Michael Bleekemolen (born 2 October 1949) is a Dutch racing driver whose remarkably long career has taken him from Formula Vee and Formula One to touring cars and NASCAR. He later competed in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, racing the No. 72 Ford Mustang for the family-run Team Bleekemolen in the EuroNASCAR 2 class.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Birthplace | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Born | 2 October 1949 |
| First Grand Prix | 1977 Dutch Grand Prix |
| Last Grand Prix | 1978 Canadian Grand Prix |
| Years Active | 1977–1978 |
| Current/Last Team | ATS |
Career
Bleekemolen worked his way up through Formula Vee before getting his first taste of Formula One in 1977. His debut attempt came on home soil, but he failed to qualify for the Dutch Grand Prix. It was hardly the dream introduction, but it wasn’t enough to put him off.
He was back in 1978, joining ATS for four Grand Prix weekends. Getting onto the grid proved difficult in an unforgiving era of Formula One, and Bleekemolen qualified just once. That appearance came at Watkins Glen for the United States Grand Prix, giving him his sole Formula One race start. His brief spell at the top level also included involvement with the RAM team.
With Formula One behind him, Bleekemolen returned to Formula 3 – and found considerably more success. Over the following three years he became a genuine European Championship contender, winning two rounds and eventually finishing runner-up in the standings to a certain Alain Prost. Losing out to the future four-time Formula One World Champion was hardly a bad name to have on the other side of the championship table.
Bleekemolen subsequently switched his attention to one-make Renault competition, beginning an association with the French manufacturer that would become an enduring part of his racing life. Rather than quietly hanging up his helmet as the decades passed, he simply kept racing.
That longevity eventually carried him into the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, where he competed with his family’s own Team Bleekemolen operation. Motorsport also became very much a family business, too: his sons Jeroen and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen both followed their father into racing and built careers of their own.
From a difficult Formula One adventure to fighting Alain Prost for a European Formula 3 title – and still competing many decades later – Bleekemolen’s career has been defined less by one brief shot at Grand Prix racing than by an extraordinary ability to keep finding somewhere to race.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 5 |
| Race Starts | 1 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 25th |
| Best Race Finish | – |
| Retirements | 1 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 4 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | 5 |
| Reached Q3 | 0 |
| Q2 Eliminations | 0 |
| Q1 Eliminations | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 4 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | RAM Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1978 | ATS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | n/a | 0 | 0 | NC |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAM Racing | 1977 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | 0 | 0 |
| ATS | 1978 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
