Nicolas Verdonck (born 5 December 1985) 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 ...

racing driver. He was born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Career

Formula Renault

Verdonck competed in

Formula Renault Formula Renault are classes of formula racing popular in Europe and elsewhere. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it was founded in 1971, and was a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to hig ...

1600 in 2003, his first year in single seaters. His

race engineer A race engineer is a motorsport team member who analyses data to achieve the best performance from the vehicle and driver. The race engineer communicates with the team's data analyst, mechanics, and driver, both between and during races. Off the ...

was Tim Wright.

Formula 3000

Verdonck rose to prominence when he competed in the

2004 International Formula 3000 season The 2004 International Formula 3000 season was the thirty-eight season of the second-tier of Formula One feeder championship and also twentieth and final season under the International Formula 3000 Championship moniker. It featured the 2004 FIA For ...

with the Astromega team. Although the step up in power and

downforce Downforce is a downwards lift force created by the aerodynamic features of a vehicle. If the vehicle is a car, the purpose of downforce is to allow the car to travel faster by increasing the vertical force on the tires, thus creating more grip. ...

from FRenault to F3000 is a big one, Verdonck was given a degree of stability by the fact that he kept Wright as his race engineer. However, he only scored one point, which was not enough to get him a drive in the new

GP2 Series The GP2 Series was a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The GP2 format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Eccle ...

for 2005. After his home race at

Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), frequently referred to as ''Spa'', is a motor-racing circuit located in Stavelot, Belgium. It is the current venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, hosting its first Grand Prix in 1925, and has held ...

, he won a competition for the best driving style.

Formula Three

Verdonck took a step back in 2005, competing part-time in the

Formula Three Euroseries The Formula 3 Euro Series was a European-based junior single seater formula for Formula Three chassis that was launched (in its current form) in 2003 as a merger of the French Formula Three Championship and German Formula Three Championship. The ...

without scoring any points. He also took part in the

Masters of Formula 3 The Masters of Formula 3 was a Formula Three race held annually, usually at the Circuit Park Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Due to noise restrictions in the Zandvoort area, the 2007 and 2008 races were held in the Belgian circuit of Zolder. However ...

race. In 2006, he competed in two races in the Spanish

Formula Three Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...

series, and then moved to the

German Formula Three Championship The German Formula Three Championship was the national Formula Three championship of Germany, and the former West Germany, from 1950 to 2002, then as Formel 3 until 2014. In 2003, the series had merged with the French Formula Three Championship to ...

for 2007, where he finished third overall. He moved country again in 2008, driving in the

Italian Formula Three Championship The Italian Formula Three Championship was the Formula Three racing competition in Italy. History Formula Three has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls - it is typically the first point in a driver's care ...

Formula Le Mans Cup

For 2009, Verdonck switched disciplines to

sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...

by competing in the inaugural season of the Formula Le Mans Cup. He shared a

DAMS A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

-run car with

Gavin Cronje Gavin Cronje (born 21 April 1979 in Johannesburg) is a South African racing driver. He has competed in such series as Euroseries 3000 and the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He won the inaugural Formula Volkswagen South Africa Championship in 2008 ...

and won the drivers' championship.

Racing record

Complete International Formula 3000 results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate ''fastest lap''.)

Complete GT1 World Championship results

References

External links

* * 1985 births Living people Racing drivers from Brussels Belgian racing drivers Formula 3 Euro Series drivers Euroformula Open Championship drivers Italian Formula Three Championship drivers German Formula Three Championship drivers International Formula 3000 drivers FIA GT1 World Championship drivers Porsche Supercup drivers Blancpain Endurance Series drivers European Le Mans Series drivers ADAC GT Masters drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers 24H Series drivers {{Belgium-autoracing-bio-stub FIA Motorsport Games drivers Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers Abt Sportsline drivers Oreca drivers Team Astromega drivers RP Motorsport drivers Phoenix Racing drivers DAMS drivers Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers Boutsen Ginion Racing drivers GT4 European Series drivers