Eric van de Poele

Eric van de Poele (born 30 September 1961 in Verviers) is a Belgian racing driver, best known for competing in Formula 3000, Formula 1 and the World Touring Car Masters|World Touring Car Masters]].

F3000

After winning the DTM Title in 1987 for BMW (without winning a single race, at that!), Éric first appeared in F3000 in 1988, driving for Madgewick International, where he had a difficult season, scoring no points and being off the oace of the runners. He switched to French outfit DAMS for the Following year, where he would score points three times and generally shoeing improved skills.

He switched teams again in 1990, this time, going to Apomatox, another French outfit, as teammate to that season's eventual champion Damon Hill. The Belgian would have his best season in F3000, scoring his first win at silverstone and multiple podoum finishes as he ended up in 3rd place in the standings, also his career best in single seaters.

Formula 1

1991

Impressed by his results that season (and also wanting moeny from his sponsor, Lease Plan), Ken Tyrell signed Eric to his eponymous team for the 1991 Formula 1 season. Despite the lack of reliability, the Belgian would still manage a best finish of 8th at the San Marino Grand Prix and 9th at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

1993

While spending 1992 and most of 1993 in the World Touring Car Masters, an unexpected opportunity to return to F1 came after the Italian Grand Prix of that year, when Lotus approached him to replace the recently fired Mark Blundell for the last 3 races. In his first race back at the Portuguese Grand Prix, van de Poele surprised the entire paddock by immediately being on pace, scoring an unexpected 4th place on merit in his first race in almost 2 years. While he would retire due to mechanical failures in Japan, Eric would end his stint with a top 10 finish in Australia.

1994

Eric's impressive performances as a substitute in 1993 opened the doors for him coming back full time in Formula 1, signing with the brand new Simtek outfit.

WTCM

1992

However, due to Tyrell's lack of money, Van de Poele was not retained for the 1992 season. He wouldn't be on the unemployement line for long, though, as he managed to sign with Opel privateers Autosport Mannschaft Gelsenkirchen for the 1992 World Touring Car Masters season, marking his return to touring car racing after a 5-year absence.