Michael Bleekemolen

Michael Bleekemolen (2 October 1949 - Present): Dutch racing driver from Amsterdam who participated in five Formula One World Championship Grands Prix in 1977 and 1978 with RAM Racing and ATS, qualifying only once (at the 1978 United States Grand Prix) and scoring no championship points. Bleekemolen later found success in Formula Three, finishing second to Alain Prost in the European F3 Championship, and established a successful business empire including indoor karting tracks and racing experiences. Born in Amsterdam, Bleekemolen began racing in Formula Vee in the early 1970s, progressing through Dutch and European junior categories. He showed promise in lower formulae, earning opportunities to attempt Formula One with small teams desperate for drivers who could bring sponsorship or afford to rent cars.

Bleekemolen's Formula One debut attempt came at the 1977 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, his home race. Driving for RAM Racing, a British team running outdated equipment, Bleekemolen failed to qualify—a humiliating result before his home crowd. The RAM team was one of Formula One's perennial backmarkers, struggling with insufficient funding and uncompetitive cars. For 1978, Bleekemolen switched to ATS, the German team running BMW turbo engines.

He attempted four races but failed to qualify at three of them. His only successful qualifying came at the 1978 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, where he started from the back of the grid. During the race, Bleekemolen struggled with the ATS's poor handling and retired, ending his brief and unsuccessful Formula One career. Five entries, one start, zero finishes, zero points—statistics that tell a story of inadequate equipment and limited opportunities.

Following his Formula One disappointment, Bleekemolen returned to Formula Three for the 1979-1982 seasons, where he finally found competitive success. Racing against future Formula One stars, Bleekemolen won two rounds of the European Formula Three Championship and finished second in the championship to Alain Prost, who would go on to win four Formula One World Championships. The runner-up finish to Prost demonstrated Bleekemolen possessed genuine talent when provided with competitive equipment. He quit single-seater racing at the end of 1982, recognizing that his Formula One dreams were over and that continuing in junior formulae in his early 30s made little sense.

Bleekemolen transitioned into touring car racing, competing for many seasons in the Renault 5 Turbo Cup and Alpine Cup, achieving success in production-based racing. Beyond driving, Bleekemolen proved exceptionally talented in business. In 1993, he opened his first indoor karting track, recognizing the commercial potential of bringing karting to urban environments where land for outdoor tracks was scarce and expensive. The concept proved hugely successful, and he expanded, opening indoor karting facilities in Amsterdam and Delft.

Bleekemolen's karting venues became popular entertainment destinations, introducing thousands of people to motorsport. He also developed Race Experience programs at Zandvoort, offering car enthusiasts the opportunity to drive on the historic circuit with professional instruction. These experiences became highly sought-after, combining tourism with motorsport in ways that generated substantial revenue. Bleekemolen established Team Bleekemolen, a racing operation that competed in various categories and provided opportunities for young drivers.

His sons Jeroen and Sebastiaan followed him into motorsport, with Jeroen becoming a successful sports car racer who competed at Le Mans and in various GT championships. The Bleekemolen family name became synonymous with Dutch motorsport across multiple generations. Known for his unsuccessful Formula One career with RAM and ATS, runner-up finish to Alain Prost in European Formula Three, business success with indoor karting venues, Race Experience programs at Zandvoort, and motorsport family legacy through sons Jeroen and Sebastiaan, Michael Bleekemolen represents drivers whose greatest success came outside Formula One. While his five Grand Prix attempts yielded nothing, his business acumen and contribution to Dutch motorsport through karting and racing experiences created a lasting legacy far more significant than any race results.