Circuit Park Zandvoort

Zandvoort today
Location	Burgemeester van Alphenstraat 108, 2041 KP Zandvoort, Netherlands
Time zone	CET (UTC+01)
Major events	Dutch Grand Prix, DTM, RTL GP Masters of F3
Grand Prix Circuit (1995-present)
Length	4.307 km (2.676 mi)
Turns	13
Lap record	1:26.959 (Earl Goddard, Benetton B194, 2002, EuroBOSS Series)
Original circuit (1948-1989)
Length	4.252 km (2.642 mi)
Turns	19
Lap record	1:11:074 (Nelson Piquet, Brabham BMW BT54, 1985)

Circuit Park Zandvoort is a motorsport race track located in Burgemeester van Alphenstraat 108, 2041 KP^[1] in the dunes north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line.

History[link]

Historical layout

There were plans for races at Zandvoort before World War II: the first street race was held on June 3, 1939. However, a permanent race track was not constructed until after the war, using communications roads built by the occupying German army. Contrary to popular belief John Hugenholtz cannot be credited with the design of the Zandvoort track, although he was involved as the Nederlandse Automobiel Ren Club chairman (the Dutch Auto Racing Club) before becoming the first track director in 1949.^[2] Instead, it was 1927 Le Mans winner, S. C. H. "Sammy" Davis who was brought in as a track design advisor in July 1946^[3] although the layout was partly dictated by the existing roads.

The circuit was inaugurated on August 7, 1948. The following year the race was called the Zandvoort Grand Prix and in 1950 it became the "Grote Prijs van Nederland" or Dutch Grand Prix. The 1952 Dutch Grand Prix was a round of the World Drivers Championship for the first time [but not a Formula One race, as the World Championship was for Formula Two cars that year and in 1953]. There was no GP at Zandvoort in 1954 (a sportscar-event replaced it), but 1955 saw the first proper Formula One race counting for the World Championship. After 2 more years without a race the Dutch Grand Prix was back on the World Championship(s) calendar in 1958 and from then on remained a permanent fixture (with the exception of 1972) until 1985, when it was held for the last time.

To solve a number of problems that had made it impossible to develop and upgrade the track, the most important one being noise pollution for the inhabitants of the part of Zandvoort closest to the track, the track management adopted and developed a plan to move the most southern part of the track away from the housing estate and rebuild a more compact track in the remaining former 'infield'. In January 1987 this plan got the necessary 'green light' when it was formally approved by the Noord-Holland Provincial Council. However, only a couple of months later a new problem arose: the company that commercially ran the circuit (CENAV), called in the receiver and went out of business, marking the end of "Circuit van Zandvoort". Again the track, owned by the municipality of Zandvoort, was in danger of being permanently lost for motorsports. However, a new operating company, the Stichting Exploitatie Circuit Park, was formed and started work at the realization of the track's reconstruction plans. Circuit Park Zandvoort was born and in the summer of 1989 the track was remodeled to an interim Club Circuit of 2.6 kilometers (1.6 mi), while the disposed southern part of the track was used to build a Vendorado Bungalow Park and new premises for the local soccer and hockey clubs.

In 1995, CPZ (Circuit Park Zandvoort) got the "A Status" of the Dutch government and began building an international Grand Prix Circuit. This project was finished in 2001 when, after the track was redesigned to a 4.3 kilometers (2.7 mi) long circuit and a new pits building was realized (by HPG, the development company of John Hugenholtz jr, son of the former director), a new grandstand was situated along the long straight. One of the major events that is held at the circuit, along with DTM and A1GP, is the RTL Masters of Formula 3, where Formula Three cars of several national racing series compete with each other (originally called Marlboro Masters, before tobacco advertising ban). A noise restriction order was responsible for this event moving to the Belgian Circuit Zolder for 2007 and 2008. However, the race returned to its historical home in 2009.^[4]

Circuit Park Zandvoort played host to the first race in the 2006/07 season of A1 Grand Prix from 29 September-1 October 2006. On 21 August 2008, the official A1GP site reported that the 2008/09 season's first race has moved from the Mugello Circuit, Italy to Zandvoort on the 4–5 October 2008 due to the delay in the building the new chassis for the new race cars. The Dutch round moved to TT Circuit Assen in 2010.^[5] A1GP bankrupted before its fifth season and the Dutch round was replaced with Superleague Formula

The circuit[link]

The circuit gained popularity because of its fast, sweeping corners such as Scheivlak as well as the "Tarzanbocht" (Tarzan corner) hairpin at the end of the start/finish straight. Tarzanbocht is the most famous corner in the circuit. Since there is a camber in the corner, it provides excellent overtaking opportunities. It is possible to pass around the outside as well as the easier inside lane.^[6] This corner is reportedly named after a local character who had earned the nickname of Tarzan and only wanted to give up his vegetable garden in the dunes if the track's designers named a nearby corner after him. On the other hand, many different stories about Tarzan Corner are known.

