Coronel, Tom Romeo (NL)
b 05/04/1972
Son of Tom Coronel Sr
1990 - Start of racing career in Citroen AX cup. After being elected
as 'Best student' of the Racing School at Zandvoort Tom
drove his first season in the Citroen AX cup.
1991 - Winner Citroen AX cup. In 1991 Tom continued racing in the Citroen
AX cup alongside his elder brother Jip. After a learning year in 1990 this
would be the year of success. Tom scored points in all of the 8 races.
In total Tom won 4 races
and scored 105 points, which was enough for the championship.
Results Citroen AX Cup 1991
Date Race Result
1/4 Zandvoort 4th
21/4 Zandvoort 1st
20/5 Zandvoort 1st
9/6 Zandvoort 1st
7/7 Zandvoort 1st
28/7 Zandvoort 4th
18/8 Zandvoort 10th
6/10 Zandvoort 2nd
Barcelona 1st
1992 - Touring cars and a bit of Formula Ford. After two years
in one make racing Tom decided to move on to Touring cars. He drove a BMW
320i for the Rijnhaave team. His teammate was quite familiar to him as
it was his big brother Raymond. Tom scored two race wins to get a total
of 102 points, which was enough to clinch the championship ahead of the
Alfa Romeo of Allard Kalff and the BMW of brother Raymond. This year he
also did some Formula Ford races for the Fresh team. Despite his lack of
experience he had some promising outings. Therefore Tom decided to change
to singleseaters permanently.
Date Race Result
29/3 Zandvoort 4th
20/4 Zandvoort 3rd
17/5 Zandvoort 4th
8/6 Zandvoort 2nd
28/6 Zandvoort 1st
19/7 Zandvoort 5th
16/8 Zandvoort 1st
6/9 Zandvoort 2nd
11/10 Zandvoort 10th
1993 - Dutch Formula Ford 1800 champion. In '93 he fully concentrated
on Formula Ford. He continued with Fresh racing
and drove the Dutch and Benelux championships with the brand new Vector
car. He was contracted by the factory as their lead driver. In the Dutch
championship Tom scored 3 victories and a total of 87 points to beat Belgian
Geoffroy Horion to the title. The same Horion won the Benelux title in
which Coronel finished second. Besides the Benelux and Dutch Formula Ford
races, Tom also contested some races of the German series in which he scored
several podium finishes. At the Formula Ford Festival, the inaugural World
Championship of the series, Tom finished 5th in the qualifying heat and
9th in the Finals. Apart from Formula Ford Tom also contested the Marlboro
Masters Formula 3 race at Zandvoort for Tatuus Racing. He also did a class
2 touringcar race in Italy. He raced a Bigazzi BMW 320i at Enna Pergusa.
In Holland Tom had two guest-appearances for the Rover touringcar team
at Zandvoort. In preparation for the 1994 season Tom drove two races of
the British Formula
Vauxhall Lotus winter series at Donington Park for the Foundation team.
Results Dutch Formula Ford 1800 championship 1993
Date Race Result
21/3 Zandvoort 10th
12/4 Zandvoort 1st
16/5 Zandvoort 1st
31/5 Zandvoort 1st
18/7 Zandvoort 2nd
26/9 Zandvoort 3rd
Final standings: Champion with 87 points
1994 - Euroseries Formula Opel. This year he drove for the team of
Frits van Amersfoort. In the 15 races Tom contested he scored two victories
and no less than eight pole positions. Tom finished second in the Euroseries
behind Marco Campos. Highlight of the season must have been the victory
in the Nations Cup together with Donny Crevels. At the end of the season
Tom was elected as Dutch driver of the year, which gave him some extra
financial backing to move on to Formula 3 the following season.
Results Formula Opel Euroseries 1994 (Van Amersfoort Racing)
Date Race Result Remarks
24/4 Zolder 3rd -
24/4 Zolder 7th -
30/4 Imola 1st -
22/5 Mugello 1st -
22/5 Mugello DNF Broken suspension
4/6 Zeltweg 4th -
5/6 Zeltweg 5th -
19/6 Spa 2nd Fastest
lap
19/6 Spa 2nd -
3/7 Magny Cours 2nd -
10/7 Silverstone 1st Fastest lap
31/7 Hockenheim 2nd -
21/8 Nürburgring 5th -
21/8 Nürburgring DNF Crash
4/9 Zandvoort 2nd -
Final standings: 2nd with 174 points
1995 - German Formula 3 championship. Coronel finished seventh in the
German Formula 3 championship scoring 74 points in 16 races. He contested
the championship for the famous WTS team, the same team which brought drivers
like the Schumacher brothers and Jos Verstappen on to the scene. Tom drove
a Dallara-Opel alongside Ralf Schumacher. Coronel also contested the Monaco,
Zandvoort and Macau -clash of the titans- Formula 3 races. Unfortunately
he failed to finish at Monaco and Macau. At Zandvoort he drove a strong
race and finished in fifth position.
