Chris Vlok
| Chris Vlok | |
|---|---|
 Chris Vlok 2013 | |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Born |
17 September 1992 Capetown, South Africa |
| 2014 British F3 | |
| Years active | 2013 |
| Teams | Team West-Tec |
| Car no. | 53 |
| Starts | 12 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Best finish | 1st at Nurburgring[1] in |
| Previous series | |
| 2008-09 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 |
E30 BMW Series NZ New Zealand Formula Ford Quebec Formula Tour 1600 South Island Formula Ford Toyota Racing Series Australian Formula 3 JK Racing Asia Series |
| Awards | |
| 2011 | Quebec Formula Tour 1600 Rookie Of The Year |
Chris Vlok (born 17 September 1992) is a professional racing driver from New Zealand.
Career
E30 BMW Series NZ
He began racing in 2008 at the age of 15 after buying and selling second hand cars to make money, building his own E30 BMW into a race car - all while at high school. His first race was at the final round of the New Zealand E30 Series where he finished mid field. He raced in four of the six rounds in 2009, finishing fourth overall after recording four wins, two pole positions, nine podiums and seven fastest laps despite missing two of the rounds.[2]
New Zealand Formula Ford
Vlok moved to single-seater racing in 2010 in a Formula Ford, competing in the Christchurch and Timaru rounds of the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship where he finished mid pack.
Quebec Formula Tour 1600
In 2011, Vlok signed to race in the Quebec Formula Tour 1600. Driving for team Brian Graham Racing,[3] Vlok finished fourth overall and was awarded Rookie Of The Year.[4] In a series involving over 30 cars, Vlok had one win, and five podiums. In a post season interview, Vlok said "I really enjoyed the Quebec Formula Tour, it has been very good racing. My highlights include my podium at the famous Trois Rivieres Grand Prix, as well as the intense qualifying session before my race win at ICAR where i was just 0.008 seconds off pole position!"
South Island Formula Ford
At the end of 2011, Vlok returned to New Zealand for the third round of the South Island Formula Ford Series, taking three race wins from pole position.[5][6]
Toyota Racing Series
At the start of 2012, Vlok was signed to race in the Toyota Racing Series (TRS) by Victory Motorsport, with team mates Michela Cerruti, Dmitry Suranovich and Damon Lietch. Struggling with car set up, Vlok finished mid field at most events, his best race being the second to last at Manfeild where he finished tenth after fighting with Jordan King and Bruno Bonifacio.[7]
Formula 3 Australian Drivers' Championship
At the end of the 2012 Toyota Racing Series, Vlok competed for Team Astuti Motorsport in the opening round of Formula 3 Australian Drivers' Championship at Adelaide. Driving alongside Matt Sofi, in a Dallara F307 Sodemo-Renault, Vlok qualified ninth and finished seventh and sixth respectively, but was taken out of fourth place in the third race by a careless driver forcing him to retire from the race.[8]
JK Racing Asia Series
In June 2012 Vlok drove for EuroInternational in round three of the JK Racing Series (formerly known as Formula BMW Asia) at Circuit Paul Ricard, finishing tenth and ninth respectively. Vlok told media "this weekend was just a bit of fun for me really, the opportunity presented itself to come and drive here, it is a step backward for me in terms of speed but it was a great opportunity to come and race at such a legendary circuit. I didn't fit in the car very well unfortunately due to my height which made things pretty uncomfortable and hard to drive"[9]
European F3 Open
On 20 August 2012 Vlok replaced injured Luca Orlandi for Team West-Tec at round six of the 2012 European F3 Open at the Hungaroring, finishing 5th and 11th in class respectively.
British Formula 3
Vlok drove for Team West-Tec in the sub-class for older cars in 2013 British Formula Three championship in a 2012 Dallara-Toyota. Vlok completed his season with a string of good results including eight podiums and a win, his victory came in second the last race of the year at the Nurburgring.[10][11]
Personal life
Vlok is involved as a driver trainer for outfits including dealerships, advance driving schools, corporate events, entertainment events, public shows and demonstrations.[citation needed] He also has interests in yacht racing and flying.[citation needed] In 2011 he competed in yacht races in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in between racing in the Quebec Formula Tour. Vlok is also an entrepreneur with current business interests including health care, nanotechnology, food and beverages, media and construction world wide.[citation needed]
Racing record
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | E30 BMW Series NZ | CVM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2009 | E30 BMW Series NZ | CVM | 12 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 115 | 4th |
| 2010 | New Zealand Formula Ford Championship | CVM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 12th |
| 2011 | Quebec Formula Tour 1600 | Brian Graham Racing | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 340 | 4th |
| South Island Formula Ford | CVM | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 79 | NC | |
| 2012 | Toyota Racing Series | Victory Motorsport | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 371 | 15th |
| Formula 3 Australian Drivers' Championship | Astuti Motorsport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 20th | |
| JK Racing Asia Series | EuroInternational | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | |
| European F3 Open | Team West-Tec | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26th | |
| 2013 | 2013 British Formula Three season National class |
Team West-Tec | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 123 | 2nd in class |
References
- ↑ West-Tec
- ↑ "Toyota Racing Series". Driver Profiles. TRS. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ↑ "Vlok Signed for Formula Tour BGR". Flag World.
- ↑ "Rookie of the year for Vlok". Flag World. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ↑ "SIFF". points. Siff. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ↑ news "Tulloch-has-good-day-as-Teretonga-hosts-more-top-racing".
- ↑ "Vlok Signs With Victory Motorsport". NZ Racer. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ↑ "NZMOTORRACING". NEWS. NZMotorRacing. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ↑ "JK Racing Series News". AFOS. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ↑ "Race 2 results - British F3: Silverstone Circuit 2013". GP Update.net. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ↑ "Race 2 results - British F3: Silverstone Circuit 2013". West-tec. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chris Vlok. |
- Official website
- Chris Vlok career summary at DriverDB.com
- Toyota Racing Series profile
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