Rob Slotemaker

Robert Gerrit "Rob" Slotemaker (13 June 1929 - 16 September 1979): Dutch racing driver and touring car champion who was entered for one Formula One World Championship race but never actually competed, and who was tragically killed in a touring car accident at Zandvoort. Born in the Netherlands, Slotemaker was primarily a sports car and touring car racer who achieved considerable success in Dutch national motorsport. He competed extensively in endurance racing, including multiple appearances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he finished 11th in 1961. His Formula One connection came in 1962 when he was entered to drive one of Carel Godin de Beaufort's Porsche Formula One cars at the Dutch Grand Prix.

However, his car was not ready in time for the event, and his entry was ultimately taken by Wolfgang Seidel. Slotemaker therefore never actually participated in a Formula One World Championship race, though he remains listed among F1 entrants. His greatest success came in touring car racing, where he won the Dutch Touring Car Championship twice, in 1967 and 1968, establishing himself as one of the Netherlands' leading saloon car racers. He drove various powerful touring cars including Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros in European touring car competitions throughout the 1970s.

Tragically, on 16 September 1979, during the "Trophy of the Dunes" touring car race at Circuit Park Zandvoort, Slotemaker's Chevrolet Camaro spun on a patch of oil and collided violently with a course car parked alongside the track. He was killed in the accident at age 50. His death shocked the Dutch motorsport community and highlighted the ongoing dangers in touring car racing, where incidents with stationary vehicles and corner workers remained a persistent hazard. Slotemaker is remembered as one of the Netherlands' most successful touring car racers of the 1960s and 1970s, whose F1 entry remains a footnote to a career primarily focused on endurance and touring car competition.

Known for: Winning the Dutch Touring Car Championship in 1967 and 1968, being entered for the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix though never starting the race, competing at Le Mans where he finished 11th in 1961, and dying in a touring car accident at Zandvoort in 1979.