Tom Coronel

Tom Coronel
Tom Coronel
Born	April 5, 1972 (age 54); Naarden, Netherlands
Occupation	Professional racing driver
Years active	1990–present
Known for	Winning Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 (1997), Formula Nippon champion (1999), WTCC Independents' Trophy winner (2006, 2009)

Tom Romeo Coronel (born 5 April 1972) is a professional racing driver from the Netherlands. Racing runs in his family, with his twin brother Tim and father Tom Coronel Sr. also involved in motorsport. Among his notable accomplishments are winning the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 in 1997, clinching the Formula Nippon title in 1999, and securing the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Independents' Trophy twice, in 2006 and 2009. By September 2016, Coronel had participated in more than 1,000 competitive races.

Currently active in the WTCC, Coronel achieved his inaugural WTCC race win in Okayama, Japan, during 2008. After spending several years competing as an independent driver with SEAT, he transitioned to BMW machinery in 2011. In 2014, he continued with ROAL Motorsport as the squad adopted Chevrolet Cruze vehicles developed by RML Group to comply with the new TC1 technical standards. Despite operating without direct factory backing, Coronel's skill and consistent results have elevated his standing beyond that of a typical independent competitor.

Coronel has also been extensively involved with the Dutch Spyker Squadron in endurance racing events such as the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Additionally, he frequently takes part in standalone endurance challenges like the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.

Early years

Hailing from Naarden, Coronel launched his motorsport journey in 1990 by competing in the Dutch Citroën AX Cup, where he quickly showcased his potential. The following year, he amassed four wins and accumulated 105 points to claim the championship title, which included an international victory in Barcelona. Progressing to the Dutch Touring Car Championship in 1992, he piloted a BMW 320i and secured the championship that season, outperforming both his brother and teammate Raymond Coronel. Concurrently, he participated in the Dutch Formula Ford series with team Fresh before dedicating himself fully to single-seater racing at the end of that year.

In 1993, still representing team Fresh, Coronel captured the Dutch Formula Ford championship by winning three races and finished as runner-up in the Benelux championship. He also recorded multiple podium finishes in German Formula Ford competitions and placed ninth at the Formula Ford Festival.

European formula

Coronel stepped up to compete in the Euroseries Formula Opel Lotus for Van Amersfoort Racing in 1994. Although he secured eight pole positions and two victories during that season, he ultimately finished second behind Marco Campos. Alongside Donny Crevels, he helped secure the nations cup for the Netherlands and was honored with the 'Dutch Driver of the Year' award, which facilitated financial support for his campaign in German Formula Three.

Driving for WTS alongside Ralf Schumacher, Coronel competed using a Dallara chassis powered by Opel engines. Over sixteen races, he earned 74 points and ranked seventh overall in the championship standings. However, he found limited success at major international Formula Three events—he failed to finish at both Macau and Monaco and managed a fifth-place result at the Marlboro Masters held at Zandvoort.

Moving to the Far East

In pursuit of fresh prospects, Coronel entered the Japanese Formula 3 series with TOM'S in 1996. He notched his first victory at Sportsland SUGO and achieved five second-place finishes en route to third place in the overall standings. Additionally, he secured second place representing Prema Power at the Monaco Formula Three race.

The following year, TOM'S upgraded to a highly competitive Dallara chassis equipped with Toyota engines. Coronel dominated that season by winning six out of seven races he contested. His commanding lead enabled him to skip two rounds to participate at Macau and in the Marlboro Masters event. Although taken out while leading at Monaco, he claimed victory at Zandvoort, becoming only the second Dutch driver after Jos Verstappen to win this prestigious competition.

Formula Nippon

Coronel progressed to Formula Nippon and the Japanese GT Championship in 1998, joining Nakajima Racing, a team owned by ex-Formula One driver Satoru Nakajima. Piloting a Reynard-Toyota, his debut season in Formula Nippon proved difficult due to the team's limited experience with non-Japanese drivers and a streak of misfortune. Conversely, he performed better in the GT series, sharing a Honda NSX with Koji Yamanishi and securing second place after suffering a mechanical failure in the final race.

In 1999, Coronel continued competing in both championships. He established himself as a formidable contender for the Formula Nippon title and ultimately clinched the championship amid controversy following a collision with rival Satoshi Motoyama during the last race. However, his results in the Japanese GT series declined that year. Additionally, he made his first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Racing for Holland alongside Jan Lammers and Peter Kox; the team retired after completing 213 laps due to technical difficulties.

