| Sam Dejonghe | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Driver Details | ||
| Nationality |  Belgian
| |
| Date of Birth | 2 September 1991 | |
| Experience | European Le Mans Series MRF Challenge | |
| Formula E Career | ||
| Tests | 3 | |
| Début |  2018 Rookie Test
| |
| Teams |  Mahindra Racing
| |
Sam Dejonghe (born 2 September 1991 in Kalmthout, Antwerp, Belgium) is a Belgian racing driver, who served as a test and reserve driver for Mahindra Racing in the FIA Formula E Championship between 2017/18 and 2019/20.[1] A former competitor in various junior and GT series, Dejonghe made his FE test debut at the 2018 Rookie Test for the Indian marque, and would subsequently test for them again in the 2019 and 2020 Rookie Tests.[1]
Background[]
Dejonghe's career began in karting, racing primarily in his native Belgium and then at a European level before graduating to single-seaters in 2010.[2] Joining the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series, Dejonghe would enjoy a strong rookie season, finishing fifth in the final standings.[2] For 2011 Dejonghe would move up to the European F3 Open series, claiming second in the Championship Cup and fourteenth in the main series.[2]
Shuffling Series: 2012 - 2019[]
Dejonghe would remain in European F3 Open for 2012, and would secure his maiden victory in the category en-route to fifth in the championship.[2] That winter saw Dejonghe compete in the MRF Challenge, finishing sixth, before sitting out the majority of the 2013 season having failed to secure a race seat.[2] Another winter campaign in the MRF challenge followed, Dejonghe claiming two wins and third in the final standings, before making six appearances in the Auto GP series in 2014.[2]
2015 saw Dejonghe move into sportscar racing, competing in several races in Belgium and Holland in various race cars, including a run to fourth at the 24 Hours of Zolder.[2] A season in the TCR BeNeLux Championship would follow for Dejonhge in 2016, finishing fifth, a feat he would repeat in 2017 alongside a series of run-outs in various GT3 series, including the International GT Open.[2] For 2018 Dejonghe would secure a series of one-off drivers, most notably claiming a run to tenth in the Pro-Am class at the 24 Hours of Spa.[2]
The 2019 season saw Dejonghe continue to bounce between various series, with the Belgian racer sampling the Supercar Challenge, EuroSeries, 24H TCE Series and the European Le Mans Series, making four appearances in the latter in both the LMP2 and LMP3 classes.[2]
Formula E History[]
Dejonghe was offered the chance to sample an FIA Formula E Championship car ahead of the 2018 Rookie Test, when Mahindra Racing offered the Belgian racer a seat in their #23 pair of M4Electros.[3] Running alongside Daniel Juncadella throughout the day, Dejonghe would be out-paced by the Spanish racer, although would complete ample race simulation laps for the team.[4] As a result, Dejonghe was offered a second run-out for Mahindra in the following season's Rookie Test, driving alongside Sergey Sirotkin.[5]
Dejonghe and Sirotkin would be evenly matched during the test, although the Russian racer would ultimately out-pace the Belgian racer by a tenth on their qualifying simulation runs.[6] For the 2019/20 season Dejonghe would gain a role with Mahindra as their second reserve driver behind Nick Heidfeld, although the Belgian racer would only make one public appearance in Mahindra's cars, again at that season's Rookie Test.[1] Running alongside Pipo Derani throughout the day, Dejonghe would again find himself outpaced by his testing teammate, although the Belgian your would complete the third highest lap tally of the test.[7]
Full Formula E Record[]
Shown below are a series of tables outlining Sam Dejonghe's career in Formula E in statistical form:
| Sam Dejonghe's Formula E Test Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Entrant | No. | Car | Role |
| 2017/18 | Mahindra Racing[3]
|
23 | Mahindra M4 Electro | Test Driver |
| 2018/19 | Mahindra Racing[5]
|
23 | Mahindra M5Electro | Test Driver |
| 2019/20 | Mahindra Racing[1]
|
94 | Mahindra M6Electro | Test/Reserve Driver |
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 '2020 Marrakesh Rookie Test: All you need to know', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/02/2020), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2020/feb/marrakesh-rookie-test-2020, (Accessed 20/02/2020)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 'Sam Dejonghe', driverdb.com, (Driver Database, 2021), https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/sam-dejonghe/, (Accessed 13/05/2021)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sam Smith, 'Mahindra to Test Juncadella, Dejonghe in Marrakesh', e-racing365.com, (John Dagys Media LLC, 13/12/2017), http://e-racing365.com/formula-e/mahindra-to-test-juncadella-dejonghe-in-marrakesh/, (Accessed 14/12/2017)
- ↑ Scott Mitchell, 'Audi's Muller sets lap record in Formula E rookie test', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 14/01/2018), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/audi-muller-tops-formula-e-rookie-test-with-new-lap-record-995760/, (Accessed 15/01/2018)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Scott Mitchell; Oleg Karpov, 'Sirotkin handed Formula E test outing by Mahindra', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 03/01/2019), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/sirotkin-mahindra-marrakesh-test/4318947/, (Accessed 03/01/2019)
- ↑ 'Nico Muller tops the times in Marrakesh rookie test for second year in succession', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 13/01/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/january/nico-muller-tops-the-times-in-marrakesh-rookie-test-for-second-year-in-succession, (Accessed 16/01/2019)
- ↑ '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)