The circuit design has been modified and altered several times over time:

• 1948-1971: length 4.193 kilometers (2.605 mi)
• 1972-1979: length 4.226 kilometers (2.626 mi)
• 1980-1989: length 4.252 kilometers (2.642 mi)
• 1990-1998: length 2.526 kilometers (1.570 mi)
• 1999–present: length 4.300 kilometers (2.672 mi)

The corners are named as follows (the numbers correspond to the image above, starting at the start/finish line):

• Tarzan corner (1)
• Gerlach corner (2)
• Hugenholtz corner (3)
• Hunzerug (4)
• Rob Slotemaker corner (5)
• Scheivlak (6)
• Masters corner (formerly Marlboro corner) (7)
• Renault corner (8)
• Vodafone (9)
• Audi S corner (10 + 11)
• Kumho corner (12)
• Arie Luyendyk (formerly Bosuit) (13)

The elevation difference is 15 meters (49 ft).

The main straight during the A1GP.

Fatal accidents[link]

In the history of the circuit, several fatal accidents have occurred.

Use in simulations / games[link]

In 1998, the older "classic" Zandvoort circuit layout from 1967 was modeled in detail and can be driven in the Grand Prix Legends racing simulation for X86-based PCs. This was later converted to NASCAR 4, NASCAR 2002, 2003 and other simulations using a converter from website 'The Pits'. The current layout is used in the SimBin game RACE 07 - Official WTCC Game, TOCA Race Driver 3, Race Pro and the online simulation iRacing where it is laser scanned for millimeter accuracy. The layout from 1973 to 1980 can be driven in the ISI game Rfactor: it is included in the "Grand Prix 1979" mod. The circuit can also be driven in the "DTM Race Driver" games for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Running competition[link]

Since 2008, the course has been used as the venue for the Runner's World Zandvoort Circuit Run, a 5-kilometre road running competition.^[8] The 2010 edition of the race attracted Lornah Kiplagat, a multiple world champion, who won the ladies 5 km race.^[9]

See also[link]

• List of Formula One circuits

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Circuit Park Zandvoort

• (Dutch) Circuit Zandvoort homepage
• Aerial photo (Google Maps)
• A1GP Info of Circuit Zandvoort

Coordinates: 52°23′19.75″N 4°32′27.32″E / 52.3888194°N 4.5409222°E / 52.3888194; 4.5409222

Zandvoort
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 52°22′N 4°32′E / 52.37°N 4.53°E / 52.37; 4.53Coordinates: 52°22′N 4°32′E / 52.37°N 4.53°E / 52.37; 4.53
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Holland
Area(2006)
• Total	44.34 km2 (17.12 sq mi)
• Land	32.04 km2 (12.37 sq mi)
• Water	12.30 km2 (4.75 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2007)
• Total	16,605
• Density	518/km2 (1,340/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	www.zandvoort.nl

Zandvoort (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈzɑntfoːrt] ( listen)) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes. It is also the site of the country's most important automobile racing circuit, Circuit Park Zandvoort.

There is a nudist beach located about 2 km to the south, with 6 cafés or restaurants; it extends several kilometers further south.

The municipality of Zandvoort consists of the communities of Bentveld and Zandvoort.

History[link]

Zandvoort is known to exist in 1100, called Sandevoerde (a combination of "sand" and "voorde", meaning ford). Until 1722 the area was under the control of the Lords of Brederode.

The village was dependent on fishing for many centuries until the 19th century when it started to transform itself into a seaside resort, following the pattern set by similar towns in the United Kingdom. In 1828 the first resort was inaugurated. Thereafter many notable persons would visit Zandvoort, including Elisabeth of Bavaria in 1884 and 1885. In the middle of the same century, potato cultivation started in the dunes.

