Racing Team Netherlands will not participate in an important race in Atlanta this weekend. As a motorsport enthusiast and director of main sponsor Jumbo, Frits van Eerd is the driving force behind the racing team, in which he also races. Because he is involved in a money laundering investigation, the team skips the last race of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
The Fiod raided Frits van Eerd two weeks ago because of the money laundering investigation. Raids were also carried out in other places in the Netherlands. The director of Jumbo is seen by the judiciary as a suspect and was held in a police cell for five days.
Van Eerd has now been released, but he decided last week to temporarily step down as director of Jumbo due to the investigation. He also seems to give up racing for a while. With Racing Team Netherlands, Van Eerd participates in big endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Personal situation
The team released the following statement on Tuesday: “Following Frits van Eerd’s decision to focus on his personal situation in the coming period, Racing Team Netherlands will not participate in the IMSA race this weekend in Atlanta. We understand and respect his decision and guarantee him our support.”
The race team was already in Atlanta for Petit Le Mans, as the race is called. The car was tested three weeks ago in America in preparation for this weekend’s race. The team competes in the so-called LMP2 class, consisting of cars that reach about 340 kilometers per hour on the circuit.
Championship
The IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup consists of four endurance races, including the famous 24 Hours of Daytona. In that championship, Racing Team Netherlands was second with 31 points. It also had a good chance of winning the championship, as the leader has only four points more.