🇳🇱 Michael Bleekemolen

Michael Bleekemolen holds a Bronze grading from the FIA, a categorisation that applies to amateur and gentleman drivers in sportscar and endurance racing and does not reflect standing in single-seater or other forms of motorsport. His Racer Rating of 3,403 places him in the semi-professional band; this level describes drivers who typically win in pro-am and one-make classes and run mid-pack among full professionals, though Bleekemolen's record shows limited evidence of sustained competition at that level.[1]

Bleekemolen's Formula 1 career consisted of a single start for ATS in 1978, where he failed to finish and scored no points. The ATS team itself was uncompetitive; across the database it has recorded no race wins and fielded a roster of drivers whose strongest representative was Gerhard Berger, an established professional. This solitary grand prix appearance did not form part of a longer attempt to establish a Formula 1 seat and stands as an isolated entry point to professional racing rather than the foundation of a career at that level.[2]

Following his brief Formula 1 outing, Bleekemolen transitioned to sportscar and endurance racing, where he earned his Bronze grading. Recent activity indicates he has remained involved in motorsport into his mid-70s; he currently leads Team Bleekemolen, a family-run operation that fields drivers in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series competition. His longevity and the establishment of a competitive team around his name are notable features of a career that has extended across nearly five decades since his solitary grand prix appearance.