Results German Formula 3 1995 (WTS Dallara-Opel)
Date Race Result Remarks
22/4 Hockenheim DNF Crash
23/4 Hockenheim DNF Puncture
6/5 Avus 9th -
7/5 Avus 11th -
24/6 Norisring 4th -
25/6 Norisring 3rd -
22/7 Diepholz DNF Crash
23/7 Diepholz 9th -
19/8 Nürburgring 3rd -
20/8 Nürburgring 4th -
16/9 Singen DNF -
17/9 Singen DNF -
7/10 Magny Cours 3rd -
8/10 Magny Cours 4th -
14/10 Hockenheim 8th -
15/10 Hockenheim DNF Spin
Final standings: 7th with 74 points
Results other Formula 3 races 1995 (WTS Dallara-Opel)
Date Race Qual. Result Remarks
27/5 Monaco 7th DNF Crash
6/8 Zandvoort 7th 5th
19/10 Macau 6th DNF Crash
1996 - Japanese Formula 3 championship. Tom decided to go to the Far
East to do another year in F3. He was contracted as a factory driver for
the TOM's team. He drove the TOM's chassis that was powered by a Toyota
engine. Tom scored one victory and 5 second places to finish third in the
championship. Coronel also contested in the Monaco F3 race for Prema racing
in a Dallara Fiat where he finished in 2nd position. Later in the year
he contested the Macau Formula 3 races. He finished 5th in his own TOM'S
car. Tom also made a guest appearance in the Dutrch touringcar championship.
He raced a Citroen ZX to victory at Zandvoort.
Results Japanese Formula 3 1996 (TOM'S Toyota)
Date Race Qual.
Result Remarks
31/3 Suzuka 8th 2nd -
21/4 Tsukuba 1st 4th -
12/5 Mine 2nd 2nd
-
23/5 Fuji 2nd 2nd
-
7/7 Suzuka 5th 4th -
4/8 Sugo 2nd 1st
-
8/9 Sendai 4th 2nd -
29/9 Suzuka 4th 2nd -
Final standings: 3rd with 39 points
Results other races 1996
Date Race Qual.
Result Remarks
8/4 Zandvoort 1st 1st Dutch Touringcar with
Citroen ZX
18/5 Monaco F3 4th 2nd F3 with Prema Power Dallara
Fiat
17/10 Macau F3 9th 5th F3 with TOM'S Toyota
1997 - Japanese Formula 3 champion. Tom accepted the offer to stay
for a second year at TOM's in Japan. Coronel knew he had to score in his
third year in Formula 3 to keep his career going upwards. With Toyota power
it was possible to do so as he proved by appearing the World's quickest
Formula 3 driver. TOM'S Toyota chose to replace their sometimes difficult
handling chassis for Dallara. In combination with their own strong engine
the car proved to be the combination to beat. Tom outclassed everyone in
the Japanese series by winning six of the seven races he entered. He could
even afford to miss two rounds of the championship to contest the international
Formula 3 races at Zandvoort and Macau.
In the first international Formula 3 race at Monaco Tom was heading
for victory as he was leading in the tight streets of the princedom. Unfortunately
Coronel was pushed out of the race by another competitor. At the second
international clash, the Marlboro Masters at Zandvoort, Tom charged into
the lead and won the race. The final international meeting was at Macau.
Tom dominated in virtually all the practice sessions and was heading for
victory when he made a small but fatal mistake in the first heat. Although
he was out of a chance for outright victory Tom drove the race of his life
in the second heat when he moved up from the back of the field to finish
in second place.
Results Japanese Formula 3 1997 (TOM'S Dallara-Toyota)
Date Race Qual. Result
Remarks
30/3 Suzuka 2nd 1st -
20/4 Tsukuba 1st 1st -
18/5 Mine 2nd 2nd -
1/6 Fuji 1st 1st -
6/7 Suzuka 1st 1st -
3/8 Sugo
- DNS Masters F3 race at Zandvoort
7/9 Sendai 1st 1st -
28/9 Motegi 1st 1st -
19/10 Fuji 1st
- race cancelled after accident
9/11 Suzuka -
- DNS due to Macau preparation
Final standings: Champion with 60 points
Results other Formula 3 races 1997 (TOM'S Dallara-Toyota)
Date Race Qual. Result
Remarks
10/5 Monaco 2nd DNS Car damaged at
restart
3/8 Zandvoort 4th 1st -
16/11 Macau 3rd 13th -
1998 - After winning the Japanese Formula 3 title it was time for Tom
to move on to a higher category. Coronel chose to remain in Japan and to
contest the Formula Nippon series, the Japanese counterpart of the European
Formula 3000 series. Also Tom contested the Japanese GT series. In both
classes the Dutchman drove for the Nakajima team of former Formula 1 driver
Satoru Nakajima. In Formula Nippon Tom drove a Reynard Mugen and in the
GT series he shared a Honda NSX with Koji Yamanishi. As Nakajima operates
as a factory team of Honda Tom could benefit from the latest developments.
