Ben Pon
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Born | Leiden, South Holland | 9 December 1936
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Died | 30 September 2019 Nijkerk, Gelderland | (aged 82)
Formula One World Championship career | |
Nationality | ![]() |
Active years | 1962 |
Teams | Ecurie Maarsbergen (privateer Porsche) |
Entries | 1 |
Championships | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Career points | 0 |
Pole positions | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
First entry | 1962 Dutch Grand Prix |
Last entry | 1962 Dutch Grand Prix |
24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
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Years | 1961 - 1965, 1967 |
Teams | Porsche System Engineering, Racing Team Holland, Auguste Vaillet |
Best finish | 7th (1967) |
Class wins | 2 (1961, 1967) |
Bernardus Marinus "Ben" Pon (9 December 1936 – 30 September 2019)[1] was a Dutch vintner and Olympian and motor racing driver. He competed in one Formula One race, the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, but had a far longer career in sports car racing, before turning his back on the track to concentrate on the wine trade. He also represented the Netherlands in clay pigeon shooting at the 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing 31st in the skeet event.[2][3]
Life[]
His father, Ben Pon, Sr., was an importer of Volkswagen Beetles into the United States, and is considered to be the "father" of the Volkswagen Type 2 due to his initial interest and input into the project.[4]
Ben Pon was a personal friend of Formula One driver Carel Godin de Beaufort. It was de Beaufort's own Ecurie Maarsbergen privateer team that provided a Porsche 787 for him to race at Zandvoort, in his home Grand Prix on 20 May 1962. He failed to finish the race due to an accident, which flipped his car over, throwing Pon out of the cockpit and into a shrubbery.[2] In response, Pon vowed never again to race single-seaters, and in the years that followed he remained true to his word, while achieving many successes in sports car racing also driving a Porsche. Pon retired from professional sports car racing in 1965.
After his retirement in the sports arena, Pon turned his attention to the wine trade. He was known for his in Carmel Valley, California, and owned the oldest wine negotiating business in the Netherlands.
Racing record[]
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[]
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
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1961 | ![]() |
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Porsche 356B Abarth GTL | S 1.6 | 284 | 10th | 1st |
1962 | ![]() |
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Porsche 356B Abarth | GT 1.6 | 35 | DNF | DNF |
1963 | ![]() |
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Porsche 356B 2000GS GT | GT 2.0 | 115 | DNF | DNF |
1964 | ![]() |
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Porsche 904/4 GTS | GT 2.0 | 319 | 8th | 2nd |
1965 | ![]() |
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Porsche 904/4 GTS | GT 2.0 | 224 | DNF | DNF |
1967 | ![]() |
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Porsche 906K Carrera 6 | S 2.0 | 327 | 7th | 1st |
Complete Formula One World Championship results[]
(key)
Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1962 | Ecurie Maarsbergen | Porsche 787 | Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 | NED Ret |
MON | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | USA | RSA | NC | 0 |
References[]
- ^ "'Mister Porsche' Ben Pon overleden". Retrieved 2019-09-30.
- ^ a b Viva F1. "Formula One at the Olympics". Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
- ^ "Ben Pon". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
- ^ "Who's Who of Volkswagen". Vwtrendsweb.com. 2002-09-28. Archived from the original on 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
External links[]
- 1936 births
- 2019 deaths
- Olympic shooters of the Netherlands
- Shooters at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Dutch racing drivers
- Dutch Formula One drivers
- Ecurie Maarsbergen Formula One drivers
- Dutch male sport shooters
- Wine merchants
- Viticulturists
- 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
- World Sportscar Championship drivers
- Sportspeople from Amersfoort
- People from Carmel Valley Village, California