Neil Verhagen

Neil Verhagen
NationalityUnited States American
Born (2001-02-18) February 18, 2001 (age 23)
Ridgefield, Connecticut, United States
GTWC Europe Endurance Cup career
Debut season2022
Current teamBMW Junior Team - ROWE Racing
Racing licence FIA Gold
Car number26
Starts5 (5 entries)
Wins0
Podiums0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish11th in 2022
Previous series
2020-2021
2019
2017-18
2015-2016
2015		Nürburgring Endurance Series
BRDC British F3
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
F1600 Championship Series
F2000 Championship Series
Championship titles
2016F1600 Championship Series
Awards
2016Team USA Scholarship

Neil Verhagen (born February 18, 2001) is a racing driver from the United States of America. Verhagen is the youngest to win the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, having accomplished this in the Formula F category.

Early career

Karting

Neil started indoor karting along with his brother Alex. The duo trained and raced at the Grand Prix New York facilities in Mount Kisco, New York, under the instruction of racing driver Stevan McAleer. McAleer raced many classes and won the 2015 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in the ST class.[1] After racing at the Oakland Valley Race Park club scene, Verhagen joined the WKA and various Rotax Max racing series.[2] In 2012 the young driver finished second in the Florida Winter Tour Minimax series. Verhagen beat many hopefuls such as Logan Sargeant, Patricio O'Ward and Trenton Estep.[3]

To increase their sons chances at a successful racing career, the Verhagen family moved form Ridgefield, Connecticut, to Mooresville, North Carolina, in 2014. The family exchanged the WKA scene for the United States Pro Kart Series.

Lower formulae

The Tatuus Formula Renault 2.0 car as raced by Neil Verhagen in the 2017 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Spa-Francorchamps round.

Verhagen made his auto racing debut at Road Atlanta in the Skip Barber Winter Series. The young driver won the first three races of the championship at Road Atlanta and Sebring International Raceway. Verhagen, racing a Mazda powered Reynard chassis, finished second in the championship.[4] Later in 2015 Verhagen debuted in the F1600 Championship Series. At the Pittsburgh International Race Complex Verhagen competed in a Spectrum.[5] At the F2000 Championship Series finale at Pittsburgh Verhagen finished tenth in a RFR F2000.

For 2016 Verhagen joined K-Hill Motorsports in the F1600 Championship Series.[6] The young driver won the championship beating teammate Peter Portante both racing Mygale SJ11 chassis.[7] Verhagen also competed in the SCCA club racing scene. Winning the SCCA Majors Tour Northeast Conference Verhagen qualified for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs.[8] Verhagen went on to become the youngest driver to win the Runoffs at 15 years and 242 days.[9] Winning the Runoffs, Verhagen qualified for the 2016 Mazda Road to Indy Shootout.

Formula Renault

In 2017, Verhagen was inducted into the Red Bull Junior Team and moved up to the Formula Renault Eurocup with MP Motorsport, alongside fellow Red Bull Junior Richard Verschoor.[10] He had one podium at Hungaroring and finished the season eleventh, behind his Dutch teammate.[11]

The following year, Verhagen returned to the Eurocup with Tech 1 Racing, where he finished the championship eleventh.[12]

BRDC British F3

In 2019, Verhagen lost his backing from Red Bull and moved to the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with Double R Racing.[13] He ended the season fifth overall, having taken seven podiums throughout the campaign.

Sportscar career

2020: Victorious GT debut

Verhagen moved to sportscar racing in 2020, driving for Walkenhorst Motorsport as part of the BMW Junior Team in two rounds of the Nürburgring Endurance Series. This included the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, which the American won in the SP8T category driving a BMW M4 GT4.[14]

2021: Nürburgring Endurance success

For the 2021 season, Verhagen stepped up to the SP9 Pro class to partner Daniel Harper and Max Hesse in a full-time campaign of the Nürburgring Endurance Series, where the trio would compete in a BMW M6 GT3 car.[15] Verhagen ended up second in the standings, having taken two victories.[16]

2022: GT World Challenge

The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup would be Verhagen's destination in 2022, racing for the BMW Junior Team with ROWE Racing, once more alongside Harper and Hesse.[17] After taking their first points in Imola with a fourth-placed finish, the trio ended up fifth in the 24 Hours of Spa, beating their teammates in the sister car.[18] A further points finish at the Hockenheimring left the American eleventh in the championship, one place ahead of the more experienced line-up of the other Rowe Racing entry.[19]

As a result of their accomplishments, Verhagen, Hesse and Harper were introduced as fully-fledged BMW works drivers before the 2023 season.[20]