Formula 1 test

After achieving success in Japan, Coronel aimed to enter Formula One. To fund this ambition, he initiated an investment venture named 'the Racing Dutchman B.V.', offering shares to backers with repayment tied to his F1 achievements. Unfortunately, the scheme collapsed because investors defaulted on payments. Coronel conducted a single test session for Arrows but ultimately lost the race seat to Jos Verstappen and Pedro de la Rosa. Without a drive at the outset of 2000, he returned to compete at Le Mans with Racing for Holland and participated in FIA GT events alongside Mike Hezemans.

Return to racing

In 2001, seeking full-season racing opportunities, Coronel joined BMW’s factory squad in the Dutch Touring Car Championship while simultaneously driving for Lister Cars in the FIA GT Championship. Despite scheduling conflicts, he achieved victories in both series. He also raced at Le Mans with Stefan Johansson’s team; however, their entry retired early.

The following year, Coronel transitioned to the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) with Carly Motors, partnering with Peter Kox and Gianni Morbidelli. Although unable to rival manufacturer-backed teams, he earned three podium finishes. Remaining with Carly in 2003 and utilizing older machinery, he captured the independents trophy alongside Duncan Huisman and briefly returned to Japanese GT racing, winning one event in an outdated Honda NSX. The 2004 ETCC season followed a similar pattern; now teamed with Paulien Zwart, they secured the independents team championship again while Coronel claimed the independent drivers title.

At Le Mans, Coronel finished eighth overall in 2002 driving for Racing for Holland and completed the race in 2003 behind the wheel of a Spyker C8. In 2004, rejoining Racing for Holland alongside Justin Wilson and Ralph Firman, their effort ended prematurely without finishing. Speculation arose about a potential third-driver role with Minardi, but no agreement was reached.

World Touring Car Championship

With the European Touring Car Championship elevated to World Championship status in 2005, Coronel switched from Carly Motors to Team GR Asia, competing in a SEAT Toledo. Although narrowly missing out on the Independents trophy that year, he claimed it in 2006 driving the updated SEAT León, marking his second title within three seasons. He continued with GR Asia throughout 2007 but experienced diminished success while contributing to SEAT Sport UK's drivers' and teams' championships at the British Touring Car Championship finale.

Coronel also competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Spyker in both 2005 and 2006 but did not finish either event.

In 2008, Coronel joined SUNRED SEAT Team as it debuted in WTCC competition. He achieved a podium finish at Oschersleben and was recognized by Autosport magazine as one of WTCC's standout drivers. His inaugural WTCC victory came at the Race of Japan held at Okayama International Circuit, where he delivered an outstanding performance.

The following year, driving for Sunred, he secured the Independents' Trophy once again. In 2010, he piloted a turbo diesel León for semi-works SR-Sport (operated by Sunred), finishing eighth overall—the highest ranking of his career. In 2011, Coronel joined ROAL Motorsport, formerly BMW Italy-Spain’s factory outfit, winning Race Two at Suzuka, Japan. He remained with ROAL Motorsport in 2012 alongside teammate Alberto Cerqui as part of a two-car lineup.

Dakar Rally (2009–present)

In 2009, Tom and his twin brother Tim took part in the Dakar Rally, which spanned across Argentina and Chile on the route from Buenos Aires to Valparaíso and back to Buenos Aires. This event marked Tom's first appearance in the Dakar Rally, while Tim had previously competed in 2007 and was preparing for the 2008 edition before it was cancelled. Piloting a Bowler Nemesis under the dakarsport.com banner, the brothers completed 15 stages covering roughly 6,000 kilometers between January 3 and 18, ultimately securing 70th place overall. Tom intended to participate again in the Dakar Rally as a solo competitor driving a buggy in 2015.

Other activities

The Coronel family operates two indoor go-karting facilities located in Huizen and Enschede. Alongside his brother Tim, Tom co-presents an automotive television show and frequently appeared as a guest on the Dutch Formula One broadcasts until RTL shifted its programming focus toward more direct "on track" coverage.

Tom Coronel is partnered with fellow racing driver Paulien Zwart, with whom he has two children. Their son Rocco is actively involved in karting and competes in the Ginetta Junior Championship as a member of the Red Bull Junior Team. Paulien, daughter of Ascari Cars proprietor Klaas Zwart, was Tom's teammate at Carly Motors during the 2004 European Touring Car Championship season.

