Eric van de Poele

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Eric van de Poele
Nationality  Belgian
Formula One World Championship career
Active years	1991 - 1992
Teams	Modena, Brabham, Fondmetal
Races	29 (5 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podium finishes	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First race	1991 San Marino Grand Prix
Last race	1992 Italian Grand Prix

Eric van de Poele (born 30 September 1961 in Verviers) is a Belgian racing driver and former Formula One driver. He participated in 29 Grands Prix, debuting on March 10, 1991. He scored no championship points.

After a difficult 1984 season in French Formula 3, van de Poele then won the Belgian and Benelux Formula Ford titles, also racing in the Belgian Touring Cars Championship. In the next three years he raced in both the British and German Touring Cars Championships, also winning both in 1987 the Spa 24 Hours, sharing a car with Didier Theys and Jean-Michel Martin, and the German Touring Car Championship (despite not winning a single race). He also dabbled in British Formula 3.

For 1989, he moved up to Formula 3000, placing fourth, and then finishing runner-up in 1990.

After this, he signed for the Modena Formula One team for 1991, driving their Lamborghini cars thanks to backing from long-time sponsors Lease Plan. He was unsuccessful in the first two races, failing to pre-qualify, but made it onto the grid for the 1991 San Marino Grand Prix. There he impressed in the rain, running 5th close to the end before the car ran out of oil, dropping him to 9th. The team, in financial difficulties, failed to build on this success, and van de Poele would not race again that year.

He then signed for Brabham in 1992, but the team were low on money. The Belgian qualified for the opening South African Grand Prix, finishing 13th, but then failed to qualify the outdated car again. He frequently matched team-mate Damon Hill in the other Brabham, however. For the Hungarian Grand Prix he switched to the promising Fondmetal team. He qualified the car at the first attempt, only to spin out. He then started an excellent 15th for the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing 10th, and qualified again for the Italian Grand Prix, only for the clutch to break. After this, Fondmetal also hit money troubles and withdrew, leaving van de Poele without a drive.

Aside from a largely-unused capacity as test driver for Tyrrell in 1993, van de Poele has since found considerable success in Touring Cars and sports cars, winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1995 and 1996 and the Petit Le Mans in 1998.

For 2008, van de Poele is competing in the Rolex Sports Car Series.

[edit] Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	WDC	Points
1991	Modena Team SpA	Lambo 291	Lamborghini V12	USA DNPQ	BRA DNPQ	SMR 9	MON DNPQ	CAN DNPQ	MEX DNPQ	FRA DNPQ	GBR DNPQ	GER DNQ	HUN DNQ	BEL DNQ	ITA DNQ	POR DNQ	ESP DNQ	JPN DNQ	AUS DNQ	-	0
1992	Motor Racing Developments Ltd	Brabham BT60B	Judd V10	RSA 13	MEX DNQ	BRA DNQ	ESP DNQ	SMR DNQ	MON DNQ	CAN DNQ	FRA DNQ	GBR DNQ	GER DNQ							-	0
	Fondmetal	Fondmetal GR02	Ford V8											HUN Ret	BEL 10	ITA Ret	POR	JPN	AUS

[edit] External links

• Profile on F1 Rejects

Sporting positions
Preceded by Kurt Thiim	German Touring Car Champion 1987	Succeeded by Klaus Ludwig