BRL V6
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The Benelux Racing League V6, better known as BRL V6, was a
touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not move ...
series held in
The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
between 2004 and 2009. It is the heavier variant on the BRL Light. For 2010, BRL cars were allowed into the
Dutch Supercar Challenge The Supercar Challenge is a motor racing series centered on the Benelux. A special feature is that touring cars, GTs and Sportscars can all participate on an equal basis within the same class, enabled by very open regulations. The championship was ...
.


History


Original series

The BRL V6 was first launched, as the V6 Oval Series, in July 2003. Entrepreneur Harry Maessen founded the racing series and a test was conducted at his own racetrack, Circuit de Peel. The car made its competition debut in the Dutch Winter Endurance Series New Years race at
Circuit Park Zandvoort Circuit Zandvoort (), known for sponsorship reasons as CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, and previously known as Circuit Park Zandvoort until 2017, is a motorsport race track located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea ...
2004. Drivers Jeroen Reijntjes and Sandor van Es placed the car on pole position, but technical difficulties prevented a strong finish. The inaugural season, 2004, featured four race weekends. The series competed at
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 he ...
,
Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. History Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, a ...
, Zandvoort and
Oschersleben Oschersleben () is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2020 about 19,000. History On November 23, 994 Oschersleben was first mentioned in a document by the Emperor Otto III. In 1235 ...
. The initial calendar also featured oval races at
Raceway Venray Raceway Venray, formerly known as Circuit de Peel, is a motorsport racing circuit in Venray, Netherlands. The track consists of a banked half mile oval with a flat quarter mile oval inside and features a karting track using portions of both along ...
and a new to construct oval in the German
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
. These did not take place.
Cor Euser Cornelius "Cor" Euser (born April 25, 1957) is a Dutch racing driver from Oss. His son Michael is also a racing driver Career After winning several Formula Ford titles in 1980 and 1981, Euser went to the FIA European Formula Three Championship p ...
, racing a
Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, who is the Vice Chairman for Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick M ...
resembling paint scheme, won the first pole position.
Donny Crevels Donny "The Don" Crevels (born 6 February 1974 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch racing driver. He has raced in such series as Le Mans Series, V8Star Series and the FIA GT Championship. In 1998, he won the Italian Formula Three Championship with Prema Pow ...
and
Duncan Huisman Duncan Huisman (born 11 November 1971 in Doornspijk, Gelderland) is a Dutch racing driver. He won the Guia Race four times and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2005. He claimed three titles at the Dutch Touring Car Championship in 1997, 2000 and 2 ...
won the first two races at Spa.n Facing heavy competition from Euser and
Thomas Mutsch Thomas Mutsch (born 2 April 1979) is a German racecar driver. His first success was a third place in the 1993 German karting championship. Two years later, in 1995, Mutsch finished second in the Formula Renault 1800. In 1999, Mutsch reached seco ...
, Crevels went on to win the inaugural season. The level of competition went up the following year with
Kurt Thiim Kurt Thiim (born 3 August 1956 in Vojens) is a Danish race car driver. After his karting career he raced in single-seaters from 1978 to 1984 before moving to the DTM. He won the championship in his debut year in 1986 driving a Rover Vitesse, and ...
and
Jeroen Bleekemolen Jeroen Bleekemolen (born 23 October 1981 in Heemstede) is a Dutch professional racing driver. In the Chrysler Viper GTS-R he drove in the FIA GT Championship, with great success. He competed in the very competitive German Formula Three Champion ...
joining the series and Xavier Maessen and
Marc Goossens Marc Goossens, nicknamed The Goose (born 30 November 1969), is a Belgian professional racing driver that currently competes in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, driving the No. 14 Chevrolet Camaro for SpeedHouse in the EuroNASCAR PRO class. Ra ...
making guest appearances. The BRL V6 field was joined by the BRL Light class. The class was the successor of the previous VEGE Series (2000-2004) and featured a less powerful
Ford Duratec Duratec is a brand name of the Ford Motor Company used for the company's range of gasoline-powered four-cylinder, five-cylinder and six-cylinder passenger car engines. The original 1993 Duratec V6 engine was designed by Ford and Porsche. Ford ...
engine. For the inaugural BRL Light season the series kept their VEGE Series
Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficien ...
bodywork before switching to a
Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car marketed by Ford since 1976 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and has been positioned below the Escort (later the ...
bodywork in 2006. Bleekemolen joined the
US Carworld The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
team as its sole full-time driver. The
2004 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters The 2004 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters was the eighteenth season of premier German touring car championship and also fifth season under the moniker of Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters since the series' resumption in 2000. There were 10 championship rac ...
driver won eleven out of fifteen races, dominating the championship. For 2006 a number of technical improvements were made to the car. The car received a softer compound of
Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem "T ...
slicks. Also cooling to the brakes was improved. The Collé Racing domination started in 2006, lasting until the final season of the original season in 2009. Collé Racing driver Sandor van Es won the championship in 2006 before teammate Donald Molenaar won the series in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Early in the 2006 season Collé Racing faced stiff competition from Eurotech Racing drivers Marc Goossens and
Danny van Dongen Danny van Dongen (born 1983) is a Dutch racing driver and entrepreneur currently competing in the MW-V6 Pickup Series. Racing career Van Dongen started his racing career in the Dutch Citroën Saxo Cup. He scored a third-place finish in the cham ...
whom competed for podium finishes. The series also competed during the 2006 A1GP weekend at Zandvoort. Prominent guest drivers joined the series, such as
Junior Strous Junior Strous (born 28 April 1986 in Vlaardingen) is a Dutch racing driver, racing team owner, and entrepreneur from Wassenaar. He has competed at various levels and classes of formula racing starting his professional career in Formula Ford at Ge ...
and
Jan Lammers Jan Lammers (Johannes Antonius Lammers, Zandvoort, 2 June 1956) is a racing driver from the Netherlands whose most notable claim to fame is victory in the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours for Silk Cut Jaguar/ TWR, next to a four-season spell in Formula One ...
. Lammers scored a seventh place in the first race with Crevels winning both races. The BRL joined the
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 language ...
and
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 ...
rounds of the
2007 Champ Car season The 2007 Champ Car World Series season was the fourth and final season of the Champ Car World Series. It began on April 8, 2007 and ended on November 11 after 14 races. Unbeknownst at the time, this would end up being the final contested season o ...
at Zolder and Assen. Collé Racing continued reigning supreme in 2007 with Molenaar winning six races and Sandor van Es winning four races in the fourteen race season. The other four races were won by Bleekemolen (who ran a partial schedule) and Donny Crevels, two each. The final races of the season, at Zandvoort, were marred by an incident involving 2005-2006 BRL Light champion Marijn van Kalmthout. During qualifying Van Kalmthout went off track in a yellow flag zone almost hitting a rescue vehicle and marshal. Van Kalmthout was disqualified for the remainder of the weekend. The disqualification had no effect on the championship standings were Van Kalmthout remained third. For 2008 the schedule was reduced to twelve races, with Molenaar again winning eight and the championship. In 2009 Donny Crevels beat Collé Racing driver Sandor van Es for the second place in the championship. At first it was announced the series would race at Racepark Meppen, also owned by series founder Harry Maessen, but the track was not built in time for the race weekend.


