Dilano van 't Hoff

Dilano van 't Hoff (Dutch: [diˈlaːnoː vɑn (ə)t ˈɦɔf]; 26 July 2004 – 1 July 2023) was a Dutch racing driver who was the 2021 F4 Spanish Championship champion. He died in a multi-car collision in a Formula Regional European Championship race at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.^[1]

Dilano van 't Hoff
Van 't Hoff racing in the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship at the Red Bull Ring.
Born	(2004-07-26)26 July 2004 Dordrecht, Netherlands
Died	1 July 2023(2023-07-01) (aged 18) Stavelot, Belgium
Formula Regional European Championship
Car number	17
Starts	27 (30 entries)
Wins	0
Podiums	1
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	19th in 2022
Previous series
2021 2021	F4 Spanish Championship Formula 4 UAE Championship
Championship titles
2021	F4 Spanish Championship

Career

Karting

Van 't Hoff started his international karting career at the age of eleven, competing in the SKUSA SuperNationals.^[2] The Dutchman finished third in both the IAME Euro Series and IAME International Final in 2018, the same year in which he finished sixth in his first season of the European Championship.^[3] He ended the following year fifth in the same series, this time in the OK class, and won the Trofeo delle Industrie with Forza Racing.^[4]

Lower formula

In 2021 Van 't Hoff made his single-seater debut with Xcel Motorsport in the Formula 4 UAE Championship.^[5] His season started successfully, as, despite stalling at the start of the first race, the Dutchman was able to come back to second in that race and would go on to win the following two races, having started both from pole position.^[6] Van 't Hoff was then able to extend his gap to his nearest rival Enzo Trulli by winning two more races at the next round at Yas Marina.^[7] After another win at round three in Dubai Van 't Hoff would lose his gap to Trulli thanks to a disqualification in the final race of the penultimate event, stripping him off another podium and more crucial points for the championship.^[8] He would go on to eventually lose out to Trulli by just one point in the final round.^[9]

For his main campaign, Van 't Hoff joined MP Motorsport in the F4 Spanish Championship.^[10] His first two wins came at the first round of the series at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps,^[11][12] and Van 't Hoff then went on a run of six podiums in a row, including three wins and a triple podium at Algarve.^[13] He scored his next victory in the sprint race at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo after original winner Daniel Macia had been given a penalty for extending track limits, and followed this up with another podium in the third race.^[14] At the penultimate round of the season, Van 't Hoff completed a hattrick of poles and race wins, thus winning the championship.^[15][16][17]

Formula Regional European Championship

2021

In September 2021, Van 't Hoff made his debut in the Formula Regional European Championship, racing for MP Motorsport on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo as a guest driver.^[18]

2022

For 2022, Van 't Hoff competed in the Formula Regional European Championship for the full season with MP Motorsport.^[19]

 

Van t' Hoff racing in the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship.

2023

Van 't Hoff was retained by MP Motorsport for the 2023 season.^[20]

Death

On 1 July 2023, Van 't Hoff died in a multi-car crash in a Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) race at Spa-Francorchamps in heavy rain.^[21][22][23] The multi-car crash occurred at the exit of Raidillon, just before the Kemmel straight,^[24][25][26] which involved Joshua Dufek, Adam Fitzgerald, Enzo Scionti, and Tim Tramnitz.^[27][28][29]

Van 't Hoff lost control entering the Kemmel straight, before his car was struck on the side by Fitzgerald's vehicle.^[24] A minute of silence was observed at the 24 Hours of Spa race that weekend, along with the coinciding Austrian Grand Prix.^[21] Many people in the motorsport community paid respect to Van't Hoff.^[30]

Lance Stroll said that the accident was unnecessary and called for changes to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, referencing the fatal accident of Anthoine Hubert at the same corner in 2019; Max Verstappen joined him in calling the accident "sad and unnecessary" but stopped short of blaming the circuit's design, saying "it is easy to blame the track but looking at how wet it was and these kind of things we have to look at it for the future to look at what we can do better to protect drivers".^[31][32]

Racing record

Racing career summary

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/Laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2021	Formula 4 UAE Championship	Xcel Motorsport	20	5	13	10	12	318	2nd
	F4 Spanish Championship	MP Motorsport	21	10	13	6	16	361	1st
	Formula Regional European Championship		6	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
	Formula 4 UAE Championship – Trophy Round		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	DNF
2022	Formula Regional Asian Championship	Pinnacle Motorsport	12	0	1	0	1	51	13th
	Formula Regional European Championship	MP Motorsport	13	0	0	0	1	16	19th
2023	Formula Regional European Championship	MP Motorsport	8	0	0	0	0	8	23rd
Source:^[33]

^† As Van 't Hoff was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.

