Van Merksteijn Motorsport
Encyclopedia
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 Mans
and in the gruelling the Le Mans Series
in its first year of competition. Only one year later the team from Hengelo
were again unbeatable when contesting the Dutch Rally Championship. For the 2011 season, the team has once more undertaken very ambitious plan: Peter Van Merksteijn, Jr.
will compete in the World Rally Championship
alongside van Merksteijn, Sr. driving a Citroën DS3 WRC
.
has been active in motorsport since 1985. As of 2002, all international motorsport activities of van Merksteijn have been handled by System Force Motorsport, the predecessor of Van Merksteijn Motorsport. The newly formed team started their competition debut with a Porsche 911 GT3 RS in the FIA GT Championship
with drivers Peter Van Merksteijn, Sr. and Phil Bastiaans and also participated in selected rounds of the Belcar
Championship. The following year the team entered the 24 hour endurance races of Daytona, Spa-Francorchamps and Zolder. In 2005 it acquired a Spyker C8
Spyder GT2-R that debuted at the 12 Hours of Sebring
only to retire one hour into the race due to a wheel coming loose from the car. As the Spyker
factory was allocated only a single entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans
that year, the System Force Motorsport entry was placed on the reserve list with Peter van Merksteijn sharing the factory Spyker
car with Tom Coronel
and Donny Crevels
.
After changing their name to Van Merksteijn Motorsport for the beginning of 2008 season, the team undertook programmes in both endurance circuit racing and in rallying. At the end of 2007 the team received the first Porsche RS Spyder
built for the European market for participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
. With the Porsche
, the team’s aim of the project was to claim victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
within two years and to realise a sporting dream for team owner Peter van Merksteijn. The drivers on the Van Merksteijn Motorsport Porsche RS Spyder
were Peter van Merksteijn, Jos Verstappen
and Jeroen Bleekemolen
.
In preparation for the famous race at Le Mans
, Van Merksteijn Motorsport tested twice with the Porsche RS Spyder
. a private test at the Guadix
circuit and a long test with a 1.000 km race simulation during the Le Mans Series
pre-season test at Le Castellet
. Their Porsche RS Spyder
’s first race was the 1000 km of Catalunya on the Formula 1 track of Barcelona. This first round of the Le Mans Series
saw the team of van Merksteijn and Verstappen claim the LMP2 class victory. The next race on the calendar was held at Monza and the team settled for second place after their car sustained damage as a result of a collision with a Spyker
and having lost valuable time in the pits for repairs. The third race of the season, the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps, produced another victory for the all Dutch team. Van Merksteijn was not able to start in the fourth race of the championship at the Nürburgring as he took in the WRC
Rallye Deutschland
that was held in nearby Trier
at the same time. With replacement driver Jeroen Bleekemolen
in the Porsche RS Spyder
alongside Verstappen, Van Merksteijn Motorsport clinched another victory. Verstappen secured the Driver’s Championship in the LMP2 class with one race remaining on the calendar. The final race of the championship provided Van Merksteijn and Verstappen with another victory and added the Le Mans Series
LMP2 title for Teams to their list of successes that season. Highlighting their speed, the Porsche of Van Merksteijn Motorsport claimed the fastest race lap and pole position on every event.
was the main objective of the Porsche RS Spyder project for Van Merksteijn Motorsport. The team made its Le Mans
debut in June on the Circuit de la Sarthe
for the most famous race in the world with drivers Van Merksteijn, Verstappen and Bleekemolen. During the test session prior to the Le Mans
race, the team proved to be the fastest of the LMP2 cars and this was underlined when Verstappen claimed another LMP2 pole position during the qualifying for the race. The Porsche RS Spyder started from 14th position on the start grid and left nine faster LMP1 cars behind him. Bleekemolen was chosen to start the race in the Porsche and was locked in a fierce battle early on in the race with the Porsche
of Team Essex. Late in the evening the Van Merksteijn Motorsport car was handed over to Verstappen again and after doing a run of no less than four stints the team had built a considerable lead over the rest of the field. Team owner Van Merksteijn, driving with his characteristic white helmet, was given the honour to drive his car to the finish line and thereby take the LMP2 victory in the biggest race for his team with a lead of over 7 laps to runners up, Team Essex. The victory of Van Merksteijn Motorsport is a unique achievement as it was the first time a Dutch team had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans
.
, took delivery of a Ford Focus RS WRC 06, the first WRC
car of the new generation Ford Focus
to be delivered by M-Sport
to a customer team. In the 2007 Rallye Deutschland
, Van Merksteijn, Sr. made his comeback to the sport in the Focus RS WRC. During the same event Van Merksteijn, Jr. made his WRC
debut with a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Later that year father and son Van Merksteijn competed in the Rally Catalunya
and the Wales Rally GB
.
