Jos drives Le Mans Series in Porsche RS Spyder!

Published on 27 December 2007 by Niels Hendrix

Under the banner of Van Merksteijn Motorsport by Equipe Verschuur, Jos Verstappen, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Peter van Merksteijn will be racing a Porsche RS Spyder sports prototype (LMP2) next season. The programme includes participation in the 1000 kilometre races of the Le Mans Series (LMS) plus the Le Mans 24 Hours, provided the team will receive an invitation from race organisers Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Jeroen Bleekemolen and Peter van Merksteijn already have a lot of experience in endurance racing, both having already raced at Le Mans as well. For Jos Verstappen, the most successful Formula 1 driver ever from The Netherlands with two podium finishes and 17 world championship from 107 Grand Prix starts, switching to endurance racing means an entirely new challenge. "The Porsche RS Spyder is a very good car and I have a lot of confidence in the team. I am really looking forward to this new duty," says Verstappen.

The Porsche RS Spyder, an open-top sports prototype especially built for endurance racing purposes, won eight of the twelve rounds of last season's American Le Mans Series, beating even the more powerful opponents from the LMP1-category. In 2008, the Porsche RS Spyder will be racing in Europe for the first time, a premiere eagerly awaited by many sports car fans. The Dutch team, Van Merksteijn Motorsport by Equipe Verschuur, is one of three teams having received the opportunity from Porsche Motorsport to enter such a car for the Le Mans Series. "It is a fantastic car and a fantastic project," says team owner, Peter van Merksteijn, who has entrusted preparation and running of the car to the seasoned specialists from Frans Verschuur's crew.

Jos Verstappen, who raced in Formula 1 from 1994 till 2003 for the Benetton, Simtek, Footwork, Tyrrell, Stewart, Arrows and Minardi teams and then competed for Team Netherlands in the inaugural season of the A1GP series, will be starting a new chapter in his motorsport career. "I am looking forward to being able to race again next season, and especially so in the Le Mans 24 Hours. That is a highlight for any racing driver," says Verstappen. "Endurance racing with its pit stops and driver changes is entirely new to me and I will have to learn a lot, but I am very confident that I will be able to succeed. Of course, Porsche is a great brand with many decades of experience and an incredible pedigree in motor racing. The team also consists of people who know their way at this level, so from that point of view, all the key factors are in place."

Peter van Merksteijn is equally enthusiastic about the two drivers who will be sharing driving duties with him behind the wheel of the Porsche RS Spyder. "For me, Jeroen Bleekemolen is the 'coming man' of this moment, while Jos Verstappen has made a great name for himself in motorsport," says Van Merksteijn. "Of course, they outclass me in terms of experience, but they both have promised that they will push and support me while I myself will be doing all I can to put in the best performance in terms of speed and fitness." Van Merksteijn, whose group of companies is among others specialized in the production of industrial fences, is a passionate motorsport enthusiast and a regular competitor in both rallies and races.

In preparation for the season, Van Merksteijn Motorsport by Equipe Verschuur will be completing a comprehensive test programme with the Porsche RS Spyder.

Calendar Le Mans Series 2008
2 & 3 March              Test Paul Ricard (France)
4, 5 & 6 April           1000 km Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain)
25, 26 & 27 April        1000 km Monza (Italy)
9, 10 & 11 May           1000 km Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
15, 16 & 17 August       1000 km Nürburgring (Germany)
12, 13 & 14 September    1000 km Silverstone (Great-Britain)

Calendar 24 Hours of Le Mans 2008
1 June                   Official test day at Le Mans
14 & 15 June             24 Hours of Le Mans

Niels Hendrix