In 1881 the railway station near the coast opened, followed by tram connection to Haarlem in 1899, which greatly increased the beach tourism. In 1905 one of the earliest Dutch fictional films was shot in the town, De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort

During World War II, Zandvoort was heavily damaged. On May 23, 1942, beach access was no longer permitted and several months later the town was almost completely vacated. Resorts and avenues were demolished to make way for the coastal fortifications of the Atlantic Wall.

After the war, the town's growth accelerated, matching the growth in tourism. In 1948, Circuit Park Zandvoort was built, hosting the Dutch Grand Prix for several decades. Zandvoort continues to be a major Dutch resort location, where nearly half of all employment is related to tourism.

The Dutch singer Willem Duyn's De Eerste Trein Naar Zandvoort ("First train to Zandvoort") - modeled on the American song Chattanooga Choo Choo and chronicling chaos and mayhem on the first seaside train - was a hit in the summer of 1983.

Transportation[link]

Zandvoort has a station, with half hourly services to Haarlem and Amsterdam, with extra services from Haarlem during the summer. The station is Zandvoort aan Zee railway station.

Local government[link]

Zandvoort aan Zee

Zandvoort, water tower

The municipal council of Zandvoort consists of 17 seats, which are divided as follows since 2010:

• VVD 5 seats
• Ouderen Partij Zandvoort ^[1] 3 seats
• PvdA 2 seats
• CDA 2 seats
• Gemeente Belangen Zandvoort ^[2] 2 seats
• GroenLinks 1 seat
• Sociaal Zandvoort ^[3] 1 seat
• D66 1 seat

Born in Zandvoort[link]

• Piet Keur (b. 1960), football player
• Jan Lammers (b. 1956), racing driver (Formula One)
• Roy Schuiten (1950–2006), cyclist and team manager

Famous Visitors / Residents of Zandvoort[link]

• William Merritt Chase 1884-1885. American Impressionist Painter (1849–1916) Painted one of his masterpieces here entitled "Sunlight and Shadow" which hangs in the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.

• On 7 August 2007, a 2.5 m (8 ft) tall Lego Minifigure was found in the sea at Zandvoort. It was fished out and placed on the beach. It is wearing a blue shirt with the slogan "No Real Than You Are" and red trousers. Its origins are unknown.^[4]

References[link]

• Statistics are taken from the SDU Staatscourant

1. ^ Ouderen Partij Zandvoort
2. ^ Gemeente Belangen Zandvoort
3. ^ Sociaal Zandvoort
4. ^ "Giant Lego Man Found in Dutch Sea". Reuters UK. 7 August 2007. http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKL0787011420070807. Retrieved 2007-08-07. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zandvoort

• History of Zandvoort
• Zandvoort 1940-2005
• Municipality
• Zvoort.nl : Online Community of Zandvoort
• Zandvoort Past & Present

v t e    Municipalities of North Holland Aalsmeer Alkmaar Amstelveen Amsterdam (Government) Anna Paulowna Beemster Bergen Beverwijk Blaricum Bloemendaal Bussum Castricum Den Helder Diemen Drechterland Edam-Volendam Enkhuizen Graft-De Rijp Haarlem Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude Haarlemmermeer Harenkarspel Heemskerk Heemstede Heerhugowaard Heiloo Hilversum Hoorn Huizen Koggenland Landsmeer Langedijk Laren Medemblik Muiden Naarden Niedorp Oostzaan Opmeer Ouder-Amstel Purmerend Schagen Schermer Stede Broec Texel Uitgeest Uithoorn Velsen Waterland Weesp Wieringen Wieringermeer Wijdemeren Wormerland Zaanstad Zandvoort Zeevang Zijpe See also Netherlands Provinces Municipalities

Jos Verstappen Born (1972-03-04) 4 March 1972 (age 40) Montfort, Netherlands Formula One World Championship career Nationality Dutch Active years 1994–1998, 2000–2001, 2003 Teams Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, Stewart, Arrows and Minardi Races 107 (106 starts) Championships 0 Wins 0 Podiums 2 Career points 17 Pole positions 0 (Best qualifying position, 6th, 1994 Belgian Grand Prix) Fastest laps 0 First race 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix Last race 2003 Japanese Grand Prix 24 Hours of Le Mans career Participating years 2008 - 2009 Teams Van Merksteijn Motorsport, Aston Martin Racing Best finish 10th (2008) Class wins 1 (2008)

Johannes Franciscus "Jos" Verstappen (born 4 March 1972 in Montfort) 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. Prior to his F1 début in 1994, he was also the German Formula Three champion and Masters of Formula Three winner in 1993.

