GT / Tourism

Gijs van Lennep celebrates his 82nd birthday: before Max Verstappen, the first star of the Netherlands, it was him

The first Dutch champion worthy of the name in motorsport was Gijs van Lennep, credited with two victories at Le Mans and two points in the Grand Prix. The Dutchman celebrates his 16nd birthday this Saturday March 2024, 82.

Published 16/03/2024 à 15:12

François Hurel

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Gijs van Lennep celebrates his 82nd birthday: before Max Verstappen, the first star of the Netherlands, it was him

Gijs van Lennep won the 24 1971 Hours of Le Mans with this sublime Porsche 917K Martini-Racing. Photo DPPI

Slender figure, straightened hair and Bugs Bunny smile, Baron Gijs van Lennep has not really changed since that day in June 1976 when he hung up his red-orange helmet, on the evening of his second Le Mans victory. A voice, a little scratchy from cigarillos, gives him the air of an old circuit warrior, survivor of a time when racing was cruel. Although he was born (March 16, 1942 in Bloemendaal) with the title of baron, Gijsbert van Lennep does not draw any particular glory from it: “ Yes, I'm a bit of an aristocrat, he concedes, but at the lowest level. And my name is Gijs! », he confided to us during a meeting at the Le Mans Classic in 2018.

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24 Hours of Le Mans 24 Hours of Le Mans 1971 24H of Le Mans biography classic Gijs Van Lennep Helmut Marko Martini Racing Porsche 907 Porsche 911 Porsche 917 vintage
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