The 19-year-old Calvin de Groot from Hoorn made his debut on the circuit in Zandvoort last weekend. His first race in the Ford Fiesta Sprint Cup was an immediate success, as he took second place on the podium despite a short preparation period.
Two years ago De Groot was still driving a Citroën C1 in the Dutch Sprint Cup, having previously competed in a kart had been sitting. “The C1 Cup is already a high class in motorsport, but the Ford Fiesta Cup is currently the cup racing in the Netherlands,” says De Groot. With a hundred horsepower more than the Citroën he previously drove, the debutant put in a great performance. In his first race he took second position and in the second race he came fourth. He also won second and third place in the Junior standings.
Watch the interview with Calvin at WEEFF radio here (text continues below the video):
High cost
The plan is to drive in the Ford Fiesta Cup all season, but that requires sponsors and partnerships to fund the competitions, explains De Groot. “There are significant costs associated with motorsport.”
During the race, the young driver from Hoorn sometimes has to take the budget into account. “It’s something I unfortunately have to think about. During a race other cars go full for it, then I’m a little more careful because damage to the car costs a lot of money.”
As a result, he lost a number of places during his race, but luckily he made up for this within five laps and drove to the podium.
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De Groot does not aim to follow in the footsteps of Max Verstappen. “Formula 1 is a very nice class, but my passion really lies with racing with touring cars.” These classes consist of ‘ordinary’ cars, such as the Ford Fiesta, which have been converted into racing cars. His dream is to one day compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and he is determined to achieve this goal. “If you don’t try, you won’t make it. So I’m going to do everything I can,” said determined De Groot.