José Close is a racing driver from Belgium who last raced in 24H Series for VDS Racing Adventures. Close is a one-time champion (2018), with 4 wins and 6 podiums from 12 starts.[1]
A Racer Rating of 3,997 ranks Close 3585th of 40,700 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the high 8,000s. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.
| 2023-09-16 | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya GTX | P2 | −6 |
| Rating won | Race | Series | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| +100 | Navarra 2018 | 24H Series | P1 |
| +85 | Spa-Francorchamps 2018 | 24H Series | P1 |
| +77 | Dubai Autodrome 2018 | 24H Series | P1 |
| +56 | Circuit of the Americas 2018 | 24H Series | P1 |
| +34 | Spa-Francorchamps 2003 | FIA GT Championship | P24 |
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Podiums | DNFs | Poles | Points | Pos | Gain/Loss | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | ▸24H Series | VDS Racing Adventures | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P14 | −6 | 3,997 |
| 2019 | ▸24H Series | VDS Racing Adventures | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P7 | −43 | 4,002 |
| 2018 | ▸24H Series | VDS Racing Adventures | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P1 | −4 | 4,002 |
| 2017 | ▸24H Series | VDS Racing Adventures | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | −50 | 4,041 |
| 2004 | ▸FIA GT Championship | EBRT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | P35 | +20 | 4,099 |
| 2003 | ▸FIA GT Championship | Campus Automobile | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P35 | +34 | 4,080 |
| 2001 | ▸FIA GT Championship | EBRT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | P33 | +2,696 | 4,046 |
| Rival | Rating | Raced | Ahead | Behind | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇫🇷 Christophe BouchutFIA Silver | 3,795 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| 🇺🇸 Dominique BastienFIA Bronze | 3,214 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| 🇧🇪 Bert LonginFIA Bronze | 5,500 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
| 🇧🇪 Kurt Mollekens | 5,387 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 67% |
| 🇧🇪 Eric van de PoeleFIA Bronze | 5,310 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 100% |
| 🇩🇰 Philipp Peter | 4,991 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33% |
| 🇮🇹 Christian Pescatori | 4,901 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 100% |
| 🇮🇹 Vincent Vosse | 4,884 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇧🇪 Anthony Kumpen | 4,508 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 67% |
| 🇬🇧 Stéphane OrtelliFIA Gold | 4,356 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0% |
| 🇫🇷 Jacques LaffiteHigher-rated | 6,099 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| 🇩🇪 Michael BartelsHigher-rated, 3× champion | 5,967 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| 🇫🇷 Christophe TinseauFIA Silver | 5,689 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100% |
| # | Driver | Series | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,575 | 🇦🇺 Ryan MacMillan | TCR World Tour | 4,002 |
| 3,576 | 🇺🇸 Colby Howard | NASCAR Truck | 4,001 |
| 3,577 | 🇫🇷 John Filippi | TCR World Tour | 4,001 |
| 3,578 | 🇯🇵 Yu Kanamaru | Super GT | 4,001 |
| 3,579 | 🇧🇷 Enzo Bortoleto | Stock Light | 4,000 |
| 3,580 | 🇫🇮 Mikael Forsten | FIA GT Championship | 4,000 |
| 3,581 | 🇬🇧 Gustav Burton | Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup | 3,999 |
| 3,582 | 🇨🇭 Sebastien Page | 24H Series | 3,999 |
| 3,583 | 🇺🇸 Jason Alder | Zenith Racing Series | 3,998 |
| 3,584 | 🇨🇿 Petr Fulín | 24H Series | 3,998 |
| 3,585 | 🇧🇪 José Close | 24H Series | 3,997 |
| 3,586 | 🇦🇪 Patrick Kolb | GT World Challenge Europe | 3,997 |
| 3,587 | 🇫🇮 Axel Blom | GT World Challenge Europe | 3,996 |
| 3,588 | 🇳🇿 Brendon Leitch | GT World Challenge Asia | 3,996 |
| 3,589 | 🏳️ Christian Bracke | Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie | 3,996 |
| 3,590 | 🇦🇹 Christopher Zoechling | 24H Series | 3,996 |
| 3,591 | 🇰🇼 Jaber Alsabah | British F4 | 3,996 |
| 3,592 | 🇭🇰 Philip Ma | World Touring Car Championship | 3,996 |
| 3,593 | 🇺🇸 Sam Swindell | NASCAR Xfinity | 3,996 |
| 3,594 | 🇺🇸 Tyler Young | NASCAR Truck | 3,996 |
| 3,595 | 🇺🇸 Butch Isom | NASCAR Xfinity | 3,995 |
José Close is an entry-level professional who raced in multiclass endurance championships, most notably the 24H Series, where he shared a car across its GTX, SP2 and SPX classes for VDS Racing Adventures. He competed sporadically across two decades, with nine starts in the 24H Series between 2017 and 2023 and three earlier appearances in the FIA GT Championship in the early 2000s.[1]
Close won four races, all of them in the 24H Series, and finished on the podium six times across his career. He took the 2018 24H Series championship with VDS Racing Adventures, his sole title. His results in the FIA GT Championship were limited to a single season in 2004, where he finished 35th in the standings across one round contested.[2]
His regular opponents in the 24H Series were closely matched with him; he raced against Dominique Bastien, an entry-level professional with a long record in multiclass endurance racing, and in the FIA GT Championship he met Christophe Bouchut, a two-time FIA GT champion. Close beat the professional-level drivers Erik Janis and Johannes Stuck once each, both in the 24H Series.