RSS feed Carlo van Dam

Weider Honda slips back in mixed conditions

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:11:00 +0200

�I did the start and the first stint, in which I managed to hold on to the sixth place in which we started�, Carlo summarises the race. �In the second half, we unfortunately were unable to maintain that position on the intermediate tyres, and Takashi slipped back to ninth place.

�The weekend had started okay, as I was quickest during my run in the wet free practice, and in the second qualifying session I managed to get our car into the third and deciding session.
�However, while we were on the pace on rain tyres, today it only drizzled. On the intermediates that you must use in these sorts of conditions, there simply wasn�t more in it.�

The final round of the series is held on October 28 on the circuit of Motegi.

Carlo van Dam retires from Fuji GT 300km

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:38:00 +0200

�I did the start and very early on in the race I felt there was something wrong with the steering�, Carlo said. �It soon got more difficult and the vibrations got worse, so I had to pit, and the team tried to solve the problem, but then it became clear it could not be repaired just like that, so that was it.

�The Honda�s didn�t seem to be on the pace here, so Fuji was never going to be an easy race, and ultimately Takashi did not make it through Q1, so I never got to do Q2. �It was a weekend to learn from, especially as next week we will be testing at Motegi, where the final round of the championship will be held at the end of October. The next race, however, is on September 30 on the Autopolis circuit.�

Blow-out pushes Weider Honda of its road to the rostrum

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:14:00 +0200

�A real shame�, Carlo said, �because up until that moment we had a strong and
problem-free race, and we were on a very promising pit stop strategy as well, and the result of all that was that we were heading
for a top three finish.
�We were in fact already in third place when the tyre went, and as that happened at the start of the lap, the whole driving back to the pits took quite a lot of time, and of course it did a lot of damage to the car as well, which had to be repaired first.
�Ultimately, we finished in eighth place and scored enough points to consolidate our fifth place in the standings, but that was not what we�d came here for, naturally, and without the blow-out we would have scored many more points that would have moved us higher up the rankings.�

Carlo van Dam seventh in Sugo GT300km

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 02:28:00 +0200

�It was a tough race, so I am sort of happy that we still managetd to score a handful of championship points here�, says Carlo.
�As we won the previous race, we now had to run with quite some extra penalty-weight and especially on a short track like Sugo that�s a rather significant handicap of course, and during qualifying we were unable to
match the pace of the front runners.
�Sugo is a twisty and narrow circuit, so overtaking is not easy here, and with forty cars on track, traffic is always very busy. Consequently, it looked like it was going to be difficult to get the car more to the front in
the race, but still we managed to get it up to seventh place, and we ended up being the best placed Honda. You always want more of course, but all in all I think that we got the best out of what was a challenging race.
�The next round is the Suzuka 1000 KM on August 19, which is the most prestigious event of the year and staged on what is Honda�s home track, so I am very much looking forward to it. In the run-up to that race we are going to test at Fuji next week.�

Carlo and Takashi Kogure have so far scored points in every Super GT-race this year, and the Weider Honda-duo is now ranked fifth in the championship standings.

First win for Carlo van Dam in Super GT

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:00:00 +0200

�I am really very happy with this win�, said Carlo, who this year races for Honda for the first time, in what is the most important racing series in Japan.
�During qualifying yesterday [Saturday] all went well already, although I only just got through in my session as that was briefly halted by a red flag, before Takashi took pole position with a really good lap. He then started the race
and had a small lead over the following Lexus, when he came in for our pit stop earlier than expected. I thus had to do quite a long stint and therefore tried to save the tyres for the final part of the race as much as I could initially, which
allowed the Lexus to close in a bit more still.

�Eventually, I decided I could push a bit more and I extended our lead to three seconds at the finish, so it was a pretty exciting affair. It was a great race, the team has done a perfect job and I am extremely pleased that I have been able
to win a Super GT-raced already now, because I had to learn a lot in a short time, and I am still learning a lot, for here everybody - the car manufacturers, the racing teams, the tyre manufacturers and the drivers - are all very experienced and they operate at the highest level. I am happy to reward the
trust of Honda and the team.

The win at Sepang put the Weider Honda Racing-team fourth in the standings of the Super GT 2012 Series after three of the eight rounds.

The full results of the Sepang G300km as well as the championship standings can be found on the website of Super GT, the next Super GT-race is held on July 29 at the circuit of Sugo in Japan.

Victory for Carlo van Dam in N�rburgring 24 hours

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:10:00 +0200

�I am really very happy with this great result�, Carlo said shortly after the finish of the event that started yesterday (Saturday), �especially because there was of course quite a lot at stake for Subaru after having been so successful
already last year. They showed courage to come back and try and win again, so its fantastic that we have managed to do precisely that. We had the new, lighter WRX for this year and apart from having to repair an oil leak we had a trouble free run in it and won our class after having pretty much dominated the race.
More over, we finished 28th overall and when you realise that in the SP3T-class you use almost a standard road car, then to finish so high overall despite the many GT-cars that had been entered for faster classes, means that one can only conclude that Subaru and the team have simply done a great job once again. I am very proud that I was able to be part of that like last year, and as usual I have enjoyed what is a truly great track and the wonderful
ambiance here all around the Nordschleife.�

The next race for Carlo is the Sepang GT300km on 10 june in Malaysia, round three of the 2012 Japanese Super GT in which he races for Honda.