Racing record

Racing career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2015 F1600 Championship Series N/A 3 0 0 0 0 31 33rd
F2000 Championship Series 1 0 0 0 0 21 37th
2015-16 Skip Barber Winter Series N/A 2 0 0 0 1 53 19th
2016 F1600 Championship Series K-Hill Motorsports 21 9 4 7 15 832 1st
2016-17 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship MRF Racing 4 0 0 0 0 11 15th
2017 Formula Renault Eurocup MP Motorsport 23 0 0 0 1 59 11th
Formula Renault NEC 5 1 0 0 1 47 14th
2018 Formula Renault Eurocup Tech 1 Racing 20 0 0 0 0 59 11th
Formula Renault NEC 10 0 0 0 0 31 13th
2019 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship Double R Racing 24 0 1 0 7 357 5th
2020 Nürburgring Endurance Series - Cup 5 Walkenhorst Motorsport 2 1 0 0 1 15.83 20th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP8T 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP8T FK Performance Motorsport 3 0 0 0 1 11.25 4th
2021 24H GT Series - P4 BMW M Motorsport 1 1 0 0 1 0 NC†
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Pro BMW Junior Team 7 2 0 0 4 39.22 2nd
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 BMW Junior Team Shell 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2022 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup BMW Junior Team with ROWE Racing 5 0 0 0 0 36 11th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 BMW Junior Team Shell 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Pro BMW Junior Team 2 0 0 0 1 0 NC†
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP85 BMW M Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup ROWE Racing 5 0 0 0 1 33 10th
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Pro BMW Junior Team 3 1 0 0 2 0 NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS Fast Track Racing 2 0 0 0 0 150 59th
GT World Challenge America - Pro-Am ST Racing 7 1 0 3 5 121 6th
Intercontinental GT Challenge 1 0 0 0 0 4 28th
ADAC GT Masters FK Performance Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 16 27th
ESET Cup Endurance - GT3 Trevor Racing 1 0 0 0 0 12 4th*
ESET Cup Sprint - GT3 2 1 1 0 2 43 3rd*
2024 GT World Challenge America - Pro-Am ST Racing 13 3 1 1 10 223 2nd
24H Series - GT4
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Paul Miller Racing 3 0 0 1 1 879* 15th*

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status
2016 Mid-Ohio Mygale SJ11 Honda Fit Formula F 1 1 Running

American Open-wheel racing results

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

F1600 Championship Series

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Rank Points
2016 K-Hill Motorsports ATL
4 		ATL
1 		ATL
5 		WGL
3 		WGL
2 		WGL
2 		VIR
1 		VIR
4 		VIR
7 		MDO
2 		MDO
14 		MDO
1 		PIT
1 		PIT
1 		PIT
4 		NJMP
3 		NJMP
1 		NJMP
1 		VIR
1 		VIR
2 		VIR
1 		1st 832

Complete Formula Renault Eurocup 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 22 23 Pos Points
2017 MP Motorsport MNZ
1
17 		MNZ
2
4 		SIL
1
Ret 		SIL
2
16 		PAU
1
DNS 		PAU
2
9 		MON
1
12 		MON
2
12 		HUN
1
3 		HUN
2
11 		HUN
3
24 		NÜR
1
18 		NÜR
2
Ret 		RBR
1
18 		RBR
2
25 		LEC
1
7 		LEC
2
12 		SPA
1
8 		SPA
2
8 		SPA
3
5 		CAT
1
7 		CAT
2
Ret 		CAT
3
17 		11th 59
2018 Tech 1 Racing LEC
1
7 		LEC
2
9 		MNZ
1
11 		MNZ
2
Ret 		SIL
1
10 		SIL
2
12 		MON
1
6 		MON
2
7 		RBR
1
4 		RBR
2
8 		SPA
1
25 		SPA
2
22 		HUN
1
14 		HUN
2
14 		NÜR
1
13 		NÜR
2
12 		HOC
1
7 		HOC
2
6 		CAT
1
7 		CAT
2
7 		11th 59

Complete BRDC British Formula 3 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 22 23 24 Pos Points
2019 Double R Racing OUL
1
12 		OUL
2
2 		OUL
3
5 		SNE
1
6 		SNE
2
38 		SNE
3
Ret 		SIL1
1
2 		SIL1
2
151 		SIL1
3
5 		DON1
1
6 		DON1
2
81 		DON1
3
7 		SPA
1
18 		SPA
2
3 		SPA
3
5 		BRH
1
8 		BRH
2
45 		BRH
3
7 		SIL2
1
10 		SIL2
2
15 		SIL2
3
3 		DON2
1
7 		DON2
2
36 		DON2
3
3 		5th 357

