Dr.
Rob is one of our Dutch drivers. I have to admit I haven't spent much time with Rob in the paddock. According to Rob's wife , Im, he is "very happily married". (These are her words not mine or Rob's). As you may have noticed, Rob is a doctor. He also does his own (trackside) repairs & maintenance. We all know how dirty your hands get & how long the dirt & oil stays under your finger nails. He regularly comes home after a race weekend & spends a couple of hours "soaking" his hands trying to get them clean. I can just imagine Dr.Rob's patients wondering why he has his hands under the table or never removes his rubber gloves. This could be even more embarassing when you realize that Dr. Rob only has female patients !
What is even more worrying is that Im says "he always manages to break everything". I have seen this effect with head gaskets (8 head gaskets in 2001 !).
Apparently, Rob spent many a happy year practicing with Scalextric, before taking the plunge & buy a "real" race car.
Rob started racing with FISC in 2000. He improved his position in the drivers standings by almost 10 places for the 2001 season !
The Halewijn family also asked me not to mention Dr. Bob. Dr Bob is an advertising character in Holland, & Dr. Rob, doesn't wish to be mistaken for Dr. Bob !
As usual for most doctors I know, Rob smokes like a chimney !!
Rob's Car
Rob's car is actually an ex-FISC car. What I mean by that is that it was originally Dave O'Neill's yellow midget , which passed through a few owners before getting to Rob. I must say the car looks better than it ever did when Dave owned it.
They say old race cars never die....
Following a nasty scare in Spa 2001, where his windscreen shattered, Rob removed the roof, & screen surround, then built a wind deflector & drove the car open for the next race. He was instantly 3.5 seconds quicker ! Another convert to open racing ?