Robin Bleekemolen, daughter of Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, will join him and grandfather Michael in EuroNASCAR starting from next month’s round at Autodrom Most.
The Bleekemolen racing family will have a third generation driver competing in the NASCAR Euro Series during the NASCAR GP Czech Republic at Autodrom Most on 30-31 August.
Robin Bleekemolen, daughter of Sebastiaan and granddaughter of family patriarch Michael, is set to make her stock car debut in EuroNASCAR Rookie Challenge.
She is due to compete with Team Bleekemolen’s flagship No. 69 Toyota Camry. It meant that Robin will share driving duties with father Sebastiaan and EuroNASCAR OPEN championship leader Melvin de Groot.
Robin, Sebastiaan and Michael will all compete at Czechia, giving fans the opportunity to witness three generations of drivers from the legendary Bleekemolen family competing in the same NASCAR Euro Series round.
“And we have more great news!” announced Team Bleekemolen on 19 July through social media. “Robin Bleekemolen will make her debut in EuroNASCAR!”
Together with her father Sebastiaan and grandfather Michael, she will be at the starting line of the race at Autodrom Most on August 30.”
“At 15 years old, Robin will be one of the youngest drivers to participate in the NASCAR Euro Series Rookie Challenge. With three generations of Bleekemolen on the track, this is a unique moment in the family’s history!”
Robin is set to join a strong cast of drivers in EuroNASCAR’s regularity-based division, which already had two full-time female drivers in Nicole Davidson and Vanessa “Happinessa” Neumann.
According to the official statement, Robin became interested in joining EuroNASCAR after a visit to the American SpeedFest at Brands Hatch.
“As a little girl, I was sometimes allowed to go to the races with my father and I always loved that,” said Robin to nascar.eu. “But the racing bug really caught me when I was allowed to go to Brands Hatch for the NASCAR Euro Series. From there, I knew that I wanted to race.”
Sebastiaan was initially reluctant to allow Robin to follow the footsteps of him, Michael and brother Jeroen Bleekemolen to motorsport. However, he changed his mind after Robin’s passion shone through.
“When Robin started karting, I wasn’t overly enthusiastic at first,” Sebastiaan said in his official statement. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a fan of women in motorsport. I think men should race against men and women should race against women because I’m afraid that a career in racing is incredibly hard for a girl.”
“But, when my father took her to the go-kart track during the COVID-19 period, things clicked immediately. It changed my perspective completely.”
“Seeing the joy she gets out of it and how well she handles herself in a male-dominated environment makes me proud of her. She’s exceeded all expectations.”
“We don’t have the resources or time to be on the kart track every week, but I try to get her into different cars when I can. Formula Renault 1.6, Mazda MX-5, Renault Clio, and now the NASCAR cars.”
Robin acknowledges that the jump from go-karts to EuroNASCAR stock cars will be huge, but she’s looking forward to finally seeing her dream become a reality.
Perhaps fittingly, her debut will be held at the site of her father’s only win in the sport so far.
“I’ve already driven on Circuit Zandvoort in different cars, but I’m really looking forward to driving the NASCAR car at Most,” said Robin on her upcoming debut. “It’s all new for me. The car, the track, but I’m excited! It’s like a dream come true.”
“In the future, I hope to break through motorsport. A combination of NASCAR and F1 Academy would be my ultimate dream. And who knows, it would be amazing to one day race alongside my dad, my grandpa, and my uncle Jeroen.”
“Driving at Most will be a big step with all those horses under the hood and a new track, but I’m confident she can handle it,” adds Sebastiaan.
“Racing together in the same class, maybe even in NASCAR someday, would be something incredibly special. I used to be the kid on the track, and now I’m the dad. Having three generations together at the track in one weekend is something truly unique.”
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.