Complete F4 UAE Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Pos	Points
2021	Xcel Motorsport	DUB1 1 2	DUB1 2 1	DUB1 3 1	DUB1 4 4	YMC1 1 2	YMC1 2 1	YMC1 3 1	YMC1 4 5	DUB2 1 1	DUB2 2 5	DUB2 3 3	DUB2 4 3	YMC2 1 4	YMC2 2 3	YMC2 3 2	YMC2 4 DSQ	DUB3 1 8	DUB3 2 7	DUB3 3 2	DUB3 4 4	2nd	318
Source:^[34]

Complete F4 Spanish Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	Pos	Points
2021	MP Motorsport	SPA 1 1	SPA 2 2	SPA 3 1	NAV 1 2	NAV 2 4	NAV 3 1	ALG 1 3	ALG 2 2	ALG 3 1	ARA 1 1	ARA 2 2	ARA 3 4	CRT 1 20	CRT 2 1	CRT 3 2	JER 1 1	JER 2 1	JER 3 1	CAT 1 1	CAT 2 13	CAT 3 Ret	1st	361
Source:^[35]

Complete Formula Regional European Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	DC	Points
2021	MP Motorsport	IMO 1	IMO 2	CAT 1	CAT 2	MCO 1	MCO 2	LEC 1	LEC 2	ZAN 1	ZAN 2	SPA 1	SPA 2	RBR 1	RBR 2	VAL 1 20	VAL 2 Ret	MUG 1 25	MUG 2 21	MNZ 1 24	MNZ 2 15	NC†	0
2022	MP Motorsport	MNZ 1 Ret	MNZ 2 19	IMO 1 21	IMO 2 18	MCO 1 DNQ	MCO 2 20	LEC 1	LEC 2	ZAN 1 WD	ZAN 2 WD	HUN 1	HUN 2	SPA 1 27	SPA 2 24	RBR 1 20	RBR 2 Ret	CAT 1 3	CAT 2 Ret	MUG 1 20	MUG 2 9	19th	17
2023	MP Motorsport	IMO 1 14	IMO 2 7	CAT 1 Ret	CAT 2 22	HUN 1 23	HUN 2 9	SPA 1 30‡	SPA 2 19	MUG 1	MUG 2	LEC 1	LEC 2	RBR 1	RBR 2	MNZ 1	MNZ 2	ZAN 1	ZAN 2	HOC 1	HOC 2	23rd	8
Source:^[36]

^† As Van 't Hoff was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
^‡ Did not finish, but classified.

Complete Formula Regional Asian Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Year	Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	DC	Points
2022	Pinnacle Motorsport	ABU 1 DNS	ABU 2 DNS	ABU 3 DNS	DUB 1 7	DUB 2 Ret	DUB 3 24†	DUB 1 7	DUB 2 6	DUB 3 3	DUB 1 8	DUB 2 13	DUB 3 12	ABU 1 9	ABU 2 5	ABU 3 11	13th	51
Source:^[37]

^† Did not finish, but classified.