Regardless of the activities of Van Merksteijn in the Le Mans Series
with the Porsche RS Spyder
, the team entered a select number of WRC
events in 2008. Their rally campaign started in Karlstad
for the 2008 Swedish Rally
followed up in May, immediately after the Le Mans Series
race at Spa-Francorchamps, with the Rally d’Italia Sardegna
. In July the team took delivery of a second WRC
car, this time the Ford Focus RS WRC 07, again the first new-generation to be delivered to a customer team by M-Sport
. This enabled Van Merksteijn,Jr. to make the switch to the Focus that his father had previously driven. In this setup Van Merksteijn Motorsport started the Rally Deutschland
and the Rally Catalunya
.
After achieving its sole objective of 2008 by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans
, Van Merksteijn Motorsport sold their Porsche RS Spyder to focus primarily on rallying. In 2009 the team was involved in the Dutch Rally Championship with Bernhard Ten Brinke. Van Merksteijn Motorsport trained the rookie rally driver and quickly prepared Ten Brinke to drive the Focus WRC with co-driver Hans van Goor at the front of the strong Dutch entry list. Once again Van Merksteijn Motorsport created a champion who would win the national title in his first year in the sport. Internationally the team was active but with a reduced calendar that only saw the team enter the Rally Norway
and Rally Portugal.
In 2010 Van Merksteijn Motorsport entered the Rally Sweden
for the second time, the favorite event of father and son Van Merksteijn, where they both drove Ford Focus RS WRC cars. Later that year during the Rallye Deutschland
Bernhard Ten Brinke made his WRC
debut. The Dutch Champion driving the Focus with co-driver Eddy Chevaillier recorded an amazing result by finishing in 12th position overall in Trier
. In Rally Sweden
, Rally de Portugal
and Wales Rally GB Van Merksteijn Motorsport was also present in a support role for Ipatec Racing as organizers and managers of their WRC activities.
For the 2011 season the team announced ambitious plans. Van Merksteijn Motorsport will enter the World Rally Championship
as a private WRC team with a Citroën DS3 WRC
. Van Merksteijn,Jr. will start in ten rounds of the Championship and father Van Merksteijn,Sr. intends to drive in a second DS3 in three WRC events. It is unique that a private Dutch team will have the latest specification WRC cars from Citroën
.
, another wish of team owner Van Merksteijn was fulfilled. For this first Dakar Rally
on the South American continent a 2009 version of the BMW X3
CC was made available to Van Merksteijn Motorsport. As part of the factory outfit X-Raid Team of Sven Quandt, Van Merksteijn achieved a tenth position on the opening day of the event. On the fifth day of the monsterous rally on the stage from Neuquen
to San Raphael things took a turn for the worse near the end of the 500 kilometre long special stage. Thirty kilometres after changing both rear tyres, the rear of the X3 caught fire and the car was burnt down to its bare chassis within minutes. Even though participation in the rally for Van Merksteijn ended prematurely, part of the team remained involved in the event all the way to its finish in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The management of Van Merksteijn Motorsport was also responsible for the entry in the Dakar Rally
of Ipatec Racing with driver René Kuipers
finishing the Dakar 2009 in 19th place with a 2008 model of the BMW X3
CC from the X-Raid Team.
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:...
and with Gerard Grouve
Gerard Grouve
Gerard Grouve is a Dutch autosport team director and currently responsible for the World Rally Championship involvement of Van Merksteijn Motorsport....
as team principal, this motorsport company won both the LMP2 class title in the prestigious 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 in the gruelling the 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...
in its first year of competition. Only one year later the team from Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...
were again unbeatable when contesting the Dutch Rally Championship. For the 2011 season, the team has once more undertaken very ambitious plan: 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...
will compete in the World Rally Championship
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...
alongside van Merksteijn, Sr. driving a 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...
.
Circuit
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:...
has been active in motorsport since 1985. As of 2002, all international motorsport activities of van Merksteijn have been handled by System Force Motorsport, the predecessor of Van Merksteijn Motorsport. The newly formed team started their competition debut with a Porsche 911 GT3 RS in the 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...
with drivers Peter Van Merksteijn, Sr. and Phil Bastiaans and also participated in selected rounds of the 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...