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1999	Germany Konrad Motorsport Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Talkline Racing for Holland	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Jan Lammers Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Peter Kox	Lola B98/10-Ford	LMP	213	DNF	DNF
2000	Germany Konrad Motorsport Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Racing for Holland	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Jan Lammers Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Peter Kox	Lola B2K/10-Ford	LMP900	38	DNF	DNF
2001	Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Johansson Motorsport	Template:Country data SWE Template:Namespace detect showall Stefan Johansson Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Patrick Lemarié	Audi R8	LMP900	35	DNF	DNF
2002	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Racing for Holland	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Jan Lammers Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Val Hillebrand	Dome S101-Judd	LMP900	351	8th	7th
2003	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall ST Team Orange Spyker Squadron	Germany Norman Simon Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Hans Hugenholtz	Spyker C8 Double-12R	GT	229	NC	NC
2004	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Racing for Holland	Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Justin Wilson Template:Country data IRL Template:Namespace detect showall Ralph Firman	Dome S101-Judd	LMP1	313	NC	NC
2005	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Spyker Squadron	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Peter van Merksteijn Sr. Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Donny Crevels	Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R	GT2	76	DNF	DNF
2006	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Spyker Squadron	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Donny Crevels Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Peter Dumbreck	Spyker C8 Spyder GT2-R	GT2	40	DNF	DNF
2009	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Snoras Spyker Squadron	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Jeroen Bleekemolen Template:Country data CZE Template:Namespace detect showall Jaroslav Janiš	Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R	GT2	319	25th	5th
2010	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Spyker Squadron	Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall Peter Dumbreck Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Jeroen Bleekemolen	Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R	GT2	280	27th	9th

Full German Formula Three results

(key) (Entries in bold signify pole position) (Entries in italics denote fastest lap)

Year	Team	Engine	Category	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final Position	Points
1995	Opel Team WTS	Opel	A	HOC 1 Retired	HOC 2 Retired	AVU 1 9th	AVU 2 11th	NOR 1 4th	NOR 2 3rd	DIE 1 Retired	DIE 2 9th	NÜR 1 3rd	NÜR 2 4th	ALE 1 Retired	ALE 2 Retired	MAG 1 3rd	MAG 2 4th	HOC 1 8th	HOC 2 16th	6th overall	74 points

Full Japanese Formula 3 results

(key) (Events in bold represent pole position) (Events in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Final Standing	Points Earned
1996	TOM'S	Toyota	SUZ 2nd	TSU 4th	min 2nd	[[Fuji Speedway	FUJ]] 2nd	[[Suzuka International Racing Course	SUZ]] 4th	[[Sportsland Sugo	SUG]] 1st	[[Sendai Hi-Land Raceway	SEN]] 2nd	[[Suzuka International Racing Course	SUZ]] 2nd

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Full JGTC Results

(key) (Events marked in bold denote pole positions) (Events in italics signify fastest laps)

Year	Team	Vehicle	Category	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final Standing	Points
1998	Nakajima Racing	Honda NSX	GT500	SUZ 2nd	FUJ Cancelled	SEN Retired	FUJ 1st	MOT Retired	MIN 2nd	SUG Retired		2nd	50
1999	Nakajima Racing	Honda NSX	GT500	SUZ 11th	FUJ 14th	SUG 4th	MIN Retired	FUJ 8th	'TAI' 1st	MOT 5th		5th	41
2003	Mugen Motorsports	Honda NSX	GT500	'TAI' 4th	FUJ Retired	SUG 9th	FUJ 12th	FUJ 8th	MOT 1st	AUT 10th	SUZ 11th	10th	38

Full Formula Nippon Results

(key) (Events shown in bold represent pole positions) (Events in italics indicate fastest laps)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Final Ranking	Points
1998	Nakajima Racing	'SUZ' 8th	MIN 6th	FUJ Retired	MOT 4th	SUZ 5th	SUG 5th	''FUJ'' 'Cancelled'	style="background:#EFCFFF;"' 'MIN' ' 'Retired'	style="background:#EFCFFF;"' 'FUJ' ' 'Retired'	style="background:#CFCFFF;"' 'SUZ' ' '14th'	11th	8

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Full Results of the European Super Production Championship

