It’s typically mentioned that the whole lot appears higher on social media than in actual life. However in relation to Vink Motorsport within the Netherlands, the other is true.
After electronic mail exchanges with the Vink staff, I used to be invited to tour the Zaandam-based workshop famend for its BMW race automobile restorations and new traditional builds.
Based mostly on what I’d seen on-line, I assumed I knew what to anticipate. But, stepping inside Vink Motorsport, I used to be shocked by the dimensions of the constructing and the variety of vehicles inside. I by no means would have guessed one thing like this was attainable within the Netherlands; as standard, I underestimated the data and experience that exists in our small nation.
Upon coming into, I used to be greeted by Vink Motorsport’s proprietor Ton Vink, who has a lot ardour for the vehicles he builds.
Ton’s journey dates again to 1993 as a mechanic within the Dutch Touring Automobile Championship (DTCC), the place he sarcastically began in a Mercedes-Benz staff. After his time within the DTCC, he transitioned to karting, operating Group TKP, which gained Dutch, European, and world titles.
Regardless of his success in karting, Ton’s ardour for touring vehicles – particularly BMWs – remained. So, in 2005, he constructed his first E30 M3, signaling the start of Vink Motorsport. What started as a pastime shortly developed right into a thriving enterprise.
At present, Ton and his staff concentrate on constructing and getting ready BMWs for historic racing. Most of those vehicles are engineered to historic FIA specs, permitting them to get again on monitor for the numerous traditional motorsport occasions in Europe. Vink Motorsport additionally offers track-side assist, guaranteeing fast fixes for patrons throughout race weekends.
Ton talked me over a number of BMWs within the workshop – a couple of of which I’ll present you in a follow-up highlight – however we’ll begin with this treasure: a Schnitzer E36 STC from 1996. Constructed as a ‘T-car’ (backup automobile) for that 12 months’s BTCC, it by no means noticed the beginning line. Its first race was the 1996 Vacationer Trophy at Donington Park within the UK, pushed by Joachim Winkelhock, who completed fourth.
Quickly after, the E36 was shipped to South Africa for the 1996 Rainbow Championship – contested at Kyalami and Kilarney – of eight races throughout two weekends. Winkelhock and Shaun van der Linde shared the automobile, every driving 4 races. In the end, Winkelhock gained the championship with 4 wins from his 4 begins.
Tucked away within the reverse nook of the workshop sat an E36 with an equally fascinating backstory. Crazily, this automobile connects to Prodrive and the late Colin McRae. How? Properly, Prodrive managed the BTCC BMW manufacturing facility staff in 1992, and McRae, then a rising rally star for Subaru, visitor raced on this automobile at Knockhill Circuit in his residence nation of Scotland.
The E36 was present in Thailand and introduced again to Holland, the place it’s ready for its flip to be restored to its former glory.
One other E36 caught my eye, this time an STW constructed by BMW Motorsport and pushed by late Nineteen Eighties F1 driver Stefano Modena. On the inaugural FIA Touring Automobile Problem in 1993 at Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Modena completed twenty sixth within the first race and seventh within the second.
The automobile’s unique livery, that includes a steam cleaner firm (Polti), lacked aptitude, prompting the proprietor to spice it with this blue, crimson, and inexperienced Castrol scheme.
Heading upstairs, I nearly tripped over a couple of priceless BBS wheels… then I noticed it…
If there have been any automobile I wasn’t anticipating to seek out at a BMW race car-centric restoration store, it will be this – a Group A Mazda 929, powered in interval by a 13B rotary engine.
The Mazda was initially constructed in 1985 by Dutch racer Hans van der Beek (who now works at Vink Motorsport) for the Spa 24-Hour race. Hans and his privateer staff painstakingly crafted the automobile themselves, efficiently homologating all its custom-made racing elements with the FIA.
With backing from Mazda Netherlands, the 929 – affectionately dubbed the “Hiroshima Taxi” – was a well-known sight on the circuit till a crash in 1988 despatched it to storage. In 2016, it was rediscovered in a Belgian barn.
The Vink Motorsport staff remains to be determining a plan for the automobile, however with a lot buyer work preserving them busy, it might be some time earlier than this one sees monitor time once more.
As you’ll be able to see, there’s a lot happening at Vink Motorsport – however this was simply the stuff within the store after I visited!
Ton’s newest endeavor is a dream for any petrolhead: 5 meticulously crafted replicas of the legendary BMW M3 E36 GTR. Constructed from unique blueprints with historic FIA approval, these GTR replicas promise authenticity and efficiency. Of the 5 deliberate, three have already been bought. As soon as the primary is full, I’m desperate to schedule a photograph shoot to seize the masterpiece in all its glory.
For now, although, keep tuned for my Vink Motorsport highlight characteristic.
Jeroen Willemsen
Instagram: jaccojeroen
