Alan van der Merwe
| Alan van der Merwe | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South African |
| Born | 31 January 1980 Johannesburg (South Africa) |
| Previous series | |
| 2008–09 2008 2006–07 2004 2002–03 2001 2001 | A1 Grand Prix Le Mans Series LMP2 A1 Grand Prix Formula 3000 British Formula 3 British Formula Ford Formula Ford Festival |
| Championship titles | |
| 2003 | British Formula 3 Championship |
Alan van der Merwe (born 31 January 1980 in Johannesburg) is a South African race car driver.[1] He is the current driver of the F1 Medical Car.
Racing career
Van der Merwe won the 2001 Formula Ford Festival.[1] In 2003, he was the British Formula 3 Champion[1] and ran for Super Nova Racing in Formula 3000 in 2004.[1] His sponsorship money ran out mid-season and he became contracted as a part-time tester for BAR-Honda.[1]
In 2005 and 2006, van der Merwe raced in A1 Grand Prix for A1 Team South Africa,[1] with a best placed finish of 7th in New Zealand.
In 2006 he joined the Bonneville 200 MPH Club,[2] driving a BAR-Honda team car, in their project called Bonneville 400 (km/h), to speeds in excess of 250 mph in an attempt to set an official land speed record for a Formula One car on the famous Bonneville Salt Flats.[3]
In 2008, he drove for James Watt Automotive in the 1000 km of Silverstone, part of the Le Mans Series season,[1] finishing in 33rd place, completing 159 laps.
He returned to A1 Grand Prix in 2009[1] in the final round at Brands Hatch.
Van der Merwe is currently the official driver of the FIA Medical Car in Formula One events.[4] He has driven the medical car since 2009.
Racing record
| Season | Series | Team Name | Races | Poles | Wins | Points | Final Placing | ||
| 2001 | Formula Ford Festival | Unknown | 1 | 0 | 1 | NC | 1st | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Formula Ford Championship | Unknown | 14 | 2 | 1 | ? | 2nd | |||
| 2002 | British Formula 3 | Carlin Motorsport | 30 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 8th | ||
| 2003 | British Formula 3 | Carlin Motorsport | 24 | 5 | 9 | 308 | 1st | ||
| 2004 | Formula 3000 | Super Nova Racing | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14th | ||
| 2005 | Formula One | BAR | Test driver | ||||||
| 2006–07 | A1 Grand Prix | A1 Team South Africa | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||
| 2008 | Le Mans Series | James Watt Automotive | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 37th | ||
| 2008–09 | A1 Grand Prix | A1 Team South Africa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||
Complete International Formula 3000 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Super Nova Racing | IMO 8 |
CAT 12 |
MON 9 |
NUR Ret |
MAG 9 |
SIL 8 |
HOC Ret |
HUN | SPA | MNZ | 14th | 2 |
Complete A1 Grand Prix results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | A1 Team South Africa | NED SPR |
NED FEA |
CZE SPR |
CZE FEA |
BEI SPR |
BEI FEA |
MYS SPR |
MYS FEA |
IDN SPR 9 |
IDN FEA Ret |
NZL SPR 7 |
NZL FEA 16 |
AUS SPR 16 |
AUS FEA Ret |
RSA SPR |
RSA FEA |
MEX SPR |
MEX FEA |
SHA SPR 8 |
SHA FEA 12 |
GBR SPR |
GBR SPR |
NC | 0 |
| 2008–09 | NED SPR |
NED FEA |
CHN SPR |
CHN FEA |
MYS SPR |
MYS FEA |
NZL SPR |
NZL FEA |
RSA SPR |
RSA FEA |
POR SPR |
POR FEA |
GBR SPR 15 |
GBR SPR 11 |
14th | 19 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Alan van der Merwe". Driver Database. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ^ Bonneville 200mph Club Members by Year
- ^ Hanlon, Mike (18 July 2006). "Honda F1 car attempts land speed record at Bonneville". gizmag. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "F1 unveils new Safety and Medical cars for 2015". Grand Prix Times. 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.