Bernardus Marinus "Ben" Pon (9 December 1936 – 30 September 2019) was a Dutch vintner and Olympian and

motor racing An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...

driver. He competed in one

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

race, the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, but had a far longer career in

sports car racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing that uses sports cars with two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be either purpose-built Sports prototype, sports prototypes, which are the highest level in sports car racing; or grand to ...

, before turning his back on the track to concentrate on the

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

trade. He also represented the Netherlands in clay pigeon shooting at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

, finishing 31st in the skeet event.

Life

His father, Ben Pon, Sr., was an importer of

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003. One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its pr ...

s into the United States, and is considered to be the "father" of the

Volkswagen Type 2 The Volkswagen Transporter, initially the Type 2, is a range of light commercial vehicles, built as vans, pickups, and cab-and-chassis variants, introduced in 1950 by the German automotive industry, automaker Volkswagen as their second mass ...

due to his initial interest and input into the project. Ben Pon was a personal friend of Formula One driver Carel Godin de Beaufort. It was de Beaufort's own Ecurie Maarsbergen privateer team that provided a Porsche 787 for him to race at Zandvoort, in his home Grand Prix on 20 May 1962. He failed to finish the race due to an accident, which flipped his car over, throwing Pon out of the cockpit and into a shrubbery. In response, Pon vowed never again to race single-seaters, and in the years that followed he remained true to his word, while achieving many successes in

also driving a

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

. Pon retired from professional sports car racing in 1965, but came 7th in the

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

24 Hours of Le Mans, co-driving with Vic Elford in a works Porsche 906. After his retirement in the sports arena, Pon turned his attention to the wine trade. He was known for his Bernardus Winery in Carmel Valley, California, and owned the oldest wine negotiating business in the Netherlands.

Racing record

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

References

External links

Bernadus Winery website

Who's Who of Volkswagen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pon, Ben 1936 births 2019 deaths Olympic shooters for the Netherlands Shooters at the 1972 Summer Olympics Dutch racing drivers Dutch Formula One drivers Ecurie Maarsbergen Formula One drivers Dutch male sport shooters Wine merchants Viticulturists 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers Sportspeople from Amersfoort Racing drivers from Utrecht (province) People from Carmel Valley Village, California Sportspeople from Monterey County, California 12 Hours of Reims drivers Porsche Motorsports drivers Sportspeople from Leiden Racing drivers from South Holland 20th-century Dutch sportsmen