Kurt Mollekens (born 8 March 1973 in Bonheiden) is a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

race car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

driver and team owner. Kurt Mollekens British F3 1995 Silverstone

Mollekens debuted as a driver in top-level

karting Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on f ...

during 1990, staying there until 1992 when he moved up to

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...

. His debut Formula Ford year was successful, him winning all three titles he challenged for –

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: B ...

Formula Ford, Dutch Formula Ford and Belgian Formula Ford. Mollekens also achieved success in the 1993 British Formula Ford season, which helped him into

Formula Opel Euroseries In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...

(1994) and the

British Formula 3 Championship The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single seat ...

(1995). He stayed in the latter during 1996, at which time he won the international Formula Three race at

Zandvoort Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...

, his biggest win. Mollekens joined

Formula 3000 Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines. Formula 3000 championships ...

in 1997 and spent two years there with the Keerbergs Transport Racing (KTR) team, which he owned. In 1999 he continued to run the team without driving, instead driving for

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...

in the

Belgian Pro Car Series Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

. He continued as an F3000 team owner until 2001, and after a hiatus as a driver in 2000, returned as a competitor in some races of the

FIA GT Championship The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation (SRO) at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout ...

of 2001 and 2002. In 2002 his team left Formula 3000, moving to the lesser-known World Series by Nissan, and latterly, World Series by Renault, in which the team competed until 2008. After a hiatus KTR planned to return to racing in 2009 in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. In 2004, Mollekens continued as a driver in part of the

European Touring Car Championship The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004. In 2005 it was superseded by the World T ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mollekens, Kurt 1973 births Living people People from Bonheiden Belgian racing drivers Formula Ford drivers Formula Renault Eurocup teams British Formula Three Championship drivers European Touring Car Championship drivers World Series Formula V8 3.5 teams International Formula 3000 drivers EFDA Nations Cup drivers European Le Mans Series drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers Arden International drivers Sportspeople from Antwerp Province Motorsport team owners BMW M drivers Racing Bart Mampaey drivers KTR drivers Larbre Compétition drivers Alan Docking Racing drivers W Racing Team drivers