Calvin de Groot scores an incredible first victory in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup at Zandvoort: “An incredible race!”

ZANDVOORT – Calvin de Groot (20) from Hoorn in the North of the Netherlands had a great weekend of racing at the Zandvoort circuit last weekend during the VRM Opening Race in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup. The Oeste Racing driver won the second race of the weekend, after he also drove strongly in the first race. He finished in fourth place in the general classification and entered the junior podium. Calvin was already satisfied after the first race, but he couldn’t believe his joy after his impressive victory at the Formula 1 circuit of Zandvoort.

A year ago, Calvin drove his first race in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup at the Zandvoort circuit. He already finished in fourth and second place, but he had a difficult season in general with ups and downs: “Last year we had several challenges at the circuit. We had moments when the pace was difficult to find and things were not always as we expected. But we learned a lot from those events we missed last season and improved one goal of this year: to be a champion,” he says with a smile on his face. The goal is clear and the first steps towards this goal have already been taken this weekend.

“We made a big effort as a team this weekend. On Saturday in qualifying we had a car that did a little better, it saw the wall when it was close,” he says about the fate of teammate Sonny Gavarert’s car. “And the team prepared the car together. But also my car, where we had to replace the gearbox. So we did everything together,” Calvin says proudly of his team. In qualifying, Calvin moved up to fourth place and had to start the race from P4 twice.

“The first race was really good at the beginning,” Calvin begins enthusiastically “I’ve never raced so fast we were in the tenth part of the time with three guys. Just OK.” In the end it started to slow down and the car started to skid because the tires were so hot, but because everyone was affected by this we didn’t have any losses.” After an impressive race, Calvin crossed the finish line in fourth place.

After this race, Calvin didn’t have much time to recover. A few hours later he started the second race of the day and restarted from P4. “We had a very good start. I immediately took third place. After this I worked to the front and that went really well,” he says enthusiastically about his victory. After that, he quickly made his way to the front of the field and took the lead on lap eight after a thrilling battle. He never gave up the lead and crossed the finish line with a good lead. He put teammates Nicolas Bever and Mathias Ronzani behind him.

Calvin crossed the finish line first twice before, but later lost the win. This time again it seems that it was three times the charm as Calvin crossed the finish line first. He celebrated the impressive victory with his father Mark: “Now it’s very important,” says Calvin calmly after a long sigh. “It’s great to be able to celebrate this with the team. I’m very happy and of course relieved. We’ve shown many times that the potential is there and the momentum is there, but it’s amazing to see that it’s now coming to fruition.”

Calvin not only works hard on the track, but he also works hard off the track to get the financial picture together. For example, the team works with Ford Vermeire from Knesselare, Belgium to get all the components of the car: “They give us all the necessary parts. This means that we can also get parts that you cannot order separately. And that we can get everything the same in detail. So We’re very supportive of that. That’s great.”

“Last year we did not only make progress in the circuit, but also in the field of donors, so the group of donors is very large and we have been able to convince many people who are interested, as a result this year we are in a good position. Still, Calvin is still looking for financial support to make sure he can run through the season.

Calvin is also already looking to the future and sees several good options to continue his career: “The NXT Gen Cup offers exciting possibilities for the future of motorsports. During our tests there we dominated and I strongly believe in the potential of electric racing. We are also exploring options like such as the Clio Cup, which brings new challenges and opportunities.

Calvin thanks his parents, team, friends, family, sponsors and activists who made the race a success this weekend.

Calvin de Groot is supported in his racing activities by:

Bedrijfunits.nl
Construction and Purification of He-Rho
MichelDoorn 24-hour barriers and sewage management
Cornelis carrosserie
Vitasys
Etlon BV
Inqar Adrie Jonk car rental
Zooo Nutrition
IT Studio Hoorn
Digital Signage Store
Information
RDGrowth Financial Services
Van Der Putten Cars
Tuatara Racing Gloves Sim
Syco Racing Radios
ORGB training
Fortune Coffee West-Friesland
Car Service Enkhuizen
NM of Vehicles