Niels Albert

Niels Albert inside the #11 PK Carsport Camaro during the 2019 EuroNASCAR Finals at Zolder

Date of Birth: 5 February 1986 (age 38)
Birth Place: Bonheiden, Belgium
Seasons Competed: 2019
Starts: 2
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Poles: 0
Fastest Laps: 0
Best Standings Finish: NC (2019)

Profile:

Niels Albert is a living legend in cyclocross racing. He’s already a European and world champion in the junior division by the time he was 18 years old. From there, Albert took three back-to-back European U23 titles before he moved to the senior stage in the 2008-09 season. 

Albert continued his dominance by winning the senior world championship title on his very first attempt in 2009. He won another world title in 2012 to cement his legend status. In his illustrious career, Albert fought many great duels with other cyclocross legends such as Sven Nys, Zdenek Stybar and Kevin Pauwels.

Sadly, in the lead-up to the 2014-15 season Albert’s doctors discovered that he has cardiac arrhythmia. It’s a medical condition that causes one’s heart to beat irregularly, potentially leading to a fatal heart attack if it remains undetected.

Albert tried to push on, but soon realized that the diagnosis was the end of his career. Albert announced the news in an emotional press conference on 19 May 2014, shocking the industry with his sudden retirement.

The Belgian kept himself busy during his post-retirement years and found several new hobbies. One of which is motorsport and by 2016, Albert gained a license to compete in VW Fun Cup’s 25 Hours at Spa Francorchamps.

He continued to race sporadically for the next few years before a meeting with the Longin family allowed Albert to test PK Carsport’s EuroNASCAR stock car in March 2019.

A part-time deal with PK Carsport was announced shortly after, with Albert planning to get behind the wheel of the No. 11 ProJob Camaro at Brands Hatch, Venray and Zolder.

However, Albert only got the chance to race with PK Carsport in the season finale at Zolder. Albert got himself a top-10 on his debut race, but plans for future outings were thrown in disarray due to the pandemic. 

In the end, the Zolder outing was to be Albert’s final outing in motorsport. Albert chose to keep himself focused in cyclocross punditry and managing his bike shop Niels Albert Bike Store in the post-pandemic years.

Year-by-Year Statistics:

Season Class Car Team Points Pos.
Wins Podiums Poles FL's
Starts Top 5's Top 10's DNF's
2019 Elite 2 #11 ProJob Workwear Camaro PK Carsport 0 NC
0 0 0 0
2 0 1 0

Image Gallery:

Disclaimer: Previous Career Accomplishments, if listed, are courtesy of Driver Database. Main photo is from NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese. Credits for the photos in the Image Gallery are listed in the respective image titles.

Last Updated: 14 January 2025