It was a weekend to remember for Van Amersfoort Racing, as the Dutch squad celebrated its 50th anniversary in style with a commanding one-two finish on home soil in Race 2 of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.
The team’s drivers, Pedro Clerot and Hiyu Yamakoshi, executed a textbook race, maintaining first and second place from lights to flag. It was a significant win for Clerot, now in his second season in the international series, who truly shone this weekend on the iconic circuit nestled in the dunes overlooking the North Sea. After claiming his maiden pole position on Saturday, the Brazilian capped off a near-perfect weekend with victory on Sunday. Applause also went to his Japanese teammate Yamakoshi, who emerged as one of the standout performers of the round, clearly proving he has what it takes to contend at the sharp end of the standings.
Freddie Slater (Prema Racing) also enjoyed a strong second race, converting his P3 starting position into another podium finish. His consistent performance earned him enough points to take over the provisional lead in the championship. Enzo Deligny (R-ace GP) crossed the line in fourth after a solid run, closely following Slater from start to finish.
A special mention goes to Deligny’s teammate Jin Nakamura, who made a decisive move after the safety car restart, overtaking both Akshay Bhora (R-ace GP) and Matteo De Palo (Trident), who finished sixth and seventh respectively. Bhora was handed a five-second time penalty post-race for a jump start.
The race was briefly neutralized due to a collision between Doriane Pin (Prema Racing) and rookie Tim Gerhards (Saintéloc Racing) at Turn 10, which left Gerhards’ car stranded on track.
In the Rookie Trophy classification, Dion Gowda extended his lead with another strong result. His seventh-place finish capped off a dream weekend for Van Amersfoort Racing, with the team also claiming top honours among the newcomers.
Rounding out the top 10 were Taito Kato (ART Grand Prix), Bhora in ninth following his penalty, and Nikita Bedrin (Saintéloc Racing). Noteworthy was the pit lane start of Evan Giltaire (ART Grand Prix), who was unable to take his original grid slot on the fourth row. The Frenchman recovered well, climbing through the field to finish 16th.
The championship, promoted and organized by ACI Sport and Alpine Racing, will return to action in a month’s time at the Hungaroring, with Round 4 scheduled for the weekend of July 4–6.
Pedro Clerot – Van Amersfoort Racing (P1):
“I’m absolutely over the moon. We had a strong pace all weekend, and to get another pole and convert it into a win today feels amazing. It wasn’t easy, I struggled a bit with the tyres towards the end, but the team worked incredibly hard, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve shown we can fight for wins and poles, so we’ll keep our heads down and continue pushing.”
Hiyu Yamakoshi – Van Amersfoort Racing (P2):
“Great result for the team with a double podium. It was very hard to follow or overtake today, and I made a small mistake at the start, but luckily I held on to second. We’ve made good progress since Misano, and now the goal is to keep improving and push for both the driver and team championships.”
Freddie Slater – Prema Racing (P3):
“Solid race today in what turned into a bit of a train at the front. Still, our pace was strong, even in dirty air, and we made the most of what we had. After two tough weekends, it’s nice to get two clean races and bounce back this way. I’m looking forward to Hungaroring, it’ll be a new challenge for all of us.”
Dion Gowda – Van Amersfoort Racing (Rookie Winner):
“It was a tough race with very few overtaking opportunities, but our pace was strong and consistent. Overall, I’m happy with double points, two top 10 finishes, and both rookie wins this weekend. We’ll keep building and aim for another step forward in Budapest.”