Wilco Zeelenberg (born 19 August 1966) is a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and current race team manager with the Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team. Born in

Bleiswijk Bleiswijk () is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Demographics The municipality had a population of 10,222 in 2006, and covered an area of 21.96 km² (8.48 mile²) of which 0.83&nb ...

, he began racing

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s in

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

competitions before switching to road racing. Zeelenberg made his Grand Prix debut in the 80cc class in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

. He won his first and only world championship race at the

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

250cc

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in Rh ...

. His best season was in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, when he finished the season ranked fourth in the 250cc world championship riding a

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

. Zeelenberg managed the

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

factory racing team in the Supersport World Championship with riders

Cal Crutchlow Cal Crutchlow (born 29 October 1985) is an English professional motorcycle racer who retired from regular competition after the 2020 season. He is contracted as a test rider for Yamaha Motor Racing, which he is expected to continue in 2022 and ...

and Fabien Foret. Crutchlow claimed the

2009 Supersport World Championship The 2009 Supersport World Championship was the eleventh FIM Supersport World Championship season—the thirteenth taking into account the two held under the name of Supersport World Series. The season started on 1 March at Phillip Island and fi ...

. In 2010, Zeelenberg took on the role as team manager for

Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo Guerrero (; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish former professional motorcycle racer. He is a five-time World Champion, with three MotoGP World Championships (, and ) and two 250cc World Championships ( and ). After winning the 2006 a ...

in the

MotoGP team.Yamaha MotoGP Team at www.yamaha-racing.com
He later served the same role for

Maverick Viñales Maverick Viñales Ruiz (; born 12 January 1995) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer. Viñales is the 2013 Moto3 World Champion, currently riding in MotoGP for the Aprilia Racing team, after five seasons as a MotoGP factory rider with the ...

after Lorenzo's departure from the squad. With the new entry of the Petronas Yamaha SRT into MotoGP, Zeelenberg moved to become team manager with the new Yamaha satellite team.

Career statistics

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Races by year

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Supersport World Championship

Races by year

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

External links

Wilco Zeelenberg interview

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeelenberg, Wilco 1966 births Living people Dutch motorcycle racers 250cc World Championship riders People from Lansingerland 80cc World Championship riders Supersport World Championship riders Sportspeople from South Holland 20th-century Dutch people