Supercar Challenge (series)

The Supercar Challenge is a motor racing series centered on the Benelux. A special feature is that touring cars, GTs and Sportscars can all participate on an equal basis within the same class, enabled by very open regulations. The championship was first held in 2001, after replacing the Supercar Cup. From 2001 to 2011 the championship was called the Dutch Supercar Challenge, but due to interest from drivers, teams and tracks outside the Netherlands the organisers decided to drop 'Dutch' from its name on 11 February 2012.[1]

Supercar Challenge
CategoryTouring cars, Sportscars and Sports prototypes
CountryBelgiumNetherlandsLuxembourg Benelux
Inaugural season2001
Drivers~80
Tyre suppliersPirelli
Drivers' championNetherlands Bart Arendsen
Official websitesupercarchallenge.nl
Current season

Format and regulations

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A typical race weekend exists of the usual practice on Friday and Saturday, qualifying on Saturday and two races of 45 to 60 minutes with one pit stop of at least 60 seconds. One race is on Saturday and one Sunday. The four classes usually run separate races two classes at a time. The two fastest run together and the two slowest run their race separate. The exception is at Spa-Francorchamps where all four classes can and do run together in two races over the weekend. All races are started from a rolling start though in the past standing starts have been used as well. "Success time" is awarded after every race. The first-place finisher gets 15 seconds, second place gets 10, third place gets 5, fourth place loses 5 seconds, fifth place loses ten and all below fifth place lose 15 seconds. This is added to the time of the minimum pit stop duration. The reason no "success ballast" is used, is the immense variety in vehicles competing. For instance, a 50 kg weight has a much larger effect on a Lotus Elise than it has on a Dodge Viper Competition Coupe even though these can compete in the same class.

Classes

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  • Sport I - Vehicles over 5.2 kg/bhp. Engines maximum 3000cc and 6 cylinders.
  • Supersport II - Vehicles over 4.7 kg/bhp but under 5.2 kg/bhp. Engines maximum 5000 cc and 8 cylinders.
  • Supersport I - Vehicles over 3.7 kg/bhp but under 4.7 kg/bhp. Minimum mass is 1080 kg. Engines as in Supersport II
  • GT - Vehicles over 2.7 kg/bhp but under 3.6 kg/bhp. Minimum mass is 1180 kg.

Single make series

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During most of its lifetime the Supercar Challenge has served as a host to many single make series. In the first two years the Marcos Mantis Cup ran within the GT class. In 2003 it was fully integrated in the GT class. Starting in 2008 the Mosler Challenge has run within GT. In 2010 three series were added. Those are BRL V6 and the Saker Challenge, not to be confused with the series of the same name the DNRT hosts, both within Supersport I and BRL Light in Supersport II. The BRL series were before separate events and still have a slightly different calendar. The races at Silverstone don't pay them points while the races at the Zolder truck Grand Prix do though to all other classes they don't count.