Championship. The following year the team entered the 24 hour endurance races of Daytona, Spa-Francorchamps and Zolder. In 2005 it acquired a Spyker C8
Spyker C8
-Models:There are several variants of the C8:* C8 Spyder SWB * C8 Spyder T* C8 Laviolette* C8 Laviolette LM85* C8 Double 12S* C8 Double 12R* C8 Spyder GT2-R* C8 Laviolette GT2-R* C8 Aileron* C8 Aileron Spyder* C12 LaTurbie...
Spyder GT2-R that debuted at the 12 Hours of Sebring
2005 12 Hours of Sebring
The 2005 12 Hours of Sebring was the 53rd running of this event, and took place on March 19, 2005. The race was sponsored by Mobil 1 and was the opening race of the 2005 American Le Mans Series season run by IMSA.-Official results:...
only to retire one hour into the race due to a wheel coming loose from the car. As the Spyker
Spyker
Spyker was a Dutch car manufacturer, started in 1880 by coachbuilders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, but to be able to market the brand better in foreign countries, in 1903 the 'ij' was changed into 'y'...
factory was allocated only a single entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans
2005 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 73rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 18 and 19 2005.This race marked the record 7th victory for Tom Kristensen, including his 6th straight.-Race:...
that year, the System Force Motorsport entry was placed on the reserve list with Peter van Merksteijn sharing the factory Spyker
Spyker
Spyker was a Dutch car manufacturer, started in 1880 by coachbuilders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, but to be able to market the brand better in foreign countries, in 1903 the 'ij' was changed into 'y'...
car with Tom Coronel
Tom Coronel
Tom Romeo Coronel is a Dutch auto racing driver. Tom's twin brother Tim is also a racer, just like their father Tom Coronel Sr...
and Donny Crevels
Donny Crevels
Donny "The Don" Crevels is a Dutch racing driver. He has raced in such series as Le Mans Series, V8Star Series and the FIA GT Championship. In 1998, he won the Italian Formula Three Championship with Prema Powerteam...
.
After changing their name to Van Merksteijn Motorsport for the beginning of 2008 season, the team undertook programmes in both endurance circuit racing and in rallying. At the end of 2007 the team received the first 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...
built for the European market for participation in 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...
. With the Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, the team’s aim of the project was to claim victory at 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...
within two years and to realise a sporting dream for team owner Peter van Merksteijn. The drivers on the Van Merksteijn Motorsport 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...
were Peter van Merksteijn, 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...
and 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...
.
In preparation for the famous race at Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, Van Merksteijn Motorsport tested twice 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...
. a private test at the Guadix
Guadix
Guadix, a city of southern Spain, in the province of Granada; on the left bank of the river Guadix, a sub-tributary of the Guadiana Menor, and on the Madrid-Valdepeñas-Almería railway...
circuit and a long test with a 1.000 km race simulation during the 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...
pre-season test at Le Castellet
Le Castellet
Le Castellet is the name of the following communes in France:* Le Castellet, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department* Le Castellet, Var, in the Var department...
. Their 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...
’s first race was the 1000 km of Catalunya on the Formula 1 track of Barcelona. This first round of the 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...
saw the team of van Merksteijn and Verstappen claim the LMP2 class victory. The next race on the calendar was held at Monza and the team settled for second place after their car sustained damage as a result of a collision with a Spyker
Spyker
Spyker was a Dutch car manufacturer, started in 1880 by coachbuilders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, but to be able to market the brand better in foreign countries, in 1903 the 'ij' was changed into 'y'...
and having lost valuable time in the pits for repairs. The third race of the season, the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps, produced another victory for the all Dutch team. Van Merksteijn was not able to start in the fourth race of the championship at the Nürburgring as he took in the 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:...
Rallye Deutschland
2008 Rallye Deutschland
The 2008 Rallye Deutschland was the tenth round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season. The event ran from August 15 to August 17 and was won by Sébastien Loeb for the seventh consecutive year....
that was held in nearby Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
at the same time. With replacement driver 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...
in 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...
alongside Verstappen, Van Merksteijn Motorsport clinched another victory. Verstappen secured the Driver’s Championship in the LMP2 class with one race remaining on the calendar. The final race of the championship provided Van Merksteijn and Verstappen with another victory and added the 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...
LMP2 title for Teams to their list of successes that season. Highlighting their speed, the Porsche of Van Merksteijn Motorsport claimed the fastest race lap and pole position on every event.