References

1. "Formula Regional driver dies in crash at Spa". ESPN.com. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
2. "SuperNationals XIX MyLaps Results". www.superkartsusa.com. from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
3. "FIA Karting". www.fiakarting.com. from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
4. "Forza Racing wins the 48th Trofeo delle Industrie | Kart News". www.vroomkart.com. 7 November 2019. from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
5. "Dutch karter Dilano Van 't Hoff to make single-seater debut in F4 UAE". Formula Scout. 15 December 2020. from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
6. "Dilano Van't Hoff starts F4 UAE season at Dubai with stall and win". Formula Scout. 14 January 2021. from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
7. "Dilano Van't Hoff extends F4 UAE lead with Abu Dhabi wins". Formula Scout. 23 January 2021. from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
8. "Xcel's Kirill Smal wins twice in F4 UAE at Dubai". Formula Scout. 30 January 2021. from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
9. "Enzo Trulli edges Dilano Van't Hoff to the F4 UAE title in final race". Formula Scout. 13 February 2021. from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
10. "F4 UAE leader Dilano Van't Hoff joins MP Motorsport in Spanish F4". Formula Scout. 5 February 2021. from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
11. "Van't Hoff wins ahead of Macia in Spanish F4's Spa opener". Formula Scout. 30 April 2021. from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
12. "Van't Hoff fends off Marti for another Spa win at Spanish F4 opener". Formula Scout. 30 April 2021. from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
13. Alejandro Alonso Lopez (17 July 2021). "Van't Hoff returns to top step of Spanish F4 podium at Algarve". Formula Scout. from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
14. Alejandro Alonso Lopez (19 September 2021). "Van't Hoff gets Spanish F4 win as on-the-road winner Macia penalised". Formula Scout. from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
15. Alejandro Alonso Lopez (2 October 2021). "Van't Hoff puts one hand on Spanish F4 title with Jerez win". Formula Scout. from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
16. Alejandro Alonso Lopez (3 October 2021). "Van't Hoff takes Spanish F4 title with win in shortened Jerez race". Formula Scout. from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
17. Alejandro Alonso Lopez (3 October 2021). "Van't Hoff claims hard-fought win in tricky final Jerez race". Formula Scout. from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
18. "Spanish F4 leader van't Hoff to debut in FREC with MP". Formula Scout. 22 September 2021. from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
19. Brittle, Cian (22 March 2022). "Dilano van't Hoff staying with MP Motorsport in FREC". Formula Scout. from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
20. Wood, Ida (14 March 2023). "Dilano van't Hoff continues with MP Motorsport for third year in FREC". Formula Scout. from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
21. Archie Griggs (1 July 2023). "Racing driver Dilano Van 'T Hoff dies aged 18 after horrific multi-car crash at Spa". Daily Express. UK: The Express. from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
22. "Il Pilota Olandese Ha Perso La Vita In Seguito All'Incidente Avuto Nella Gara 2 Di Formula Regional A Spa". p300.it (in Italian). 1 July 2023. from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
23. "Sprint Shootout". 2023 Austria Formula One Grand Prix. 1 July 2023. Sky Sports F1.
24. "Tragédie à Spa: accident mortel pour Dilano Van 'T Hoff, 18 ans". VOTOH.com (in French). 1 July 2023. from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
25. Gary Watkins (1 July 2023). "18-year-old Dilano van 't Hoff dies in Spa Formula Regional crash". motorsports.com. from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
26. Mathias Brunner (1 July 2023). "Dilano van 't Hoff tot: Betroffenheit in der Formel 1". SpeedWeek.com (in German). from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
27. "Incidente drammatico a Spa in stile Hubert: paura per Van 't Hoff". F1-News.eu (in Italian). 1 July 2023. from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
28. Luke Smith (1 July 2023). "Driver Dilano Van 't Hoff killed in Formula Regional European Championship accident". The Athletic. from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
29. Riddhi Mondal (1 July 2023). "Dutch racer Dilano Van't Hoff, 18, dies in heart-wrenching multi-car crash at Spa due to heavy rain". First Sportz. from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
30. Moxon, Daniel (1 July 2023). "F1 stars pay tribute to 18-year-old racer after fatal crash at Spa-Francorchamps". Mirror. from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
31. "Lance Stroll Dilano Sky Sports Interview". from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
32. Richards, Giles (1 July 2023). "'Sad and unnecessary': Max Verstappen speaks out over death of driver at Spa". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
33. "Dilano van't Hoff – Career and Success". Speedsport Magazine. from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
34. "F4 United Arab Emirates Championship powered by Abarth 2021". Driver Database. from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
35. "Spanish Formula 4 Championship – Season 2021". Speedsport Magazine. from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
36. "Dilano Van't Hoff Results". Motorsport Stats. from the original on 2 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
37. "Formula Regional Asian Championship – Season 2022". Speedsport Magazine. p. 2. from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dilano van 't Hoff.

• Dilano van 't Hoff career summary at DriverDB.com

Sporting positions
Preceded by Kas Haverkort	F4 Spanish Championship Champion 2021	Succeeded by Nikola Tsolov