Formula 1 will undergo a metamorphosis in 2022 and this will not only be limited to the new generation of cars. In the Netherlands, F1 will no longer be shown on Ziggo Sport, but via streaming service Viaplay from NENT. The Scandinavian party packs a punch and doesn’t shy away from change.
Who are the new presenters? RacingNews365 spoke exclusively with both gentlemen about their motorsport careers and of course their work as motorsport commentator.
In part 1 we take a closer look at the lives of both gentlemen in motorsport. What have they done so far? What is their background?
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Motorsport flows through the veins
The Valkenburg family is no stranger to Dutch motorsport. Parents Gert and Ineke Valkenburg run Geva Racing, a team that eventually won plenty of titles in the Benelux. Well-known drivers such as Tom Coronel, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Xavier Maassen, Nick Catsburg and even McLaren CEO Zak Brown drove for the team.
Nelson Valkenburg grew up on the track. Already at the age of a few weeks he was introduced to the smell of burnt rubber, the sound of roaring engine and petrol fumes. As a driver Valkenburg himself did not get started.
“No, racing was a very bad idea for me,” he says with a laugh. “You also see how hard your parents have to work to earn money with a racing team, I would never ask them to do that – that they would have to work even harder for my career.”
“I came into my own much better on the pit wall. I also enjoy teaching and guiding other people. We ran the team as a foursome: My father took care of the cars, Melroy taught the drivers how to drive, I took care of “Everyone and my mother did the finances. I was always on the track, that’s the best childhood there is. The older you get, the bigger your role in the paddock.”
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Heemskerk discovers his own racing talent
The paths of Valkenburg and Heemskerk cross each other, not coincidentally, on the circuit. As children, they get to know each other there and the two develop a close bond. That bond becomes even closer when Heemskerk starts driving for Geva Racing.
With a twinkle in his eye, Heemskerk talks about his youth on the track. “I was about six years old when my father took me to the circuit. He worked for the Bleekemolen team and I often went with him. During the weekend I cleaned the cars and in return I got to go karting. That’s when it really started. to walk.”
“In the winter I went to help the driving schools on the circuit. In return I was allowed to follow racing courses myself. That way I could drive all weekend and that went very well. Until the moment when someone I had taught me went He bought a Formula Ford and that’s how I made my debut in motorsport in 2006.”
Heemskerk then went to work for Geva Racing, but also achieved his greatest success there: “I went to work for the team of Gert and Ineke as a mechanic and I would be allowed to drive one race. Until a driver was ill and suddenly I could make my debut during the Easter races. I immediately won both races! Then the Whitsun races followed, which I also won. In the end we became Dutch and Benelux champions.”
Together with Geva Racing, Heemskerk also tried to gain a foothold at a high level internationally. Not the talent, but a lack of budget ensured that the final breakthrough did not come.
“I lived with the family and worked for free on the race team while Gert and Nelson tried to keep me in race cars. Every year it was a struggle to get the sponsorship. In 2010 we did Formula Palmer Audi for another year and after that we made the switch to sportscars.”
Heemskerk also competed in the GT3 class, drove various 24-hour races, the FIA GT at Zandvoort and the Porsche Cup.
“Then the moment came when I was 25 and I wondered aloud whether that big step would still come. Sponsoring was always difficult and it was a crisis. Then you ask yourself whether it is still possible or not. Euros earned from racing. In the end we decided to stop.”
Heemskerk talks about his racing adventures with a smile. “Driving in a Formula Ford that was the purest. But perhaps the coolest was racing in F1 cars at historic Grands Prix, including at Brands Hatch and during various demos.”
Heemskerk never said goodbye to motorsport and continued to work as a mechanic and instructor within the sport.
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Race friends also find each other in the comment booth
Valkenburg has been active for 13 years as a (car) sports commentator for various major broadcasters. His CV now features a legion of motorsport classes, as well as major other sports and events such as the Olympic Games.
“I started out as a sort of announcer/commentator at the Circuit of Zandvoort. In 2008 I made my debut at Eurosport, my very first race there was the WTCC race in Marrakesh, which immediately became a spectacle.”
“At Eurosport I had the opportunity to develop very broadly. Racing was of course always number one for me, but I have also been to the Olympic Games. I have been a commentator at tennis, swimming and skating competitions. The Games, that is very special to be a part of.”
“Of course I have always done motorsport. I did this at Motors TV, RTL and Eurosport. In terms of racing classes, I commented on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula E, Formula 3, the Dakar Rally, WTCR and plenty of endurance races.”
Heemskerk and Valkenburg also met in the commentator’s loft. For years, the two have been a trusted duo at various motorsport races.
“Nelson approached me to do a long-distance race together, if I could join. It clicked so well and I was increasingly asked for Motors TV and Eurosport. We know each other through and through and are completely attuned to each other.”
This year both men covered the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Valkenburg for RTL and Heemskerk for Eurosport.
Valkenburg: “We know each other so well and have already done so much commentary work together, we feel each other seamlessly. We did many races in the WEC, but also the Spa 24 Hours or the Bathurst 1000, for example.”
In part two of our exclusive interview, we look ahead at the Formula 1 adventure of the duo Valkenburg and Heemskerk, who will together provide commentary on Formula 1 at Viaplay from 2022 onwards.
How do they view Formula 1? What can fans expect from this duo next year?
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