Born : June 13 1929
Deceased : September 16 1979
Biography Rob Slotemaker
Rob Slotemaker was born in Batavia, in the Dutch East Indies. After his studies, Rob Slotemaker joined the Dutch Air Force to follow his dream to become a fighter jet pilot. During his air force career, Rob Slotemaker had to cope a lot with the laws of skidding. During the winter time as the air base was closed due to snow and ice, Slotemaker often took his car to spin it. He learned in the process that he could also correct the car. A practice he learned to master. And that experience influenced the career of Slotemaker, after he retired as an active fighter jet pilot.
Start of the career
Slotemaker made his debut in 1955 in the Rally Montecarlo 1954 with friend Erik de Stoppelaar. In 1958 Slotemaker founded the Slotemakers anti-slip school at the Zandvoort race-track in 1957. In 1962, it seemed that Rob Slotemaker would even make his debut in F1. The Ecurie Maarsbergen , owned by compatriot Carel godin de Beaufort, got out in full force by entering no less than three cars for the Dutch Grand Prix. Apart from himself Carel also entered cars for Ben Pon and Rob Slotemaker. In the end Slotemaker didn’t participate and his entry was taken over by Wolfgang Seidel who borrowed an Emeryson from the factory for the occasion.
Rob Slotemaker continued his single-seater career as the works DAF development driver. He raced a DAF-powered Alexis F3 car in 1965. Later Slotemaker concentrated on sportscars and touring cars with the Racing Team Holland, that he joined in 1964. Racing Team Holland used cars like the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS. Gijs van Lennep, Wim Loos and Ben Pon were other membes of the team. Slotemaker raced the Le Mans 24 Hours 6 times. In 1970, Rob Slotemaker co-drove the Solar Porsche 908 camera car (in practise only) for the shooting of the Le Mans movie, starring Steve McQueen.
Slotemaker was also a very avid rally driver and fostered the career of young Jan Lammers, to whom he was like a father. One of the favorite cars of Slotemaker was a Camaro. That was the car he drove that fatal September 16th Slotemaker 1979 at his beloved Zandvoort track. The car left the circuit on a vicious patch of oil and hit another car. The fateful corner was subsequently renamed Rob Slotemakerbocht.