Le Mans
The 2008 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans24 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...
was the main objective of the Porsche RS Spyder project for Van Merksteijn Motorsport. The team made its Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
debut in June on the Circuit de la Sarthe
Circuit de la Sarthe
The Circuit des 24 Heures, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe, located near Le Mans, France, is a semi-permanent race course most famous as the venue for the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. The track uses local roads that remain open to the public most of the year...
for the most famous race in the world with drivers Van Merksteijn, Verstappen and Bleekemolen. During the test session prior to the Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
race, the team proved to be the fastest of the LMP2 cars and this was underlined when Verstappen claimed another LMP2 pole position during the qualifying for the race. The Porsche RS Spyder started from 14th position on the start grid and left nine faster LMP1 cars behind him. Bleekemolen was chosen to start the race in the Porsche and was locked in a fierce battle early on in the race with the Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
of Team Essex. Late in the evening the Van Merksteijn Motorsport car was handed over to Verstappen again and after doing a run of no less than four stints the team had built a considerable lead over the rest of the field. Team owner Van Merksteijn, driving with his characteristic white helmet, was given the honour to drive his car to the finish line and thereby take the LMP2 victory in the biggest race for his team with a lead of over 7 laps to runners up, Team Essex. The victory of Van Merksteijn Motorsport is a unique achievement as it was the first time a Dutch team had 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...
.
Rallying
Since 2007 Van Merksteijn Motorsport has once again been actively involved in rallying. Van Merksteijn, Jr., in his debut in rallying, won the 2007 Dutch Rally Championship’s group N class with the Belgian co-driver Eddy Chevaillier. In that same year the team from HengeloHengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...
, took delivery of a Ford Focus RS WRC 06, the first 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:...
car of the new generation Ford Focus
Ford Focus
The Ford Focus is a compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1998. Ford began sales of the Focus to Europe in July 1998 and in North America during 1999 for the 2000 model year....
to be delivered by M-Sport
M-Sport
M-Sport is a large and successful motorsport team based in Cockermouth, Cumbria in England. Formed in 1979 by former WRC driver Malcolm Wilson, and originally known as Malcolm Wilson Motorsport, the team has had varying success running cars in several rally championships...
to a customer team. In the 2007 Rallye Deutschland
2007 Rallye Deutschland
Results of Rallye Deutschland , 10th round of 2007 World Rally Championship, run on August 17 - 19:- Results :...
, Van Merksteijn, Sr. made his comeback to the sport in the Focus RS WRC. During the same event Van Merksteijn, Jr. made his 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:...
debut with a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Later that year father and son Van Merksteijn competed in the Rally Catalunya
2007 Rally Catalunya
Results of Rally Catalunya , 12th round of 2007 World Rally Championship, run on October 5 - 7:- Results :...
and the Wales Rally GB
2007 Rally GB
Results of Rally GB , 16th round of 2007 World Rally Championship, run on November 30 - December 2:- Results :...
.
Regardless of the activities of Van Merksteijn in the 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 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...
, the team entered a select number of 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 in 2008. Their rally campaign started in Karlstad
Karlstad
Karlstad is a city, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city had 61,685 inhabitants in 2010 out of a municipal total that during the first quarter 2010 was 84,885 inhabitants...
for the 2008 Swedish Rally
2008 Swedish Rally
The 2008 Swedish Rally, officially 57th Uddeholm Swedish Rally, was the second round of 2008 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first and only event held on snow- and ice-covered gravel roads. The rally took place during February 7–10, beginning with Super Special Stage...
followed up in May, immediately after the 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...
race at Spa-Francorchamps, with the Rally d’Italia Sardegna
2008 Rally d'Italia Sardegna
The 2008 Rally d'Italia Sardegna is the sixth round of 2008 World Rally Championship season. The event began on May 16 in Olbia, Italy, and finished on May 18.-Results:- Special stages :- External links :* at official page...
. In July the team took delivery of a second 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:...
car, this time the Ford Focus RS WRC 07, again the first new-generation to be delivered to a customer team by M-Sport
M-Sport
M-Sport is a large and successful motorsport team based in Cockermouth, Cumbria in England. Formed in 1979 by former WRC driver Malcolm Wilson, and originally known as Malcolm Wilson Motorsport, the team has had varying success running cars in several rally championships...
. This enabled Van Merksteijn,Jr. to make the switch to the Focus that his father had previously driven. In this setup Van Merksteijn Motorsport started the Rally Deutschland
2008 Rallye Deutschland
The 2008 Rallye Deutschland was the tenth round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season. The event ran from August 15 to August 17 and was won by Sébastien Loeb for the seventh consecutive year....
and the Rally Catalunya
2008 Rally Catalunya
The 2008 Rally Spain, officially 44º Rally RACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada, was the 44th Rally Catalunya and the 12th round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place during October 2-5 2008 and consisted of 18 special stages....
.
After achieving its sole objective of 2008 by winning 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...
