V-Max Racing, New Series Promises COVID-19 & Brexit-Proofing Racing!
Though it has been a long winter for most in the motorsport community, the same cannot be said for Dick van Elk.
The Dutchman has been at the helm of the Supercar Challenge powered by Hankook since its inception in 2001 and has had an extremely busy and productive off-season, further developing the long-running multi-class championship while also successfully running the Dutch Ford Fiesta Sprint and Mazda MX5 championships and launching the new-for 2021 BMW M2 CS championship.
With grids returning to full strength Van Elk’s championships and the experience of running events during a pandemic being put to good use, the championship organizers are helping teams adapt to new realities, and that includes Brexit!
“Everybody was shell-shocked and we had to be very adaptable to ever-changing requirements.” Van Elk recounts a difficult 2020. But while a full season wasn’t possible, his team persevered, running four events with more than decent grids in between lockdowns. “As an industry, we learned a lot last year and it is fantastic to see our grids in all of our championships moving to pre-Covid figures.” But 2021 will not be without challenges with travel restrictions still a factor and Brexit-headaches to be dealt with.
But again V-Max is proving nimble enough to cater to British teams. “We all know going back and forth with your team will not be as straightforward as we had hoped so to make it easier for British teams to tackle a few races in our championships alongside existing programs we are offering our own workshop as a temporary base and storage facility.”
It enables teams to return to Great-Britain for a short period between events without the hassle of having to ship all of the rolling stock back and forth.
“Our organization has always been a welcome home for British teams and we have to ensure this remains the case in the future, whatever challenges come our way.”
Alongside the efforts to “Covid and Brexit-proof” the grids, a lot of effort has gone into the organizations latest offering.
“We announced the BMW M2 CS Championship in July of last year and it has taken off.” It was initially thought that the car would form a dedicated class within the Supercar Challenge and its two 60-minute races per weekend.
“It became apparent very quickly that the enthusiasm and the amount of early commitments warranted a stand-alone championship.
“The BMW is just very popular. It is an impressive car and with the backing of BMW itself you know it will be rock solid and hold its value well.”
Van Elk is expecting grids of around 20 cars for the inaugural BMW M2 CS season.
“The entire first batch of 16 cars designated for The Netherlands has been taken up and we are subsequently seeing other M2 CS customers from other countries coming out of the woodwork.” It is that age-old racing law where healthy grids bring out more competitors. “We are seeing Belgian, French and German teams showing interest which means I am very confident we can have a great season with our new championship.”
With teams and drivers once again flocking to the Supercar Challenge and the three single-make championships it has spawned, Van Elk is looking forward to his 21 st season as a championship organizer.
“This year won’t be simple but with a strong calendar, full grids and a team at V-Max Racing that is ready to tackle anything, I am sure we will have a very good 2021.”
V-Max Racing Organization Calendar 2021
9 April Test Media day
10/11 April CM.COM Circuit Zandvoort Voorjaarsraces
21/23 Mai Circuit Hockenheim Creventic 12H
4/6 June Spa-Francorchamps Euroraces
9/11 July Circuit Zolder Superprix
6/8 August TT-Circuit Assen GAMMA Racing Day.
17/19 September TT-Circuit Assen DTM
15/17 October. Spa-Francorchamps Racing Festival
29/31 October. TT-Circuit Assen Hankook Finale Race
13 November Circuit Zolder Race Promotion Night