Gijsbert “Gijs” van Lennep (born 16 March 1942) is a Dutch former racing driver and member of the country’s untitled nobility. Although he made eight Formula One appearances and scored two World Championship points, his finest work came in endurance racing, where he became a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Birthplace | Bloemendaal, Netherlands |
| Born | 16 March 1942 |
| First Grand Prix | 1971 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1975 German Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1971, 1973–1975 |
| Current/Last Team | Ensign |
Career
Van Lennep’s long association with Porsche began in 1967. Three years later, he received the Porsche Cup, awarded annually to the most successful privateer competing in the marque’s machinery.
His first Le Mans triumph arrived in 1971, when he shared Martini Racing’s number 22 Porsche 917K with Helmut Marko. The pair covered 5,335 kilometres—3,315 miles—setting a race-distance record that survived for almost four decades before finally being surpassed in 2010.
Later that year, the Stichting Autoraces Nederland arranged a Surtees TS7 for van Lennep’s Formula One debut at his home Grand Prix. In appallingly wet conditions, he kept the car on the road and brought it home eighth.
Van Lennep added another major honour in 1972, winning the Rothmans European Formula 5000 Championship with a combination of Surtees TS11 and McLaren M18 machinery. He also made two Formula One appearances for Frank Williams’ team, scoring his first championship point with sixth place in the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. A second point followed with Ensign at the 1975 German Grand Prix, placing him behind only Max Verstappen, Jos Verstappen, Carel Godin de Beaufort and Christijan Albers among the Netherlands’ Formula One points scorers at the time.
Sports cars nevertheless remained his natural habitat. In 1973, van Lennep and Herbert Müller shared a Martini Porsche Carrera RSR to victory in the final Targa Florio held as a major international endurance race.
His career reached a fitting conclusion at Le Mans in 1976. Partnering Jacky Ickx in a turbocharged Porsche 936, van Lennep won the French classic for a second time—and then stepped away from racing with one of motorsport’s greatest prizes freshly secured.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 10 |
| Race Starts | 8 |
| Did Not Start | 1 |
| Best Race Start | 20th |
| Best Race Finish | 6th |
| Retirements | 1 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 1 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 9 |
| Reached Q3 | – |
| Q2 Eliminations | – |
| Q1 Eliminations | – |
| Did Not Qualify | 1 |
Points
Stats by Season
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privateer: Stichting Autoraces Nederland Surtees | 1971 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| Surtees | 1971 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Williams Racing Cars | 1973–1974 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Ensign | 1975 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Posey | 1971 | 1 | – |
| Mike Hailwood | 1971 | 1 | – |
| Howden Ganley | 1973 | 3 | – |
| Arturo Merzario | 1974 | 2 | – |