It was clear that Tom had a lot to learn in this new category which is
a lot more powerfull than the Formula 3 cars he was used to. Also the team
had a lot to learn as Tom was the first foreign driver to drive for Nakajima.
At the end of the year the learning process showed some results. Unfortunately
Tom did not always have Lady Luck on his side. In the final race for instance
he dropped out of the lead with technical problems. In the GT series things
went a lot better. Tom and Koji Yamanishi often scored podium finishes
and they were in with a title chance until the final race of the season.
Also in that race Lady Luck was not with them as the Mobil 1 Nakjima NSX
dropped out in the warm-up lap giving the title to Nissan. Despite that
Tom can look back on a succesful year with a second place in the Japanese
GT series and a number of strong drives in Formula Nippon.
Results Formula Nippon 1998 (Nakajima Racing Reynard-Mugen)
Date Race Qual. Result Remarks
19/4 Suzuka 15th 8th -
17/5 Mine 16th 6th -
31/5 Fuji 6th DNF ignition
14/6 Motegi 2nd 4th -
5/7 Suzuka 6th 5th -
2/8 Sugo 14th 5th -
30/8 Fuji 9th
- race cancelled
20/9 Mine 6th DNF crash
18/10 Fuji 3rd DNF battery
29/11 Suzuka 15th 14th
Final Standings: 11th with 8 points
Results Japanese GT championship 1998 (Mobil 1 Nakajima Honda NSX)
Date Race Qual. Result Remarks
22/3 Suzuka 2nd 2nd -
3/5 Fuji 1st
- race cancelled
28/6 Sendai 15th DNF clutch
9/8 Fuji 3rd 1st -
13/9 Motegi 5th DNF brakes
11/10 Mine 2nd 2nd -
25/10 Sugo 5th DNF driveshaft
15/11 Aida 1st 1st non-championship
race
Final Standings: 2nd with 50 points
1999 - After his first year in Formula Nippon Tom Coronel stayed with
Nakajima Racing, and was the favorite for the title. He proved his skill
by winning the championship with 50 points. In the Japanese GT series he
didnt do as well as in 1998. This year his teammate was Hiro Matsusada.
He finished 5th in the championship with 41 points. He had one victory
in the Japanese GT series, and he also won the non championship All star
race. That same year he had his first outing at Le Mans. He drove for the
Racing for Holland project, started up by Jan Lammers, and drove together
with him and Peter Kox. They drove a Lola-Ford, but didnt finish the 24
hours, they dropped out after 18 hours.
Results Formula Nippon 1999 (Nakajima Racing Reynard-Mugen)
Date Race Qual. Result Remarks
18/4 Suzuka 3rd 2nd -
9/5 Motegi 1st DNF fuelpump
23/5 Mine 3rd 3rd -
6/6 Fuji 4th 1st -
4/7 Suzuka 6th 2nd fastest lap
1/8 Sugo 1st 1st -
5/9 Fuji 1st 1st -
19/9 Mine 1st DNF gearbox
3/10 Motegi 3rd 3rd -
14/11 Suzuka 2nd DNF crash
Final Standings: Champion with 50 points
Results Japanese GT championship 1999 (Mobil 1 Nakajima Honda NSX)
Date Race Qual. Result Remarks
21/3 Suzuka 3rd 11th -
2/5 Fuji 5th 14th -
30/5 Sugo 10th 4th -
11/7 Mine 4th DNF electronics
8/8 Fuji 9th 8th -
26/9 Aida 1st 1st -
24/10 Motegi 10th 5th -
28/11 Autopolis 1st 1st non-championship race
Final Standings: 5th with 41 points
2000 - On the 16th of December Tom got his testing debut in Formula
1. On the circuit de catalunya he tested for two days for the Arrows F1
Team. This was the beginning of a lot of negotiation with Tom Walkinshaw,
hoping to get a drive for the Arrows team. Unfortunately the deal didnt
go through and the only drive Tom had in the year 2000 would be Le Mans
with Racing for Holland. It was a bad year for Tom, because the 24 hours
of Le Mans ended after two hours. At the end of that year he drove two
races for Carsport Team Holland with Mike Hezemans, and won one of the
two races.
2001 - Tom signed a contract for the Dutch BMW dealer team to drive
in the Dutch Touring Car Championship. Although he didnt win much races
he was the sensation in the series. He also drove a couple of races in
the FIA GT championship for Lister Storm, and did win a couple of races.
He got a chance to drive with an Audi run by Stefan Johansson during the
Le Mans track. Unfortunately after two hours without even driving during
the race, they had to retire. During another race on Estoril with Johanssons
Audi, while leading he got smacked by an GT Porsche and had a big crash
driving around 250 km/h. He got out unhurt.
2002 - Drives for the Carly BMW Team in the ETCC, with teammates Peter
Kox and Gianni Morbidelli (finished 7th, 16 pts). Drove at Le Mans with
the Racing for Holland project in a Dome-Judd, with teammates Jan Lammers
and Val Hillebrand. |
Callbo,
Gunnar (SF)
