Eric Francis Edouard Ghislain Thérèse van de Poele (born 30 September 1961) is a Belgian racing driver whose career stretched from Formula Ford and touring cars to Formula One and some of endurance racing’s biggest prizes. He entered 29 Formula One Grands Prix across 1991 and 1992, but his greatest successes came elsewhere: he became a three-time Le Mans class winner, a five-time Spa 24 Hours winner and the 1987 Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft champion.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Birthplace | Verviers, Belgium |
| Born | 30 September 1961 |
| First Grand Prix | 1991 United States Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1992 Italian Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1991–1992 |
| Current/Last Team | Fondmetal |
Driving career
Van de Poele’s route to the top was anything but conventional. After a tough season in French Formula Three in 1984, he bounced back by winning both the Belgian and Benelux Formula Ford titles, while also competing in the Belgian Touring Car Championship.
Touring cars quickly became fertile ground. Van de Poele moved into the German championship and captured the 1987 DTM title without winning a single race, proving that relentless consistency can be just as effective as collecting trophies every weekend. The same year brought a much more straightforward victory as he won the Spa 24 Hours, sharing with Didier Theys and Jean-Michel Martin.
After further outings in British Formula Three, van de Poele headed for International Formula 3000 in 1989. He finished fourth in his rookie campaign before mounting a serious title challenge in 1990, winning three races and finishing runner-up in the championship.
That form earned him his Formula One chance with Modena Lamborghini in 1991. Getting onto the grid was an achievement in itself, but at his third attempt he qualified for the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. In a wet and unpredictable race, van de Poele produced one of the great nearly-results of the era, running fifth on the final lap before running out of fuel. He eventually finished ninth. Sadly, Modena’s financial problems meant he never qualified for another race that season.
For 1992, van de Poele joined another famous name fighting for survival: Brabham. He qualified for the season-opening South African Grand Prix and finished 13th, but the ageing machinery made further appearances extremely difficult. Despite regularly comparing well with teammate and future World Champion Damon Hill, he was unable to qualify the Brabham again.
A mid-season move to Fondmetal offered a welcome change of fortune. Van de Poele immediately qualified for the Hungarian Grand Prix, although his race ended with a spin. At his home Belgian Grand Prix he produced an excellent qualifying performance to start 15th, going on to finish tenth. He qualified again at Monza, only for clutch failure to end his afternoon. Then came another cruel twist: Fondmetal ran into financial trouble and withdrew from Formula One, leaving van de Poele without a seat for the second time in two seasons.
He remained on the Formula One fringes as a Tyrrell test driver in 1993, but his career subsequently returned to the disciplines in which he had always excelled – touring cars and endurance racing.
And there, van de Poele built a formidable record. He won the 12 Hours of Sebring in both 1995 and 1996, followed by victory at Petit Le Mans in 1998. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans he became a three-time class winner, further strengthening a CV packed with long-distance success.
Spa, however, became his particular kingdom. After that first victory in 1987, van de Poele returned to win the Spa 24 Hours in 1998, 2005, 2006 and 2008. Those five victories established him as the event’s record winner – quite some achievement at one of endurance racing’s most demanding fixtures.
Van de Poele was still competing internationally in 2008, including appearances in the Rolex Sports Car Series. His Formula One statistics tell only a small part of the story: while Grand Prix machinery rarely gave him the opportunity to shine, touring cars and endurance racing certainly did.
Complete Formula One results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Central Park Modena Team | Lambo 291 | Lamborghini 3512 3.5 V12 | USA DNPQ | BRA DNPQ | SMR 9† | MON DNPQ | CAN DNPQ | MEX DNPQ | FRA DNPQ | GBR DNPQ | GER DNQ | HUN DNQ | BEL DNQ | ITA DNQ | POR DNQ | ESP DNQ | JPN DNQ | AUS DNQ | NC | 0 |
| 1992 | Brabham | Brabham BT60B | Judd GV 3.5 V10 | RSA 13 | MEX DNQ | BRA DNQ | ESP DNQ | SMR DNQ | MON DNQ | CAN DNQ | FRA DNQ | GBR DNQ | GER DNQ | NC | 0 | ||||||
| Fondmetal | Fondmetal GR02 | Ford HBA5 3.5 V8 | HUN Ret | BEL 10 | ITA Ret | POR | JPN | AUS | |||||||||||||
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicola Larini | 1991 | 16 | 3-13 |
| Giovanna Amati | 1992 | 3 | 3-0 |
| Damon Hill | 1992 | 7 | 5-2 |
| Gabriele Tarquini | 1992 | 3 | 0-3 |
