Autospeedway Ter Apel: 19 2l Hotrod drivers provide a lot of action

The Autospeedway season went into the next round on May 18, 2023 – With 19 cars on the grid, the 2l Hotrod was the strongest class at the Circuit de Polderputten in Ter Apel

The Circuit de Polderputten opened its gates on 18 May 2023 to the traditional race day on Ascension and Father’s Day. The oval is located in the north of the Netherlands, right on the border to Germany, near Meppen. There was plenty of action in the various classes on both track variants – the small and the large oval. With 19 cars at the start, the popular 2l Hotrod was the strongest class of the day.

2l Hotrod

The 2l Hotrod races on the small oval in Ter Apel and is known for its big grid and unique entertainment at the Circuit de Polderputten. A total of 19 drivers from the Netherlands and Germany started in the touring car class. Three races were scheduled and the German drivers provided a lot of joy for the accompanying fans.

The first of three heats was won by Christian Simon with a lead of 1.603 seconds ahead of Rik van der Linden and Frank Nohring in third place. The victory in the second heat also went to Simon, this time 1.178 seconds ahead of Niek van den Akker. Sander van der Heijden finished third. The final victory went to Marius Bert, who thus made the German triple win in Ter Apel perfect. He finished two seconds ahead of Simon, who relegated Fabian Baer to third place.

Stockrod

The Stockrod was the second class to race on the short layout of Ter Apel. The production-based cars have been part of the Autospeedway scene for decades and offer the opportunity to do oval racing on a relatively small budget. 13 cars were entered on race day.

Pascal Peters won the first heat just ahead of Jori Tielemans, who finished 0.301 seconds behind the winner. Christiaan Janssen completed the top-3. Niels Verkoojien dominated the second heat and finished around three seconds ahead of Janssen, who in turn kept Tielemans behind him. The final victory went to Bastian Ghielen, who finished four tenths ahead of Verkoojien. Behind him, Christian Peters secured the bronze medal.

BMW 325i Cup

The BMW 325i Cup one-make cup brings the 3 Series to the oval and on Father’s Day a total of 15 of these cars were on track. With identical material, the drivers and mechanics with the setup make the big difference, which is why exciting duels on the big oval are often pre-programmed in the championship.

The first race was won by Norbert Horvath ahead of Rowan Huisman and the combination Huisman/Veldkamp. Rowan Huisman won the second race ahead of Jeffrey Bolk and Huisman/Velkamp in car number 4. Erik Vrieze secured victory in the final with a lead of 0.808 seconds over Bolk and Huisman.

Rookie Rod

The Rookie Rod is a perfect beginner class on the large layout of the Circuit de Polderputten and offers a lot of excitement. 16 cars were entered in the production car based class, and one driver combination secured two wins at once.

The first race was won by Jesse van den Akker ahead of Bontjer/Bos and Doddema/Trip. Bontjer/Bos also won the second heat and the final in Ter Apel. Doddema/Trip finished second in the second heat ahead of van den Akker, van den Akker secured second place in the final ahead of Doddema/Trip.

Standaard 2000

The name says it all, because the Standard 2000 class features production-based vehicles with two-liter engines. Although only eight cars were on the grid, the class provided plenty of excitement on the large oval at Ter Apel.

The first race was won by Helmut Sonnenberg ahead of Iwan Heins and Daniel Birke. Heins won the second race ahead of Grien/Schans. Behind them, Sonnenberg secured third place. The top-3 were separated by just 1.5 seconds. In the final, Heins had himself celebrated again when he crossed the finish line 0.733 seconds ahead of Sonnenberg, with Groen/Schans third.

Juniors

In the Junior class, low-performance small cars are used so that underaged talents can already gain experience on the big oval and fight for victory. This class is considered in Ter Apel as a substructure for the numerous touring car championships that are hosted at the Circuit de Polderputten.

The first race was won by Rick Feenstra ahead of Keano Boes and Cato Caspers, the second race was won by Brian Kuper ahead of Boes and Caspers. Caspers made the breakthrough in the final when he finished more than four seconds ahead of Djano Netten and Boes.

Superrod

In the Superrod class, some exotic conversions with a lot of fire under the hood are used. Ad Monster is known for his radical vehicles, which he uses in the rather open class. Currently, the Dutchman is driving a yellow wide-body around the course, which attracts all eyes.

But it wasn’t Monster who came out on top: Harm Veenstra beat his 15 rivals in the first race, relegating Danny Lubben and Reimon Bos to second place. Bos won the second race ahead of Veenstra and Lubben, and Veenstra, Bos and Lubben were also on the podium in the final.

National Hotrod

The National Hotrod is the premier class of touring car racing in the Autospeedway scene and at Ter Apel 14 drivers competed on the big oval. The heats counted towards both the Dutch Championship and the NHHRG Cup. Of course, points for the track championship were also at stake.

Local hero Jeffrey Zwiep won the first of three races ahead of Mark Teuben and champion Jeffrey Roeffen. The latter beat Zwiep in the second race, the two were separated by only half a second, Teuben finished third. The top-3 remained unchanged in the final as well: Zwiep won ahead of Teuben and Roeffen.

Cross class

In the Cross class, only five cars were at the start, as the cars are actually at home on the dirt tracks in the Netherlands. Jeffrey Vos won the first race ahead of Stefano Telkamp and Hugo Bont, who in turn won the second race ahead of Vos and Telkamp. Bont dominated the final by more than eight seconds ahead of Hek Zuur and Telkamp.

The next car race at Circuit de Polderputten will take place on June 11, 2023. Then the Golden Helmet will be awarded in the Superrod class, and the Bangerstox will also be back in again. The race day always starts officially at around 11:30 a.m. and lasts until 6 p.m. Tickets cost 13 euros in online and 15 euros at the box office.