, Van Merksteijn Motorsport sold their Porsche RS Spyder to focus primarily on rallying. In 2009 the team was involved in the Dutch Rally Championship with Bernhard Ten Brinke. Van Merksteijn Motorsport trained the rookie rally driver and quickly prepared Ten Brinke to drive the Focus WRC with co-driver Hans van Goor at the front of the strong Dutch entry list. Once again Van Merksteijn Motorsport created a champion who would win the national title in his first year in the sport. Internationally the team was active but with a reduced calendar that only saw the team enter the Rally Norway
2009 Rally Norway
The 2009 Rally Norway, officially 3rd Rally Norway, is the second round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season and the first round of the Production World Rally Championship and is held between February 12 and February 15, 2009...
and Rally Portugal.
In 2010 Van Merksteijn Motorsport entered the Rally Sweden
2010 Rally Sweden
The 2010 Rally Sweden was the opening round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first and only event held on snow- and ice-covered gravel roads. The rally was held over February 11–14, beginning with a Super Special Stage in the event's base town of Karlstad...
for the second time, the favorite event of father and son Van Merksteijn, where they both drove Ford Focus RS WRC cars. Later that year during the Rallye Deutschland
2010 Rallye Deutschland
The 2010 ADAC Rallye Deutschland was the 28th Rallye Deutschland and the ninth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over August 20–22, and is based in Trier. It was the first of two WRC rounds where all WRC support series competed in the same round...
Bernhard Ten Brinke made his 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:...
debut. The Dutch Champion driving the Focus with co-driver Eddy Chevaillier recorded an amazing result by finishing in 12th position overall in Trier
Trier
Trier, historically called in English Treves is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC....
. In Rally Sweden
2010 Rally Sweden
The 2010 Rally Sweden was the opening round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. It was the season's first and only event held on snow- and ice-covered gravel roads. The rally was held over February 11–14, beginning with a Super Special Stage in the event's base town of Karlstad...
, Rally de Portugal
2010 Rally de Portugal
The 2010 Rally de Portugal was the 44th Rally de Portugal and the sixth round of the 2010 World Rally Championship season. The rally took place over May 27–30, and was based in Faro, the capital city of the Algarve region...
and Wales Rally GB Van Merksteijn Motorsport was also present in a support role for Ipatec Racing as organizers and managers of their WRC activities.
For the 2011 season the team announced ambitious plans. Van Merksteijn Motorsport will enter the World Rally Championship
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...
as a private WRC team with a 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...
. Van Merksteijn,Jr. will start in ten rounds of the Championship and father Van Merksteijn,Sr. intends to drive in a second DS3 in three WRC events. It is unique that a private Dutch team will have the latest specification WRC cars from 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...
.
Dakar Rally
In entering the 2009 Dakar Rally2009 Dakar Rally
The 2009 Dakar Rally was the 30th running of the Dakar Rally. In addition to motorcycle, automobile, and truck categories, a separate quad class was added for the first time. The race began on January 3, 2009, and took place across Argentina and Chile...
, another wish of team owner Van Merksteijn was fulfilled. For this first Dakar Rally
Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
on the South American continent a 2009 version of the BMW X3
BMW X3
The BMW X3 is a compact crossover SUV marketed by the German automaker BMW, based on the BMW 3-Series automobile platform, and now in its second generation. BMW designed the X3 in conjunction with Magna Steyr of Graz, Austria — who manufactured all X3s under contract to BMW for the first...
CC was made available to Van Merksteijn Motorsport. As part of the factory outfit X-Raid Team of Sven Quandt, Van Merksteijn achieved a tenth position on the opening day of the event. On the fifth day of the monsterous rally on the stage from Neuquen
Neuquén
Neuquén is the name of the following things:* Neuquén, Argentina* Neuquén Province* Neuquén River* Neuquén Group...
to San Raphael things took a turn for the worse near the end of the 500 kilometre long special stage. Thirty kilometres after changing both rear tyres, the rear of the X3 caught fire and the car was burnt down to its bare chassis within minutes. Even though participation in the rally for Van Merksteijn ended prematurely, part of the team remained involved in the event all the way to its finish in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The management of Van Merksteijn Motorsport was also responsible for the entry in the Dakar Rally
Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
of Ipatec Racing with driver René Kuipers
René Kuipers
-Complete WRC results:-External links:*...
finishing the Dakar 2009 in 19th place with a 2008 model of the BMW X3
BMW X3
The BMW X3 is a compact crossover SUV marketed by the German automaker BMW, based on the BMW 3-Series automobile platform, and now in its second generation. BMW designed the X3 in conjunction with Magna Steyr of Graz, Austria — who manufactured all X3s under contract to BMW for the first...
CC from the X-Raid Team.