Gerard Grouve
Encyclopedia
Gerard Grouve is a Dutch autosport team director and currently responsible for the World Rally Championship
involvement of Van Merksteijn Motorsport
.
Grouve started his career in 1985 as co-driver for Peter Van Merksteijn, Sr.
in the Audi 80
quattro and the Ford Sierra Cosworth in the Dutch rally championship. After retiring as co-driver he took the position of team manager until 1996 when Van Merksteijn switched to circuit racing.
In 2000 Grouve reassumed his motorsport career as team principal of System Force Motorsport competing in Porsche Supercup
and from 2002 in Belcar
, FIA GT Championship
, Grand-Am 24 hours of Daytona
and Le Mans Series
with a Porsche 996 GT3 RS. The team ran in 2005 a Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R during 2 races in the Le Mans Series and the ALMS
12 Hours of Sebring
.
In 2008, Grouve was director of the newly formed team of Van Merksteijn Motorsport which won the 24 hours of Le Mans
and the Le Mans Series in LMP2 with the Porsche RS Spyder
driven by Jos Verstappen
, Jeroen Bleekemolen
en Peter van Merksteijn.
As of 2007, Gerard Grouve is involved in the World Rally Championship as team manager for father and son Peter van Merksteijn. Having first driven the Ford Focus WRC
in 10 WRC
events, the team switched in 2011 to Citroën
where Grouve is responsible for the entry as an official WRC Team with the Citroën DS3 WRC
.
Gerard Grouve has been involved in the start of the successful rally career of many Dutch drivers like Peter Van Merksteijn, Jr.
, Bernhard Ten Brinke and Dennis Kuipers
. Under the leadership of Grouve Van Merksteijn jr. won the Dutch championship group N in 2007, Bernhard Ten Brinke won in 2009 the Dutch championship in a Focus WRC 08 in his first full year in the sport. Ipatec Racing with drivers René and Dennis Kuipers have called upon the experience of Gerard Grouve during their early years in the WRC for setup of their rally team and coaching of Dennis Kuipers during the start of his WRC career.
During the 2009 edition of the Dakar Rally Gerard Grouve took care of the team management for Peter van Merksteijn sr. and René Kuipers, both driving a BMW X3CC within the X-Raid team.
http://www.verstappen.nl/news/2008/03/1554.html
http://www.wrc.com/drivers-and-teams/teams/van-merksteijn-motorsport/?teamid=12
http://www.tctubantia.nl/regio/hengelo/2829021/Grouve-met-Merksteijn-naar-Le-Mans.ece
http://www.rallybuzz.com/van-merksteijn-motorsport-quit-le-mans-series-concentrate-rallying/
http://www.rallybuzz.com/van-merksteijn-citroends3wrc/
http://www.endurance-info.com/static.php?subaction=showfull&id=1203636732&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&op=communiques_index.txt&npds=1
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship is a rallying series organised by the FIA, culminating with a champion driver and manufacturer. The driver's world championship and manufacturer's world championship are separate championships, but based on the same point system. The series currently consists of 13...
involvement of Van Merksteijn Motorsport
Van Merksteijn Motorsport
Van Merksteijn Motorsport is a Dutch motorsport company active in both circuit racing and rallying. Established in 2008, under the ownership of Peter Van Merksteijn, Sr. and with Gerard Grouve as team principal, this motorsport company won both the LMP2 class title in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le...
.
Grouve started his career in 1985 as co-driver for Peter Van Merksteijn, Sr.
Peter Van Merksteijn, Sr.
Peter van Merksteijn, Sr. is a Dutch racing driver and rally driver who will be driving for the Van Merksteijn Motorsport team in the 2011 World Rally Championship season with Citroën DS3 WRC.-24 Hours of Le Mans results:...
in the Audi 80
Audi 80
The Audi 80 is a compact executive car produced by the German car manufacturer Audi, from 1966 to 1996. It shared its platform with the Volkswagen Passat from 1973 to 1986 and was available as a saloon car/sedan, and an Avant...
quattro and the Ford Sierra Cosworth in the Dutch rally championship. After retiring as co-driver he took the position of team manager until 1996 when Van Merksteijn switched to circuit racing.
In 2000 Grouve reassumed his motorsport career as team principal of System Force Motorsport competing in Porsche Supercup
Porsche Supercup
The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is the international motor racing series supporting the FIA Formula One World Championship organized by Porsche AG....
and from 2002 in Belcar
Belcar
The Belcar Endurance Championship is the national sports car racing championship of Belgium. The series is sanctioned by the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium and run by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation . The series' title sponsor is Mediagroep Van Dyck.Since the 2007 season, the series has run...
, FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
, Grand-Am 24 hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
and Le Mans Series
Le Mans Series
The Le Mans Series is a European sports car racing endurance series based around the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The series was originally named the Le Mans Endurance Series, but changed its name prior to the 2006 season...
with a Porsche 996 GT3 RS. The team ran in 2005 a Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R during 2 races in the Le Mans Series and the ALMS
Alms
Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine Regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
.
In 2008, Grouve was director of the newly formed team of Van Merksteijn Motorsport which won the 24 hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
and the Le Mans Series in LMP2 with the Porsche RS Spyder
Porsche RS Spyder
The RS Spyder is a racing car designed by Porsche to compete in Le Mans Prototype Class 2 racing. The car takes its name from the legendary 550 Spyder of the 1950s...
driven by Jos Verstappen
Jos Verstappen
Johannes Franciscus "Jos" Verstappen nicknamed "Jos the Boss" is a Dutch racing driver. He is the most successful Dutch Formula One driver, and has also won races in A1 Grand Prix and Le Mans Series LMP2 races...
, Jeroen Bleekemolen
Jeroen Bleekemolen
Jeroen Bleekemolen is a Dutch racing driver.In a Chrysler Viper GTS-R he drove in the FIA GT Championship, with great success. He competed in the very competitive German Formula 3 Championship and drove a number of times at the Masters of Formula 3 at Circuit Zandvoort, the unofficial F3 World...
en Peter van Merksteijn.
As of 2007, Gerard Grouve is involved in the World Rally Championship as team manager for father and son Peter van Merksteijn. Having first driven the Ford Focus WRC
Ford Focus WRC
The Ford Focus RS WRC is a car built for the Ford World Rally Team by Ford and M-Sport and based on the Ford Focus Climate 2-litre production hatchback, developed to compete in the World Rally Championship. The RS stands for Rallye Sport and the WRC for World Rally Car, the car's FIA specification...
in 10 WRC
WRC
WRC may refer to:Auto racing:* World Rally Championship* World Rally CarVideo games:* World Rally Championship * WRC: Rally Evolved* WRC: FIA World Rally Championship Broadcasting stations:...
events, the team switched in 2011 to Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
where Grouve is responsible for the entry as an official WRC Team with the Citroën DS3 WRC
Citroën DS3 WRC
The Citroën DS3 WRC is the World Rally Car built for the Citroën World Rally Team by Citroën Racing for use from the 2011 World Rally Championship season. It is based upon the Citroën DS3 road car, and replaces the highly successful Citroën C4 WRC...
.
Gerard Grouve has been involved in the start of the successful rally career of many Dutch drivers like Peter Van Merksteijn, Jr.
Peter Van Merksteijn, Jr.
Peter van Merksteijn, Jr. is a Dutch racing driver and rally driver who will be driving for the Van Merksteijn Motorsport team in the 2011 World Rally Championship season. He won the Dutch Rally Championship in 2007 in the Group N class with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. He made his WRC début...
, Bernhard Ten Brinke and Dennis Kuipers
Dennis Kuipers
Dennis Kuipers is a Dutch rally driver.-Career:The son of businessman and part-time rally driver Rene Kuipers, Dennis began rallying in his home country in 2007. He made his debut in the World Rally Championship at the 2008 Rallye Deutschland, finishing 18th in a Ford Focus RS WRC. He also...
. Under the leadership of Grouve Van Merksteijn jr. won the Dutch championship group N in 2007, Bernhard Ten Brinke won in 2009 the Dutch championship in a Focus WRC 08 in his first full year in the sport. Ipatec Racing with drivers René and Dennis Kuipers have called upon the experience of Gerard Grouve during their early years in the WRC for setup of their rally team and coaching of Dennis Kuipers during the start of his WRC career.
During the 2009 edition of the Dakar Rally Gerard Grouve took care of the team management for Peter van Merksteijn sr. and René Kuipers, both driving a BMW X3CC within the X-Raid team.
Reference
http://www.twentevisie.nl/magazines.aspx?ShowIpaper=313&Titel=Juni%202011 Page 18-19http://www.verstappen.nl/news/2008/03/1554.html
http://www.wrc.com/drivers-and-teams/teams/van-merksteijn-motorsport/?teamid=12
http://www.tctubantia.nl/regio/hengelo/2829021/Grouve-met-Merksteijn-naar-Le-Mans.ece
http://www.rallybuzz.com/van-merksteijn-motorsport-quit-le-mans-series-concentrate-rallying/
http://www.rallybuzz.com/van-merksteijn-citroends3wrc/
http://www.endurance-info.com/static.php?subaction=showfull&id=1203636732&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&op=communiques_index.txt&npds=1