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Last monday, on the 17th of October, Convident went on a fun trip to support one of our sponsored athletes. We were invited by Bente Boer Racing to join the pit box and get the racing experience. Convident is a loyal supporter and sponsor of Bente Boer and we were thrilled with the invite to join one of the Track Days organized by Driving Fun. Driving Fun is known as one of the largest organizers of Track Days in the Netherlands. We packed our bags and headed to our destination.
Zandvoort is a 2-and-a-half hour drive from Groningen so we had to leave the office very early. Our day started at 6:00 in the morning, but it was going to be well worth it. Rick even came into the office with his own personal helmet to keep him safe during the laps in the afternoon. Excited to see the racing tracks, we grabbed our stuff, took some ‘before’ pictures for the record book and headed to Zandvoort at 6:30.
When we arrived at Zandvoort, near the coast of the Netherlands, we were immediately welcomed by the organizing crew Bente Boer Racing. The circuit of Zandvoort is known for hosting the Formula One races, which will take place there in 2022 again. You can also rent a car to drive on the track yourself, since Trackdays have their own cars available to rent for a day, or to pick up a racing license and drive more often.
We felt really welcome and were excited to see the pitbox of Bente Boer. She gave us a tour around and we took some nice pictures and videos. There were many helmets prepared for us as well as a cool racing simulator and there was also a BBQ setup with a lot of food prepared especially for today. Seeing the pit box brought life to the stories you read online about Bente’s racing career. Bente really feels at home in her car and she had a smile on her face the whole day. She is recognisable for her car with Pink stickers and flowers, which also includes the logo of Convident! After showing us her car and giving us a fun little tour, it was driving time. Bente puts her hair in a ponytail, puts on her helmet and racing gloves and she is ready to drive. We could also see how the engines and tire pressure gets checked, and how the car gets filled with gas after each few rounds.
Naturally, the race track had many curves, exactly fourteen, which made it exciting but also hard to manage if you´re not an experienced race driver. At times, it happened that there was a crash on the track and all the cars had to wait at the red lights for some time. The safety cars were very busy during these times, trying to fix the situations on the track as quickly as possible. These situations happened also because of the weather, since it was raining most of the time and the water was splashing on the track. Even the rain didn’t turn people away from driving in Bente´s car and everyone wanted to try it. Each lap there was someone else joining her or one of her team drivers in the car, so she was never driving alone. It must be really nice to drive with people who support you such as your friends, family, partners and sponsors. The atmosphere was very relaxed and we could also talk to Bente while she was driving while taking selfies or videos.
Convident, apart from sponsoring different foundations and projects with good cause, also likes to sponsor athletes and support them with what they are doing. During this whole day we didn’t only have some exciting racing opportunities, but it was also accompanied by some tasty food, snacks, drinks, and care from the Bente boer racing tea. All in all, we had a lot of fun, collected many pictures and videos and saw the coolest powerful and expensive cars in the craziest different colors and designs. If you have the opportunity, this is something you have to try at least once in your lifetime. The adrenaline rush on track and busy atmosphere at the pit box is something we will never forget. We would like to thank Bente Boer for the awesome circuit day.
Bente’s goal for 2024 is to become Dutch National Champion in the Mazda MX5 cup 2024. To realise this dream she needs sponsors like Convident that help her with this cause. You too can help make a difference. Take a look on her website and become a sponsor.
Here are some more pictures from this amazing day:
