Junior Strous

Junior Strous
Born	(1986-04-28) April 28, 1986 Vlaardingen, Netherlands
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, entrepreneur, team principal
Years active	2002–2011

Junior Strous (born 28 April 1986 in Vlaardingen) is a Dutch professional racing driver, entrepreneur, and team principal based in Wassenaar. His motorsport journey commenced in 2002 with Formula Ford under Geva Racing, followed by stints in Formula BMW, Formula Renault, Champ Car Atlantic, and Indy Lights.

Early life

Strous was born in the Netherlands in 1986 as the son of Ton Strous, an accomplished athlete and racer. In 1992, his family established a carwash and detailing enterprise. At ten years old, during a family vacation to Tenerife, Spain, he discovered his passion for motorsport after trying out a go-kart track. This sparked a karting career throughout his youth before he advanced to professional testing in Benelux Formula Ford.

Racing career

Between 2000 and 2001, Strous undertook testing in Benelux Formula Ford, and in 2002, he became the youngest driver to claim victory at an international Formula Ford event (Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium) driving a B-class vehicle. That same year marked his progression into Formula BMW ADAC.

In 2003, he secured titles in the Benelux BMW 325i Cup and Dutch Drifting Cup. He also competed across several Formula Renault championships both in Europe and the United States, achieving second place in the Benelux championship. The following year, Strous captured the Benelux Formula Renault title and triumphed at the Formula Renault Winter Invitational Championship held in Florida. Additionally, he placed third in the Autovisie Drifting Championship and served as a test driver for Toyo Tires.

Throughout 2005, Strous participated in four different Formula Renault series. He finished seventh in the Eurocup despite a partial schedule, secured second place in the Dutch championship with limited appearances, and won the UK Winter Series. Furthermore, he claimed multiple victories during the 2005-06 Winter Endurance Championship.

In 2006, Strous shifted focus entirely to touring car racing. He won the BMW Compact Cup Benelux and was runner-up in the Dacia Logan Cup Netherlands. Concurrently, he competed with Jenzer Motorsport in both European and Italian Formula Renault Championships.

Strous entered part-time competition in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship during 2007 but ended up fourteenth overall after missing races due to injury. The following year, he completed a full season in the Atlantic Championship with Condor Motorsports, finishing tied for fourth place overall and securing victory at Circuit Mont-Tremblant.

In 2009, driving for his own outfit, Winners Circle Group, Strous contested the full season of the Firestone Indy Lights Series. He won the opening two rounds at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and led the championship standings after four events. That same year, he also claimed victory at the opening round of the Tango Dutch GT4 Championship at Zandvoort, followed by third and sixth-place finishes in subsequent races piloting an Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4. Despite promising performances, sponsorship backing for Winners Circle’s technical partner was withdrawn following the Freedom 100 event.

For 2010, Strous signed with Team Moore Racing for Indy Lights but was released shortly thereafter. He subsequently joined HVM Racing for that season.

In 2011, he achieved fourth place overall while winning races in the SuperSports Class. Moreover, Strous captured the inaugural Benelux Radical Championship behind the wheel of a Radical SR3 RS.

Accidents and Injuries

During the 2003 event at the Assen Circuit in the Netherlands, Strous was involved in a collision after his teammate Giedo van der Garde spun, resulting in a crash with Strous' vehicle. In 2005, while racing in Formula Renault 2.0 at Germany's Osschersleben Circuit, Strous experienced a rollover accident. Additionally, in a 2007 qualifying round for the Champcar Atlantics Series at Long Beach, he suffered a wrist fracture following another crash.

Additional Endeavors

Strous has expertise in drifting and established Winners Circle Group Racing in 2009. He has also provided commentary for Dutch motorsport channel RaceWorld TV, covering series such as DTM, ChampCar, and IndyCar. In 2011, he gained sponsorship backing from the Dutch radio broadcaster SLAM!FM.

Legal Incidents

In 2008, Strous witnessed a burglary at his family's Shell gas station located in Wassenaar and pursued the perpetrators in a high-speed chase until they lost control and fled the scene. One individual was subsequently apprehended; although Strous was initially charged with speeding, these charges were dismissed under Dutch legislation that allows citizens to chase criminals caught in the act.

In 2010, while traveling internationally, Strous identified security weaknesses at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol concerning unchecked baggage and reported these concerns to authorities. The following year, he assisted in putting out a vehicle fire in Wassenaar and recorded footage of the event before removing it upon request from the fire department.

Private Life

Outside of racing, Strous enjoys traveling and works as an art dealer representing artist Michiel Molenaar. As of 2014, his residence is in Lyss, Switzerland.

Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Results

(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions; races in italics indicate fastest laps)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final Position	Points
2005	Mr Glow Motorsport	ZOL 1 4	ZOL 2 32	VAL 1 20	VAL 2 11	LMS 1 12	LMS 2 2	BIL 1 10	BIL 2 7	OSC 1 Ret	OSC 2 11	DON 1 12	DON 2 2	EST 1 12	EST 2 8	MNZ 1 9	MNZ 2 Ret	7th	43
2006	Jenzer Motorsport	ZOL 1 10	ZOL 2 12	IST 1 14	IST 2 13												26th	1

American Open-Wheel Competition Results

(key)

Atlantic Championship

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final Position	Points Accumulated
2007	Condor Motorsports	LVG 6	LBH 13	HOU DNS	POR1 9	POR2 8	CLE 13	MTT 23	TOR 13	EDM1 DNS	EDM2 DNS	SJO 5	ROA 23	14th	92
2008	Newman Wachs Racing	LBH 8	LS 3	MTT 1	EDM1 13	EDM2 9	ROA1 8	ROA2 11	TRR 3	NJ 5	UTA 8	ATL 8		5th	196

Indy Lights

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final Standing	Total Points

|- | 2009 ! Winners Circle Group

|style="background:#FFFFBF;" | STP 
  
|style="background:#FFFFBF;" | STP 
  
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | LBH 
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" | KAN 
  
|style="background:#CFEAFF;" | INDY 
  
| MIL
| IOW
| WGL
| TOR
| EDM
| KTY
| MOH
| SNM
| CHI
| HMS
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"|'20th'
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"|'146'

|} |- | 2010

! HVM Racing
 |style="background:#CFEAFF;" | STP 
  
 |style="background:#CFEAFF;" | ALA 
  
 |style="background:#EFCFFF;" | LBH 
  
 | INDY
 | IOW
 | WGL
 | TOR
 | EDM
 | MOH
 | SNM
 | CHI
 | KTY
 | HMS
 
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"|'19th'
!style="background:#CFCFFF;'56'

|}