A Dutch Master Of late there has been much discussion comparing the careers of Michael Schumacher with Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Alberto Ascari and other greats of the past. While their talents were enormous, the dangers of the “good old days” meant that most of them saw their time on the circuits cut short. In retrospect, they could only have dreamed of a career as long-lived and as blessed with success as that of Jan Lammers. While Lammers competed in 23 Grands Prix, it is his grand sports car record that shines on his c.v. He first came to prominence as the European F3 champion of 1978 and followed that up with F1 rides with Shadow, ATS, Ensign, and Theodore. His major sports car experience began with a drive at the 1979 Nürburgring 1000 Kms. in a Zakspeed Capri. Those bullet-like Group 5 cars were known for being incredibly fast and prone to exploding engines, which is what it did on this occasion for the then 23-year old resident of Zandvoort. Lammers returned to the sports car scene in 1983 with one of the leading privateer Porsche teams of the Group C era, Richard Lloyd Racing. Lammers enjoyed immediate success with podium finishes at Silverstone and Nürburgring. He remained with RLR through 1985. They initially used a factory-supplied 956B before reverting to their own distinctive Nigel Stroud constructed chassis. This effort culminated with a rare win for a privateer squad at the 1984 Brands Hatch round. Lammers was partnered by Jonathan Palmer. Other podium finishes came at Imola and Sandown Park. Jan found time for other endeavors, winning the European R5T Cup in both 1983 and 1984. He also branched into CART, taking several drives in an Eagle through 1987. In 1985, Lammers was signed on by Tom Walkinshaw for the new Jaguar Group C assault. He placed second at Malaysia that first year and followed this up with two other podium finishes in 1986 (Jerez and Spa-Francorchamps) for the still new team. The work paid off in 1988 with the XJR-8 model. Lammers and co-driver John Watson enjoyed three outright victories; Jarama, Monza, and Fuji. In addition, there took three other podium spots plus a creditable fifth place at Le Mans. The results gave him the runner-up spot in the World Endurance Drivers’ Championship. Jan achieved the dream of all sports car drivers in 1988 by winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with co-drivers Andy Wallace and Johnny Dumfries. Two other podium finishes came for his Jaguar XJR-9, including a second place at the last of the classic Spa-Francorchamps 1000 Kms. He also won at Del Mar, California, IMSA race. The following two seasons saw Lammers concentrating more on TWR’s American efforts, beginning with a second overall at the 1989 Daytona 24 Hours. Twelve months later he moved a step upward with a win in the XJR-12 with Davy Jones and Andy Wallace also aboard. A month later he followed this up with a third place at the other famed Florida endurance race, the Sebring 12 Hours. Three second places followed in 1990, including Silverstone, Spa, and Le Mans. In 1991 the Dutchman traveled to Japan and competed in F3000 with a Dome-Mugen. His single-seater plans continued the following year with a return to F1 in March. It was back to F3000 in 1993 and 1995, including a win with a Reynard at Kyalami. In between his other drives, he also competed with a Volvo in the British Touring Car Championship. But it remained sports cars where Lammers excelled. In addition to the world championship races, he also won two rounds of the Japanese GT Championship with his Toyota. He also finished second in the Suzuka 1000 Kms, a round in the waning Group C period of the World Sportscar Championship. A one-off appearance at Sebring in 1995 nearly netted Lammers the rare privilege of winning all three of the premier endurance races. He and fellow veterans Andy Wallace and Derek Bell came a close second in a WSC formula Spice-Chevrolet. Jan then embarked on an affair with production-based sports cars, driving a works-backed Lotus Esprit V8 in several BPR rounds. A second place at Silverstone against very formidable opposition was his best showing. They continued with an Elise GT1 in 1997, but a ninth place at Laguna Seca was the best they could manage against the might of Mercedes and Porsche. From 1998 through 2000, Lammers took a number of spot drives. One of these ended with a sixth place at Le Mans in a Nissan R390. On other occasions he wheeled Porsches and Lolas for Franz Konrad, and even a Panoz Roadster at the 1999 Petit Le Mans. Included in this endeavor were all-Dutch runs of the Austrian’s Lola at the 1999 and 2000 editions of Le Mans where Lammers was partnered by Peter Kox and Tom Coronel. Just when others might have said enough, Lammers began an entirely new venture in 2001. Having cultivated contacts in Japan, he helped bring Dome back to prominence in the sports car world with their new Judd powered S101. He gave it a patriotic flair, naming the team Racing for Holland. In addition to using his highly mature skills, he took the opportunity to nurture young talent, particularly the blindingly fast Val Hillebrand. The Dome was an immediate success, taking podium spots at three FIA Sportscar Championship rounds; Monza, Spa, and Donington Park. Then came the team’s first win, at Nürburgring. Lammers’ star remains ascendant as this season Racing for Holland has emerged as the preeminent team in the FIA SCC, taking a trio of wins; Brno, Magny-Cours, and Dijon, as well as a third for the team owner at Estoril. The now 46-year old veteran is never one to miss an opportunity to race at the highest levels. This was shown by an excellent effort in the Crawford at the 2002 Daytona 24 Hours and then a mighty second place in the Champion Audi at Sebring. Expect more of the same and many more victories to come.