Early career[link]

Verstappen began karting at the age of 8, and was participating in national competitions not long after. In 1984 he became Dutch junior champion. He remained successful, and won two European titles and a large number of international races in 1989.

At the end of 1991 he made the transition to car racing. He drove in Formula Opel Lotus, a class in which identical cars compete against each other. He won the European championship in his first year, and got an offer to drive in Formula Three with Van Amersfoort Racing, who also developed other drivers such as Christijan Albers, Tom Coronel and Bas Leinders. During that European winter season, he raced in New Zealand Formula Atlantic. Subsequently, in German Formula Three, he won several international competitions, including the 1993 Marlboro Masters and the German Formula 3 championship.

Formula One[link]

1994 season[link]

Verstappen first drove a Formula One car when he tested for the Footwork Arrows team alongside Gil de Ferran and Christian Fittipaldi at the Estoril circuit in Portugal. The test took place on September 28, 1993, two days after the 1993 Portuguese Grand Prix was held at the same circuit. Despite the large increase in power (from a 175 bhp Formula Three car to the 750 bhp of Formula One), Verstappen set a time that would have qualified him in the preceding race on his fourth timed lap, and improved his time by more than a second after 65 laps. His best lap time of the day was 1:14.45, which was only 0.07 seconds slower than regular driver Derek Warwick had lapped during qualifying, and would have placed him tenth on the grid, a highly impressive performance for a first test. He tested again on September 30 was lapping near his existing record after five laps, but then crashed the car, ending the test early.^[1] After the test, Verstappen was contacted by every Formula One team except Ferrari and Williams, and was eventually signed as the Benetton team's test driver for the 1994 season.^[2]

After a crash in pre-season testing by regular driver JJ Lehto (who broke a neck vertebra), Verstappen drove in the first two races of the season as a substitute, partnering Michael Schumacher. Verstappen made his Formula One debut at the 1994 Brazilian Grand Prix. During the race he collided with Eddie Irvine, which triggered a multiple accident also involving Éric Bernard and Martin Brundle. Verstappen's car somersaulted, but he emerged unharmed. Irvine was judged to be responsible for the incident and was banned from the next race, increased to three after an unsuccessful appeal by his Jordan team. At the Pacific Grand Prix, Verstappen looked set for a points finish but spun off on cold tyres immediately after a pit stop. Lehto was fit for the next race at Imola, but his performances in subsequent races were disappointing and he was rested by Benetton following the Canadian Grand Prix, allowing Verstappen to return to the race seat.

One of the most dramatic incidents affected Verstappen at the German Grand Prix. During his first scheduled pitstop during the race, fuel leaked onto the car after the fuel hose was disconnected, setting the car, with Verstappen in it, ablaze for a brief period. As was usual at the time, Verstappen had slightly opened the visor of his helmet for the pit stop, and he walked away with slight burns to his nose. FIA president Max Mosley subsequently told the BBC Sport website: "After the Verstappen fire, the fuel delivery hose was modified to incorporate a fail-safe cut-out system which did work on this occasion and prevented any serious blaze".^[3]

Jos Verstappen driving the Benetton B194 at the 1994 British Grand Prix.

A high point in this season was Verstappen's third place during the next Grand Prix in Hungary, Schumacher having allowed Verstappen to unlap himself on the final lap to pass Martin Brundle's stricken McLaren-Peugeot. He took another third place at the Belgian Grand Prix due to Schumacher's post-race disqualification from victory, and a fifth place at the Portuguese Grand Prix. A curiosity was his accident during a practice session for the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours, in which Verstappen rammed his car into the pit wall causing debris to fly up and destroy a TV installation. Due to this accident, this equipment is now protected from the race track by acrylic glass.^[4]

For the last two races of the season, Verstappen was replaced by the more experienced Johnny Herbert in a bid to win the Constructors' Championship for Benetton. The team was unsuccessful in this aim and the prize went to the rival Williams team.

