| Kelvin van der Linde | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:Kelvin van der Linde.png | ||
| Driver Details | ||
| Nationality |  South African
| |
| Date of Birth | 20 June 1996 | |
| Experience | ADAC GT Masters Asian Le Mans Series | |
| Formula E Career | ||
| Tests | 1 | |
| Début |  2020 Rookie Test
| |
| Teams |  Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
| |
Kelvin van der Linde (born 20 June 1996 in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa) is a South African racing driver, who served as a test driver for the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team during the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship.[1] A two time champion of the ADAC GT Masters and an Audi factory driver, van der Linde would get a run in the Audi's #66 car at the 2020 Rookie Test during the 2019/20 season.[1]
Background
van der Linde's career began in karting, with the South African racer competing from 2005 through to 2011, after becoming the youngest driver to compete in a South African racing series in 2010.[2] In 2011 van der Linde entered the Volkswagen Cup and Volkswagen Challenge in his native South Africa, and duly became the youngest ever National Champion of any South African racing series in the latter, aged 16 years 128 days.[2] van der Linde followed that up with a title winning campaign in the VW Cup South Africa in 2012, before moving to Germany to enter to VW Scirocco Cup in 2013.[2]
GT General: 2013 - 2020
2013 saw van der Linde sweep to the Scirocco Cup title in his first year in Europe, earning him a spot in the ADAC GT Masters for 2014 with the Abt team.[2] A stunning rookie season in the GT Masters partnering René Rast in the #10 car saw the South African youth claim the title alongside the German veteran, while also making two appearances in the Blancpain Endurance Series.[2] His GT Masters success led Audi to sign van der Linde up as a factory driver, with the South African racer making the GT Masters his main focus for 2015.[2]
Unfortunately for van der Linde his title defence would not end in success, falling to fourteenth in the standings with only one victory.[2] A similarly disappointing campaign in the GT Masters would follow in 2016, before the South African racer improved to fifth in 2017.[2] 2017 would also see van der Linde secure fourth in the Australian GT Championship with Audi backed JAMEC PEM Racing, before running to overall victory at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in the factory backed Audi Sport Team Land squad.[2]
For 2018 van der Linde would gain a vast number of experiences courtesy of his Audi backing, claiming second in the GT Masters with Team Land again, while also running to third in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup alongside outings for Audi's teams in the Intercontinental GT Challenge and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.[2] In 2019 van der Linde secured his second ADAC GT Masters crown alongside Patric Niederhauser, with his other highlight of the season being a run to third in the 24 Hours of Daytona in the GTD class.[2] van der Linde would then spend 2020 focusing on the GT Masters and GT World Challenge Europe, finishing fourth in both, while also making several one-off appearances in other series for Audi.[2]
DTM Demands: 2021 - Present
The 2021 season saw van der Linde secure a seat in the DTM after the series' switch to the GT3 ruleset, with the South African racer joining the ABT Sportsline effort.[2]
Formula E History
van der Linde would get his first taste of an FIA Formula E Championship at the 2020 Rookie Test, driving the #66 Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler car, setting the ninth fastest time.[1][3]
Full Formula E Record
Shown below are a series of tables outlining Kelvin van der Linde's career in Formula E in statistical form:
| Kelvin van der Linde's Formula E Test Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Entrant | No. | Car | Role |
| 2019/20 | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler[1]
|
66 | Audi e-tron FE06 | Test Driver |
References
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'Looking forward to having Audi Sport drivers @KelvinvdLinde and @MattiaDrudi joining us in Marrakesh', twitter.com, (Twitter: Audi Sport, 20/02/2020), https://twitter.com/audisport/status/1230438760757764096, (Accessed 20/02/2020)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 'Kevin van der Linde', driverdb.com, (Driver Database, 2021), https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/kelvin-van-der-linde/, (Accessed 14/05/2021)
- ↑ 'Nick Cassidy sets fastest time for Envision Virgin Racing in Rookie Test', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 01/03/2020), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2020/feb/marrakesh-rookie-test-round-up, (Accessed 01/03/2020)