Dutch Supercar Challenge

During the 2009 season it was announced that the BRL V6 series would cease to exist an independent racing series. The series joined the
Dutch Supercar Challenge The Supercar Challenge is a motor racing series centered on the Benelux. A special feature is that touring cars, GTs and Sportscars can all participate on an equal basis within the same class, enabled by very open regulations. The championship was ...
roster. The series formed a separate class in the Supersport I and GT field. As the races in the Dutch Supercar Challenge had a semi-endurance set-up the BRL V6 cars were modified. The cars were fitted with more durable brakes and a larger fuel tank. The Hoosier tyres were replaced by Dunlop tyres. Many teams did not remain in the new series and driver numbers dropped. Compared to previous season the championship battle was very tight. Niels Bouwhuis claimed the championship in the final round, beating Nelson van der Pol by seven points. The following season the BRL V6 was no longer a separate class, but joined the Supersport I class. In the Supersport I class other cars competed such as the
Porsche 997 Porsche 997 is the internal designation for the Porsche 911 sports car manufactured and sold by the German automobile manufacturer Porsche between 2004 (as Model Year 2005) and 2013. Production of the Carrera and Carrera S coupés began in early ...
and the
Aston Martin Vantage __NOTOC__ Aston Martin has used the Vantage name on a number of vehicles, normally indicating a high-performance version of another model. In one case, during 1972–1973, the Vantage was a distinct model, being a straight-6 The straight-six ...
.


Raceway Venray

For 2011 Harry Maessen transformed the BRL V6 series into an oval racing series at his own
Raceway Venray Raceway Venray, formerly known as Circuit de Peel, is a motorsport racing circuit in Venray, Netherlands. The track consists of a banked half mile oval with a flat quarter mile oval inside and features a karting track using portions of both along ...
. Raceway Venray includes a half mile oval configuration the series used. The series returned to their soft Hoosier tyres. The series invited many
stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
regulars. Donald Molenaar, and Collé Racing, returned to the series. As Jacky van der Ende won eight races, and Molenaar seven, Van der Ende won the championship. Van der Ende repeated the feat in 2012.
Renger van der Zande Renger van der Zande (born 16 February 1986) is a Dutch racing driver who currently competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Chip Ganassi Racing. He is the son of the 1978 National Dutch Rallycross Champion Ronald van der Zan ...
won the final championship series in 2013.