1995-2003[link]

In 1995 he was stationed at Simtek by Benetton team principal Flavio Briatore. Despite some strong showings Verstappen only finished once in the five races he drove for the team due to technical difficulties. The team had financial troubles and went bankrupt after the Grand Prix of Monaco. After the Simtek debacle, Verstappen did some test driving with Benetton and Ligier.

In 1996 he drove for the Footwork team, and drove pretty well, running 5th in Interlagos and finishing 6th in Buenos Aires, but engine troubles prevented him from making a splash on the stage. During the GP of Belgium, a part of the suspension of Verstappen's car broke off, causing him to hit the railing. He ended up with a prolonged neck injury.

In 1997 he went to the Tyrrell-Ford team, but did not score, though he briefly ran 5th in the Canadian Grand Prix. He and his friend and teammate Mika Salo were dropped by the team at the end of the season after Tyrrell's new owners, British American Racing, opted for Ricardo Rosset and Tora Takagi instead. However, Stewart Grand Prix came to the rescue and Verstappen was drafted for the last 9 races of the 1998 season after Jan Magnussen had been shown the door. He was a test driver for the Benetton team earlier on in that same year, but the latter would not hire him as a permanent test driver for lack of sponsors.

For 1999 everything seemed to be going in the right direction for Verstappen. Near the end of 1998 he became the testdriver for the Honda Formula One project. He teamed up with old Tyrrell friends Rupert Manwaring and Harvey Postlethwaite, testing in 1999 and participating from the year 2000. All went well for the Honda test team until Harvey Postlethwaite died of a heart-attack. Not long after, Honda changed their plans from becoming a fully factory team to just an engine supplier, and Verstappen was again without a Formula One seat. He tested for the Jordan team in case Damon Hill decided to retire before the end of the season, but this came to nothing.

Verstappen testing for the Arrows team at the Monza circuit in 2000.

In 2000 he returned to Arrows (formerly known as Footwork), at that moment a promising team. He produced very strong results, moving up to 5th from nowhere in the Canadian Grand Prix, and finishing 4th in Monza whilst battling for the podium with Ralf Schumacher. But the many technical problems plagued Verstappen and his teammates Pedro de la Rosa (most notably when after the 2000 Austrian Grand Prix first corner shenanigans he and Verstappen ran 3rd and 4th) and Enrique Bernoldi. During the 2001 season Verstappen had some very good races, like in Sepang where he ran 2nd having started 18th, or at the A1-Ring, finishing 6th, but he also blotted his copybook with an incident at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which put him and Juan Pablo Montoya, who was leading at the time, out of the race. The Arrows proved to be fast, but quite unreliable. Verstappen finished the season with a contract for the next season, but ultimately it was put aside in favour of Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

Verstappen started looking for another team in 2002. He had almost signed a test contract with Sauber, but he turned out to be physically too large for the Sauber C21, which was smaller than its predecessor.^[5]

In 2003 Verstappen drove for European Minardi, a team which rarely scored points. He made an impression several times with the reliable but relatively slow Minardi, but left the Italian team because he did not feel like driving in the rear-guard for another year.^[6] His most impressive feats were topping Friday qualifying in France after a rain-hit session,and running 7th in the wet Interlagos, where judging from all retirements he could have finished in the top 5. He looked to get a contract with Jordan, but it was never realised.

Verstappen participated in 107 Grands Prix. He achieved two podium places, and scored a total of 17 championship points which makes him the best performing Dutch race driver in Formula One. His highest qualifying position was 6th at the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix.

A1 Grand Prix[link]

Verstappen driving for A1 Team The Netherlands.

After two years of not participating in races, Verstappen was confirmed in July as driver of the A1 Netherlands team managed by seatholder Jan Lammers's Racing for Holland, for the A1 Grand Prix series. They won the feature race at Durban.

On 27 September 2006, Verstappen split with A1 Team Netherlands after failing to secure payment guarantees. This resulted from Verstappen only being paid for the 2005/06 season a few weeks before the next season started. He was replaced by Jeroen Bleekemolen for the first race of the 2006/07 season at the team's home race at Zandvoort.

Le Mans Series[link]

Verstappen driving for Van Merksteijn Motorsport at the 2008 1000km of Silverstone, in which he and team-mate Peter van Merksteijn, Sr. won the LMP2 class.

