 458, it would be another spectacular performance for Roger Grouwels, taking second. The United Autosports McLaren – which is starting to make a habit of finishing on the rostrum, finished third, just one second behind the Corvette.
It would be a great result for the Van Der Kooi Lotus in GT. Jan took another win, with the Craig Wilkins and Aaron Scott Viper running almost nose to tail with the Lotus to the line.
In GTB it would be a first win for Werner van Herck in the Mazda 3. It was no easy ride though, as he had to fend of multiple competitors as well as battle through the torrential rain to earn the win.
The Monster Brothers in the Riwal Seat would win the Supersport class. They did find himself under immense pressure throughout though, having to fight the 2/11 Lotus of de Cock and the #423 & #425 Sport Racing Seats, which lasted until the final few laps, and the trailing teams all finished just a handful of seconds behind.
“Robin drove a great race today, it was important to get something from the weekend after the puncture we suffered yesterday” said Ferry Monster.
And finally Michael Verhagen would take the honors in the Sport class, the S2000 was too much for the competition in such dire conditions, winning the class by over two minutes.
After three rounds of the 2013 Supercar Challenge, the points table looks like this:
SUPER GT DIVISION STANDINGS
- Jim Geddie / Glynn Geddie – 65 pts
- Jan Versluis – 63 pts
- Roger Grouwels – 56 pts
- Martin Lanting / Bob Herber – 56 pts
- Henry Zumbrink – 52 pts
- Jan Storm – 30 pts
- Peter Hoevenaars – 30 pts
- Barry Maessen – 28 pts
- Peter Versluis
- Berry van Elk
GT DIVISION STANDINGS
- Wim Lumbeeck – 74 pts
- Steve Vanbellingen / Ward Sluys – 66 pts
- Pierre Etienne Bordet – 54 pts
- Craig Wilkins / Aaron Scott – 41 pts
- Fiona James – 30 pts
- Jan van der Kooi – 13 pts
- Simon Atkinson – 0 pts
GTB DIVISION STANDINGS
- Patrick Lamster / Ron Marchal – 68 pts
- Charlie Frijns / Rene Wines – 44 pts
- Rudy Lemmens / Michael Wretschko – 44 pts
- Werner van Herck – 32 pts
- Jack van der Ende – 18 pts
- Nol Köhler – 0 pts
- Wilfred Shepherd – 0 pts
- Daan Meijer – 0 pts
- Gerard de Jong – 0 pts
SUPERSPORT DIVISION STANDINGS
- Ferry Monster / Monster Robin – 65 pts
- Koen Bogaerts / Pieter van Soelen – 64 pts
- Luc de Cock – 63 pts
- Bas Schouten / Jeroen Mul / Mark vd Aa – 56 pts
- Marco Poland / Bert van der Zweerde – 34 pts
- Jimmy Adriaenssens / David Nye – 30 pts
- Chris Foot / Bart van den Broeck – 28 pts
- Ronald van Loon – 26 pts
- David Krayem – 22 pts
- P. Nelisse Grade / P. Poncelet / D. the Sterck – 16 pts
- Jonas de Kimpe / Vincent van Paemel – 14 pts
- Leo Kurstjens – 12 pts
- Wim Meulders / Bert Longin – 12 pts
- Leon Zappeij – 2 pts
- Frank Meijers / Menno Meijers – 2 pts
- Simon Blanckley – 0 pts
- Robbert Axe / Axe Jasper – 0 pts
- Ruud Olij – 0 pts
- Rudy Lemmens – 0 pts
SPORT DIVISION STANDINGS
- Aart Bosman – 76 pts
- Eric van den Munckhof – 52 pts
- Rob Nieman – 50 pts
- John van der Voort / Priscilla Speelman – 38 pts
- Wesley Caransa / Maurits Caransa – 38 pts
- Frank Bedorf / Machiel Kars – 36 pts
- Michael Verhagen – 32 pts
- Dennis Breast / Martin de Kleijn – 26 pts
- Marcel van Berlo – 20 pts
- Jan Visser – 14 pts
- Jan-Jaap van Dalen – 4 pts
- Kim Troeijen
- Artem Shabazov / Leonid Protasov
Stephen Kilbey
