Ben Pon

24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1961 - 1965, 1967
Teams	Porsche System Engineering, Racing Team Holland, Auguste Vaillet
Best finish	7th (1967)
Class wins	2 (1961, 1967)

Ben Pon
Born	9 December 1936; Leiden, Netherlands
Died	30 September 2019 (aged 82); Nijkerk, Netherlands
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Dutch
Active years	1962
Teams	Ecurie Maarsbergen (privateer Porsche)
Entries	1
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1962 Dutch Grand Prix
Last entry	1962 Dutch Grand Prix

Bernardus Marinus "Ben" Pon (9 December 1936 – 30 September 2019)^[1] was a Dutch vintner and Olympian and motor racing driver. He competed in one Formula One race, the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, but had a far longer career in sports car racing, before turning his back on the track to concentrate on the wine trade. He also represented the Netherlands in clay pigeon shooting at the 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing 31st in the skeet event.^[2]^[3]

Life

His father, Ben Pon, Sr., was an importer of Volkswagen Beetles into the United States, and is considered to be the "father" of the Volkswagen Type 2 due to his initial interest and input into the project.^[4]

Ben Pon was a personal friend of Formula One driver Carel Godin de Beaufort. It was de Beaufort's own Ecurie Maarsbergen privateer team that provided a Porsche 787 for him to race at Zandvoort, in his home Grand Prix on 20 May 1962. He failed to finish the race due to an accident, which flipped his car over, throwing Pon out of the cockpit and into a shrubbery.^[2] In response, Pon vowed never again to race single-seaters, and in the years that followed he remained true to his word, while achieving many successes in sports car racing also driving a Porsche. Pon retired from professional sports car racing in 1965.

After his retirement in the sports arena, Pon turned his attention to the wine trade. He was known for his Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley, California, and owned the oldest wine negotiating business in the Netherlands.

Racing record

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1961	Porsche System Engineering	Herbert Linge	Porsche 356B Abarth GTL	S 1.6	284	10th	1st
1962	Porsche System Engineering	Carel Godin de Beaufort	Porsche 356B Abarth	GT 1.6	35	DNF	DNF
1963	Porsche System Engineering	Heinz Schiller	Porsche 356B 2000GS GT	GT 2.0	115	DNF	DNF
1964	Racing Team Holland	Henk van Zalinge	Porsche 904/4 GTS	GT 2.0	319	8th	2nd
1965	Auguste Veuillet	Robert Buchet	Porsche 904/4 GTS	GT 2.0	224	DNF	DNF
1967	Porsche System Engineering	Vic Elford	Porsche 906K Carrera 6	S 2.0	327	7th	1st

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Pts
1962	Ecurie Maarsbergen	Porsche 787	Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4	NED Ret	MON	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	ITA	USA	RSA	NC	0

References

^ "'Mister Porsche' Ben Pon overleden". 30 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
^ ^a ^b "Formula One at the Olympics". Viva F1. Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
^ "Ben Pon". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
^ "Who's Who of Volkswagen". Vwtrendsweb.com. 2002-09-28. Archived from the original on 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2013-06-04.

External links

Bernadus Winery website
Profile on F1 Rejects Archived 2019-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
Biography of Bernadus Pon
Who's Who of Volkswagen

[death-1] "'Mister Porsche' Ben Pon overleden". 30 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-30.

[olympics-2] "Formula One at the Olympics". Viva F1. Archived from the original on 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2012-07-26.

[SportsRef-3] "Ben Pon". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.

[4] "Who's Who of Volkswagen". Vwtrendsweb.com. 2002-09-28. Archived from the original on 2013-04-24. Retrieved 2013-06-04.

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