Sports
Van Hoepen’s Dream Race Weekend at Zandvoort
Dutch racing driver Van Hoepen recently shared his vision for the perfect race weekend at Zandvoort, and it’s as thrilling as you might imagine. He dreams of starting the weekend right by securing P1 in Practice, Qualifying, and both the Sprint and Feature Races, with all the fastest laps under his belt.
According to Van Hoepen, there’s a definite need to upgrade the paddock area. He believes it’s currently too small to accommodate all the fans and teams comfortably, so he proposes making it bigger for a smoother race weekend experience.
When it comes to the track itself, Van Hoepen thinks Zandvoort is great already, but he has a couple of ideas. He suggests laying down new asphalt in sector two and even extending the track a bit after Turn 7 into the dunes, before returning to the original circuit layout.
Now, about the race time: since it’s in the Netherlands, Van Hoepen is leaning towards a day race. “At night, it gets pretty chilly,” he pointed out, envisioning perfect conditions of around 25 degrees with a light breeze.
As for tires, he’d opt for Soft tires that don’t wear out, ensuring maximum performance throughout the race. And when it comes to special guests, he’s got a star-studded list in mind: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kendall Jenner, and former racing star Kimi Raikkonen, whom he hopes to get some tips from.
Music would play a big part in this dream weekend too, with Van Hoepen dreaming of having Coldplay perform live at the track. He mentioned wanting to see them in concert this year but couldn’t make it, so having them at this race weekend would be a perfect alternative.
On the podium, he envisions a setup that hangs over the track, bringing the celebration closer to the fans, while the trophies would need to be impressive—big enough to require two hands to lift, similar to the legendary Le Mans trophies.
Lastly, he wants to add a bit of fun for fans, suggesting a contest where winners get to participate in a reverse race around the track. This old-school idea would allow fans to race in a classic car, encouraging a bit of crashing without any major worries.
