Ben Pon

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]

This article is about the racing driver. For the automobile dealer, see Ben Pon, Sr.
Ben Pon
Born(1936-12-09)9 December 1936
Leiden, South Holland
Died30 September 2019(2019-09-30) (aged 82)
Nijkerk, Gelderland
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality Dutch
Active years1962
TeamsEcurie Maarsbergen (privateer Porsche)
Entries1
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums0
Career points0
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1962 Dutch Grand Prix
Last entry1962 Dutch Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1961 - 1965, 1967
TeamsPorsche System Engineering, Racing Team Holland, Auguste Vaillet
Best finish7th (1967)
Class wins2 (1961, 1967)

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 Bernardus Winery 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.
1961 Porsche System Engineering Herbert Linge Porsche 356B Abarth GTL S 1.6 284 10th 1st
1962 Porsche System Engineering Carel Godin de Beaufort Porsche 356B Abarth GT 1.6 35 DNF DNF
1963 Porsche System Engineering Heinz Schiller Porsche 356B 2000GS GT GT 2.0 115 DNF DNF
1964 Racing Team Holland Henk van Zalinge Porsche 904/4 GTS GT 2.0 319 8th 2nd
1965 Auguste Veuillet Robert Buchet Porsche 904/4 GTS GT 2.0 224 DNF DNF
1967 Porsche System Engineering Vic Elford 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
  1. "'Mister Porsche' Ben Pon overleden". Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  2. Viva F1. "Formula One at the Olympics". Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
  3. "Ben Pon". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  4. "Who's Who of Volkswagen". Vwtrendsweb.com. 2002-09-28. Archived from the original on 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
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