Complete Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie results

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pos. Points
2020 FK Performance Motorsport BMW M240i Racing SP8T NÜR
1
Ret 		NÜR
2 		NÜR
3 		4th 11.25
Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 NÜR
4
2 		NÜR
5
4
BMW M240i Racing Cup 5 NÜR
1 		NÜR
2
5 		NÜR
3
1 		NÜR
4 		NÜR
5 		20th 15.83
2021 BMW Team RMG BMW M6 GT3 SP9 NÜR
1
8 		NÜR
2
Ret 		NÜR
3
1 		NÜR
4
1 		NÜR
5
DNS 		NÜR
6
2 		NÜR
7
3 		NÜR
8
Ret 		2nd 39.22
2022 BMW Junior Team BMW M4 GT3 SP9 NÜR
1
9 		NÜR
2 		NÜR
3
2 		NÜR
4 		NÜR
5 		NÜR
6 		NÜR
7 		NÜR
8 		NÜR
9 		NC† 0
BMW M Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 Concept SP85 NÜR
1 		NÜR
2 		NÜR
3 		NÜR
4
Ret 		NÜR
5 		NÜR
6 		NÜR
7 		NÜR
8 		NÜR
9 		NC 0
2023 BMW Junior Team BMW M4 GT3 SP9 NÜR
1
5 		NÜR
2
3 		NÜR
3
1 		NÜR
4 		NÜR
5 		NÜR
6 		NÜR
7 		NÜR
8 		NÜR
9 		NC† 0

†As Verhagen was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete 24 Hours of Nürburgring results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Ovr.
Pos. 		Class
Pos.
2020 Germany Walkenhorst Motorsport United Kingdom Dan Harper
Germany Max Hesse 		BMW M4 GT4 SP8T 78 19th 1st
2021 Germany BMW Junior Team Shell Brazil Augusto Farfus
United Kingdom Dan Harper
Germany Max Hesse 		BMW M6 GT3 SP9 54 DNF DNF
2022 Germany BMW Junior Team Shell United Kingdom Dan Harper
Germany Max Hesse 		BMW M4 GT3 SP9 86 DNF DNF
2023 Germany BMW Junior Team United Kingdom Dan Harper
Germany Max Hesse 		BMW M4 GT3 SP9 96 DNF DNF

Complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup results

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points
2022 BMW Junior Team with ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Pro IMO
15 		LEC
4 		SPA
6H
11 		SPA
12H
2 		SPA
24H
5 		HOC
9 		CAT
13 		11th 36
2023 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Pro MNZ
2 		LEC
6 		SPA
6H
4 		SPA
12H
53† 		SPA
24H
Ret 		NÜR
11 		CAT
12 		10th 33

*Season still in progress.

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

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

Year Team Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2024 Paul Miller Racing GTD Pro BMW M4 GT3 BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Twin-Turbo I6 DAY
3 		SEB LGA DET WGL MOS ELK VIR IMS ATL 3rd* 319*

References

  1. ^ "Stevan McAleer". DriverDB.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  2. ^ "Neil Verhagen". DriverDB.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  3. ^ "Florida Winter Tour - Rotax Mini Max 2012 standings". DriverDB.com. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  4. ^ "A day at the races: Skip Barber Summer Series hits soggy VIR". Fox Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  5. ^ "2015 Pittsburgh - Race 1". F1600 Championship Series. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  6. ^ "Neil Verhagen Announced as Second K-Hill F1600 Driver". F1600 Championship Series. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  7. ^ "Victory for Title-Winner Verhagen at VIR". F1600 Championship Series. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  8. ^ "2016 SCCA Majors Championship Point Standings Northeast Conference". SCCA. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  9. ^ "Verhagen Becomes the Youngest SCCA National Champion With Formula F Win". SCCA. 25 September 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  10. ^ "Red Bull adds Ticktum, Verhagen to Junior Team for 2017". January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  11. ^ Allen, Peter (July 1, 2017). "Dan Ticktum clinches first Formula Renault win in Hungaroring opener". formulascout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  12. ^ Hensby, Paul (January 15, 2018). "VERHAGEN SWITCHES TO TECH 1 RACING, KEEPS RED BULL BACKING". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  13. ^ Wood, Elliot (March 4, 2019). "Former Red Bull junior Neil Verhagen joins Double R for BRDC British F3". FormulaScout. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "BMW Junior Team 2020: Ein außergewöhnliches Jahr mit außergewöhnlichen Leistungen". bmw-motorsport.com. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  15. ^ "GT News Notebook: ADAC GT Masters, N24 & NLS". Dailysportscar. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Race Results - 61. ADAC Reinoldus-Langstreckenrennen" (PDF). www.vln.de. 10 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (16 February 2022). "BMW Junior Team Enters Endurance Cup With ROWE – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  18. ^ "ROWE Racing so close to podium after strong Spa debut for the BMW M4 GT3". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  19. ^ "ROWE Racing rounds off GTWC season with ninth and 13th places at Barcelona". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  20. ^ Plümer, Jonas (2023-01-11). "Nach drei Jahren als BMW Junior Team: Dan Harper, Max Hesse und Neil Verhagen sind BMW M Werksfahrer". gt-place.com (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2023-01-30.