Carlo van Dam ninth in Fuji GT500km

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:28:00 +0200

�Takashi did the start and when it began to rain he of course had to come in early for rain tyres�, says Carlo, who took over on lap 23. �It seems we opted for tyres that proved to be too soft unfortunately, as we lost grip after five laps so we had to make another stop to change to harder tyres.

�The car handled better on those so we started to make progress, but later in the race Takashi was given a �drive through�-penalty after a collision with another car, so that dropped us down the order again. �Towards the end we ran in seventh position despite the extra stops, but ten laps before the finish it started to rain again and we had to stop once more, now for intermediate
tyres, and so we ultimately finished ninth.

�This was, in short, a bit of a chaotic race and with three extra stops one can of course rule out finishing at the front. I am sure, however, that we can achieve good results when we race in Malaysia next month.�

The full results of the Fuji GT500km can be found on www.supergt.net/en. The next Super GT-race is the Sepang GT300km on June 10 in Malaysia, whilst on May 19 Carlo will start in the N�rburgring 24 Hours in Germany.

Carlo van Dam rejoins Subaru for N�rburgring 24H

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 09:09:00 +0100

�It is one of the greatest races in the world�, Carlo says. �The Nordschleife is simply the most challenging track that one can imagine. I have now done this 24 hour race three times already, the last two of which for Subaru, and especially given our successful run last year, I am very pleased to have been asked to be part of their works team once again. Although I now race for Honda in the Japanese Super GT Series, Honda has kindly given me permission to do this one event at the N�rburgring for Subaru.�

In Japan, Subaru recently presented its further improved, 2012 version of the winning WRX STI of 2011. The new car is lighter still (twenty kilos) and performed promisingly throughout its first test session at the circuit of Fuji. In april, Subaru will compete in a shorter event at the Nordschleife, the 24 hour race starts on May 19.

�I am looking forward to it already�, Carlo says. �The race, the track and the ambiance are unique and the Subaru-team always puts in a maximum and well organised effort.� Carlo will drive the WRX STI together with Toshihiro Yoshida
and Kouta Sasaki of Japan, and German Marcel Engels.

Carlo van Dam joins Honda works team

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:52:00 +0100

�I am of course very happy and proud that I am being given the chance to race for Honda�, says Carlo, who has raced in Japan since 2008 and won the national Formula 3 championship.
�The Super GT Series is the very top of Japanese racing as all the major car manufacturers compete in it. The Honda HSV-010 is one of the very best GT500-
cars, whilst Dome is one of the strongest teams and also intensely involved in the development of the HSV. I feel honoured to have been asked to contribute to the continuation of the success of both Honda and Dome.�

Carlo was invited by Honda to test the HSV-010 at the end of last year. �That test was a positive experience and resulted in Honda asking me if I wanted to drive for them. Of course I did not have to think twice about it, because these are the chances that a racing driver aims for. I have since then done three more days of testing, now at the circuit of Sepang in Malaysia, and the first impressions have been really good. The HSV-010 is a fantastic car, fast and
competitive, and the team is totally professional. For the opening round of the season we will do some more tests and I am already really looking forward to the first race!�

In 2012, the Super GT Series comprises eight rounds, starting on April 1 at the circuit of Okayama. More information on the series can be found on supergt.net, details about the Honda HSV-010 on world.honda.com/HSV-010_GT

Super GT 2012 Series
April 1 Okayama 300 km,
May 4 Fuji 500 km,
June 10 Sepang 300 km (Mal),
July 29 Sugo 300 km,
August 19 Suzuka 1000 km,
September 9 Fuji 300 km,
September 30 Autopolis 300km,
October 28 Motegi 250 km.

Strong showing Carlo van Dam at Zhuhai

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:20:00 +0100

�We were quick in qualifying already�, Carlo says. �I was second fastest and only fractionally slower than another R8 that set its time on soft tyres and featured some latest modifications. We had opted to use hard tyres in qualifying as in this series one has to start the race on the same tyres as you qualify on. On soft tyres we would surely have been on pole position, but I was
happy with our strategy for I had a good start and was quicker than the leading Audi and quickly closing in on it. I was on its tail already when the gearbox of my car failed. I could not change gear anymore and had to pit for repairs. The team solved the problem, but it had cost us twenty, twenty-five laps. I was then again quicker than the leading R8, so in terms of speed we were doing really well.�

The Hitotsuyama Audi R8 LMS did complete the race. The car finished third in the GTC-class - but was not classified due to the time lost - and Carlo set the fastest lap of the nine drivers who drove the three Audi R8s that ran at Zhuhai.