Champions

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Supercar Challenge

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Season GT Supersport 1 Supersport 2 Sport 1 Sport 2 Marcos Mantis Cup Mosler Challenge
2001   Herman Buurman   Ruud Olij   Arjan Vels   Dirk-Jan Hofmans   Herman Buurman
2002   Cor Euser
  Pieter van Soelen
  Rudolf van Soelen   Arjan Vels   Peter van der Kolk
2003   Rob Knook
  Peter van der Kolk
  Hans Ambaum   Albèrt Priem
2004   Cor Euser
  Jos Menten
  Graham Coomes   Hans Ambaum
2005   Pieter Dubois
  René Wijnen
  Lex van der Meijden   Richard van den Berg
2006   Hans Ambaum   Pieter van Soelen   Eugène Janssen
  Rolf van Os
2007   Ardi van der Hoek
  Arjan van der Zwaan
  Peter van der Kolk   Tony Brown
  Ian White
  Kees Kreijne
2008   Martin Short   Henk Thuis   Pieter van Soelen   Luc de Cock   Rob Nieman   Martin Short
2009   Cor Euser   Henk Haane
  Nol Köhler
  Bert van der Zweerde   Koen Bogaerts
  Nik de Jong
  Martin Short
2010   Alex van 't Hoff   Charlie Frijns
  Rob Frijns
  Pieter van Soelen   Richard van der Bos
  Bert van der Zweerde
2011   Diederik Sijthoff   Jaap van Lagen
  Wolf Nathan
  Ferry Monster
  Robin Monster
  Aart Bosman
Season Super GT GT GTB Supersport Sport 1 Sport 2 -
2012   Diederik Sijthoff   Barry Maessen   Kees Kreijne   Koen Bogaerts
  Pieter van Soelen
  Priscilla Speelman
  John van der Voort
  Rob Nieman
2013   Glynn Geddie
  Jim Geddie
  Steve van Bellingen
  Ward Sluys
  Patrick Lamster
  Marc Neyens
  Ferry Monster
  Robin Monster
  Aart Bosman
Season Super GT GT GTB Supersport Sport Superlights 1 Superlights 2
2014   Robert de Graaff
  Roger Grouwels
  Arjan van der Zwaan
  Patrick van Glabeke
  Frédérique Jonckheere
  Max Koebolt   Cor Euser   Dennis de Borst
  Martin de Kleijn
  Henk Thuis   Carlo Kuijer
2015   Roger Grouwels[2]
  Kelvin Snoeks[2]
  Kris Cools[2]
  Patrick Lamster[2]
  Donald Molenaar[2]
  Mark van der Aa[3]
  Koen Bogaerts[3]
  Pieter van Soelen[3]
  Wiebe Wijtzes[4]   Luc de Cock[5]
  Sam Dejonghe[5]
  Filip Declercq[6]
2016   Oliver Campos-Hull[7]
  Kosta Kanaroglou[7]
  Chris Mattheus[7]
  Ward Sluys[7]
  Dennis de Borst[8]
  Martin de Kleijn[8]
  Bart Drost[9]
  Niels Kool[9]
  Luc de Cock
  Tim Joosen
  Dominik Dierkes
Season Overall GT Supersport 1 Supersport 2 Sport - -
2017   Bart van den Broeck
  Chris Voet
  Bas Schouten
  Ward Sluys
  Dennis de Borst
  Martin de Kleijn
  Ollie Taylor   Bart van den Broeck
  Chris Voet
2018   Bart van den Broeck
  Chris Voet
  Willem Meijer
  Michael Verhagen
  Dennis de Borst
  Stan van Oord
  Rogier de Leeuw
  Patrick de Vreede
  Bart van den Broeck
  Chris Voet
2019   Maxim Oosten
  Milan Teekens
  John de Wilde   Dennis de Borst
  Stan van Oord
  Maxim Oosten
  Milan Teekens
  Rob Nieman
2020   Mark Wieringa   John de Wilde   Oscar Gräper
  Henry Zumbrink
  Berry van Elk   Mark Wieringa
2021   Dennis de Borst
  Stan van Oord
  Bob Herber   Dennis de Borst
  Stan van Oord
  Jerome Greenhalgh
  Robin Greenhalgh
  Pieter de Jong
  Jack Hokstra
2022   Bart Arendsen   Bart Arendsen   Dennis de Borst   Laurens de Wit   Mark Jobst

Prototype Challenge

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Season Super GT Divisie 2 Divisie 3 Divisie 4
2017   Daan Meijer   David Hauser
  Gary Hauser
  Luc de Cock
  Tim Joosen
  Wim Jeuris
2018   Oliver Freymuth   Jean-Pierre Lequeux
  Jean-Marc Ueberecken
  Alain Berg
  Tim Gray
  Alain Berg
  Alistair Boulton
Season LMP3 CN Radical/Praga
2019   Max Aschoff   Tom Boonen   Alain Berg
2020   Max Aschoff   Alain Berg
  Alex Cascatău
  Dominik Dierkes
2021   Max Aschoff   Tom Boonen   Max de Bruijn
  Melvin van Dam
2022   Gary Hauser
  Lea Mauer
  Thomas Piessens   Melvin van Dam

References

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  1. ^ "Nieuwe naam voor DSC: Supercar Challenge powered by Dunlop". supercarchallenge.nl. Supercar Challenge. February 11, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Kox/Pronk racewinnaar, Grouwels/Snoeks en Lamster/Molenaar GT kampioenen!". supercarchallenge.nl. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Bogaerts/Van der Aa kampioen en Shahin/Enge opnieuw racewinnaar!". supercarchallenge.nl. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Schouten/Delnoij spectaculair racewinnaar, Wijtzes kampioen Sport-divisie!". supercarchallenge.nl. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Freebird racewinnaar en de Cock/Dejonghe kampioen bij de Superlights!". supercarchallenge.nl. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Filip Declercq kampioen bij de Superlights!". supercarchallenge.nl. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d "Een race met onderbrekingen en de eerste kampioenen van 2016 zijn bekend". supercarchallenge.nl. 9 October 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Dennis de Borst en Martin de Kleijn winnen het kampioenschap van de Supersport divisie". supercarchallenge.nl. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Drost en Kool pakken kampioenschap, in de Sueprsport blijft het spannend". supercarchallenge.nl. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
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