MW-V6 Pickup Series

In 2014 Maessen sold the cars to the
Acceleration 2014 Acceleration 2014 was a multi-day festival combining top class car and bike racing with live music and other entertainment. The festival was organised by the International Sport Racing Association (ISRA), based in the Netherlands, and was held ...
organisation. The cars were transformed into pick-up trucks with a rear-wing to provide more downforce. Due to small grids the series folded after one season.
Danny van Dongen Danny van Dongen (born 1983) is a Dutch racing driver and entrepreneur currently competing in the MW-V6 Pickup Series. Racing career Van Dongen started his racing career in the Dutch Citroën Saxo Cup. He scored a third-place finish in the cham ...
, the only full-time driver in the series, was crowned champion. The cars were bought again by Harry Maessen and ran a demonstration event at Raceway Venray during the 2015
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (formerly known as Racecar Euro Series and Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series) is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's three international-sanctioned series, alongside th ...
event. A calendar for the pick-up series at Assen and Meppen was announced. However, no races were run.


The car

All the cars in this series are equal. They use the body of a
Ford Mondeo The Ford Mondeo is a large family car manufactured by Ford since 1993. The first Ford model declared as a "world car", the Mondeo was intended to consolidate several Ford model lines worldwide (the European Sierra, the Telstar in Asia and Austra ...
. The
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
is developed by Weytech Technical Assistance. The motor is a
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
4 L V6. It has 325 hp and a torque of 440 N·m. The car as a weight of 925 kg. The series uses
Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem "T ...
slicks. They use Wilwood disk brakes.


Formula BRL spin-off

Series founder Harry Maessen purchased twelve
Reynard Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of medieval allegorical Dutch, English, French and German fables. The first extant versions of the cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. The genre was popular throughout the Late Middle Ages, as ...
2KF chassis in 2006. Maessen fitted the former
Formula Chrysler Euroseries The Formula Chrysler Euroseries was a single-make open-wheel racing series based in Europe. It ran only in 2001. History Launched as the International Single Seater Challenge the series had to fill the gap between national Formula Three champion ...
cars with
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
engines. In early 2008, the 2001 Formula Chrysler Euroseries, champion, Ricardo van der Ende tested the renewed car at Zolder. The class ran demonstration races at the
Rizla Rizla (), commercially styled Rizla+., is a French brand of rolling papers and other related paraphernalia in which tobacco, or marijuana, or a mixture, is rolled to make handmade joints and cigarettes. The company was sold in 1997 to Imperial ...
Racing Days at the TT Circuit Assen. The field was made up of young talent, such as
Thomas Hylkema Thomas Hylkema (born 20 August 1988) is a Dutch racing driver, who drove for Tech 1 Racing in the GP3 Series in 2011. He is the brother of Bart Hylkema, a British Formula 3 racer. Career Like most racing drivers, Hylkema started his career in ...
and
Henk Vuik, Jr. Henk is a Dutch people, Dutch male given name, originally a short form of Hendrik (given name), Hendrik. It influenced "Hank" which is used in English-speaking countries (mainly in the US) as a form of "Henry (given name), Henry". People named "He ...
, and experienced BRL racing names such as
Barry Maessen Barry Maessen (born November 12, 1976 in Ysselsteyn) is a Dutch racecar driver. Maessen is the son of BriSCA F1 racer, circuit developer and entrepreneur Harry Maessen. The Dutch driver will be the first Dutch racing driver in the NASCAR Whele ...
and Henry Zumbrink. Vuik, Jr. won the first race, before Hylkema and Maessen. The second races was a rain spectacle with many drivers, in their first weekend racing the car, struggling in difficult circumstances. The 2003 Dutch Formula Ford Zetec champion
Nelson van der Pol Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
won the second race. Plans to race a full season in 2009, joining other national series, never came to fruition.


Champions


Point system

*
Pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...
is worth 1 point * Fastest lap is worth 1 point Image:BRL_V6_Donald_Molenaar.JPG, Donald Molenaars car. Image:BRL V6 Danny van Dongen.JPG, Danny van Dongens car. Image:Binnenkant BRL V6.JPG, The inside of a BRL V6 car.


References


External links

{{Commons category, BRL V6
www.brl-v6.nl
Touring car racing series Auto racing series in Belgium Auto racing series in the Netherlands Stock car racing series