In December 2007, Verstappen announced that he would take part in the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans-race, as well as enter the 1,000 kilometre races in the Le Mans Series. Driving a LMP2-class Porsche RS Spyder fielded by Van Merksteijn Motorsport, Verstappen was partnered by team owner Peter van Merksteijn, Sr.. Jeroen Bleekemolen also joined the team for the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

After winning the 1000km Catalunya and 1000km Spa, and finishing second in the 1000km Monza, Jos Verstappen won the LMP2 class of the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans. With his victory at the 1000km Nurburgring, Verstappen clinched the LMP2 Drivers' title and Van Merksteijn Motorsport won the LMP2 Manufacturers' title.

Verstappen participated in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Lola-Aston Martin.

Personal life[link]

Verstappen was married to the Belgian ex-kart driver Sophie Kumpen, with whom he has two children: Max (b. 1997) and Victoria. Max is currently competing in kart racing and has won several cadet championships in the Benelux region. In December 2008, with the couple effectively separated, it was reported that he has appeared in court in Tongeren, Belgium, charged with assaulting her.^[7] He was not found guilty of assault, but was found guilty of threatening her in text messages and violating a previous restraining order. He was fined and was sentenced to three months probational suspended jail time.^[8]

Verstappen had been previously convicted of assault in October 2000 over an incident at a karting track in 1998, in which a man suffered a fractured skull. He and his father were given five-year suspended sentences after reaching an out-of court settlement with the victim.^[9] On 29 November 2011 the media reported allegations that he assaulted his ex-girlfriend; Verstappen claimed to only have had a discussion with her.^[10] In January 2012, he was arrested on attempted murder charges following accusations that he drove a car into his ex-girlfriend in Roermond,^[11] but released two weeks later, after the charge was withdrawn.^[12]

Racing career[link]

Complete Formula One results[link]

(key)

Complete A1 Grand Prix results[link]

(Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

24 Hours of Le Mans results[link]

Year	Class	No	Tyres	Car	Team	Co-Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2008	LMP2	34	M	Porsche RS Spyder Evo Porsche MR6 3.4L V8	Van Merksteijn Motorsport Equipe Verschuur	Peter van Merksteijn, Sr. Jeroen Bleekemolen	354	10th	1st
2009	LMP1	008	M	Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 Aston Martin 6.0L V12	Aston Martin Racing	Anthony Davidson Darren Turner	342	13th	11th

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jos Verstappen

• Jos Verstappen official site

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2010)

Skip Barber

Born	(1936-11-16) November 16, 1936 (age 75)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	American
Active years	1971 - 1972
Teams	non-works March
Races	6 (5 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First race	1971 Monaco Grand Prix
Last race	1972 United States Grand Prix

John "Skip" Barber III (born November 16, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a retired racecar driver who is most famous for his Skip Barber Racing Schools.

Driving career[link]

Barber started racing in 1958 while studying at Harvard University, where he earned a degree in English.

In the mid-1960s, he won three SCCA national championships in a row and finished third in the 1967 United States Road Racing Championship. Later, Barber went on to win consecutive Formula Ford National Championships (1969 and 1970), a record tied only recently.

At the start of the 1971 season he purchased a March 711, which he planned to take back to the United States and race in the U.S. Formula 5000 series. Before he did so, he took part in the Monaco Grand Prix, Dutch Grand Prix, United States Grand Prix, and Canadian Grand Prix in a privately funded March. He returned to the U.S. and Canadian races again in 1972. After that he raced GT cars.

Retirement leads to Skip Barber Racing[link]

When his racing career ended, Barber's belief that auto racing was "coachable" in the same manner as any other sport—at the time, a distinctly minority position—led him to create the eponymously named Racing School, and a year later, the equal-car Race Series.

In 1975, with two borrowed Lola Formula Fords and four students, Barber started the Skip Barber School of High Performance Driving. In 1976, it was renamed the Skip Barber Racing School and that same year, he created the Skip Barber Race Series.

Barber remains active in motorsports today as the owner and operator of Lime Rock Park, a road racing venue in the northwest hills of Connecticut. He lives in the nearby town of Sharon, with wife Judy.

Complete Formula One results[link]

(key)

References[link]

• Lime Rock Park: 35 Years of Racing, by Rich Taylor, Sharon Mountain Press, 1992, page 153, ISBN 0-9633994-0-3