__NOTOC__ Charles Zwolsman Jr. (born June 15, 1979, in

Lelystad Lelystad () is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, and it is the capital of the province of Flevoland. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the Afsluitdi ...

, Netherlands) is a race car driver who formerly competed in the Champ Car World Series. He is the son of former sports car racing driver

Charles Zwolsman Sr. Charles Zwolsman (6 August 1955 – 21 January 2011) was a Dutch drug dealer and professional racecar driver and team owner. Drug dealing Zwolsman was born in Oostzaan, and started dealing in marijuana in the 1980s. He built an organizatio ...

, who competed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Zwolsman started racing go karts before competing in Formula Ford,

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 ...

and

Formula 3 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 ...

in Europe. He finished 16th and 17th during his two seasons in the Formula 3 Euro Series before moving his career to the United States. In

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

Zwolsman made his debut in the Toyota Atlantic series with Condor Motorsports. The unknown driver made an impression quickly; he was fastest in qualifying in the first race at Long Beach. However, his car failed the technical inspection and he was forced to start last. During the race, he moved up steadily to finish third. Zwolsman went on to win three races that season and clinch the championship over rivals Tõnis Kasemets and Katherine Legge. The newly crowned Atlantic champion made his Champ Car debut in the season finale in Mexico City for Team Australia. In

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

he competed in a full season of the Champ Car series with Mi-Jack Conquest Racing, finishing 13th in the season standings with two seventh-place finishes as his best results. He did not return in 2007, and has not competed in American open wheel racing since. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Zwolsman is driving for the Kolles LMP1 team in the Le Mans Series where he is currently placed 9th in the LMP1 driver standings. The team also ran the

2009 24 Hours of Le Mans The 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: 24 Heures du Mans 2009) was the 77th Grand Prix of Endurance, an endurance auto race run over 24 hours. It took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, and was organised by the Automobile Club ...

, where they placed 7th overall despite team driver Narain Karthikeyan not being able to compete due to a non-racing related injury just prior to the start. In 2011, Zwolsman Jr. was charged in the Netherlands with involvement in money laundering. According to the prosecutors, Zwolsman jr. has financed his racing career with the proceeds of the criminal activities of his father. The prosecution has asked for a 240-hour community service sentence, a 15-month suspended prison sentence and a 20,000 euro fine. Zwolsman jr. has denied all charges. Zwolsman jr. proceeded to fight these allegations and after some major investors/sponsors where acquitted in 2013 Zwolsman himself was also cleared of all charges in 2016

Motorsports career results

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results

( key)

American open–wheel racing results

( key)

Atlantic Championship

Champ Car

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zwolsman, Charles Living people 1979 births People from Lelystad Dutch racing drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Champ Car drivers Atlantic Championship drivers German Formula Renault 2.0 drivers French Formula Renault 2.0 drivers Formula Renault Eurocup drivers European Le Mans Series drivers Sportspeople from Flevoland Manor Motorsport drivers Kolles Racing drivers Conquest Racing drivers German Formula Three Championship drivers