(legend) (Races with bold denote pole positions) (Races in italics highlight fastest laps)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Final Position	Points
2001	Carly Motors	BMW 320i	MNZ	BRN	MAG	SIL	ZOL	HUN	A1R	NÜR	JAR	EST 3	15th	12

Complete European Touring Car Championship Results

(legend) (Pole positions are shown in bold, fastest laps in italics)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	16	17	18	19	20	Final Position
2002	Carly Motors	BMW 320i	MAG 1 12	MAG 2 Ret	SIL 1 8	SIL 2 Ret	BRN 1 12	BRN 2 8	JAR 1 6	JAR 2 Ret	AND 1 9	AND 2 7	OSC 1 Ret	OSC 2 8	SPA 1 9	SPA 2 3	<style="background:#CFCFFF;">DON 1 7</style> <style="background:#DFFFDF;">DON 2 6</style> <style="background:#FFDF9F;">EST 1 3</style> <style="background:#DFDFDF;">EST 2 2</style>	7th	16
2003	Carly Motors	BMW 320i	VAL 1 8	VAL 2 8	MAG 1 7	MAG 2 4	PER 1 11	PER 2 8			DON 1 Ret	DON 2 10	SPA 1 12	SPA 2 8	AND 1 11	AND 2 10					10th	27
2004	nowrap	nowrap																		12th	25

Full World Touring Car Championship Results

(key) (Races marked in bold represent pole positions) (Races shown in italics denote fastest laps)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	Final Position	Points Scored
2005	GR Asia	SEAT Toledo Cupra	ITA 1 15th	ITA 2 Retired	FRA 1 23rd	FRA 2 Disqualified	GBR 1 14th	GBR 2 14th	SMR 1 18th	SMR 2 Retired	MEX 1 8th	MEX 2 5th	BEL 1 13th	BEL 2 3rd	GER 1 21st	GER 2 13th	TUR 1 Retired	TUR 2 Did Not Start	ESP 1 Not Classified	ESP 2 13th	MAC 1 Retired					14th	11

^† Although the driver did not cross the finish line, classification was granted for completing over 90% of the race distance.

Full British Touring Car Championship Results

(key) (Entries in bold indicate pole positions, awarding one point for the first race) (Entries in italics signify fastest laps, earning one point in every race) (* marks races where the driver led at least one lap, awarding one point in each event)

Year	Team	Vehicle Model	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	Final Standing	Total Points

|- 2007 ! nowrap | SEAT Sport UK ! nowrap | SEAT León | BRH
1 | BRH
2 | BRH
3 | ROC
1 | ROC
2 | ROC
3 | THR
1 | THR
2 | THR
3 | CRO
1 | CRO
2 | CRO
3 | OUL
1 | OUL
2 | OUL
3 | DON
1 | DON
2 | DON
3 | SNE
1 | SNE
2 | SNE
3 | BRH
1 | BRH
2 | BRH
3 | KNO
1 | KNO
2 | KNO
3 | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | THR
1
8th | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | THR
2
7th | style="background:#DFFFDF;" | THR
3
8th ! 17th ! 10 |}

Full TCR International Series Results

(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole position) (Races in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Final Position	Points
2017	Thierry Boutsen#Boutsen Ginion Racing	Honda Civic Type R TCR	RIM 1	RIM 2	BHR 1	BHR 2	SPA 1 8	SPA 2 Ret	MNZ 1	MNZ 2	SAL 1	SAL 2	HUN 1	HUN 2	OSC 1	OSC 2	getCHA 1	getCHA 2	getZHE 1	getZHE 2	getDUB 1	getDUB 2	31st	4

Full World Touring Car Cup Results

(key) (Pole positions are indicated in bold; fastest laps are in italics)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	Final Position	Points
2018	Boutsen Ginion Racing	Honda Civic Type R TCR	MAR 1 21†	MAR 2 10	MAR 3 12	HUN 1 Ret	HUN 2 19	HUN 3 Ret	GER 1 9	GER 2 9	GER 3 10	NED 1 7	NED 2 14	NED 3 Ret	POR 1 Ret	POR 2 15	POR 3 Ret	SVK 1 7	SVK 2 DNS	SVK 3 DSQ	CHN 1 15	CHN 2 15	CHN 3 17	WUH 1 Ret	WUH 2 Ret	WUH 3 17	JPN 1 17	JPN 2 18	JPN 3 14	(continued)

^† Although the driver did not cross the finish line, classification was awarded for completing more than ninety percent of the race distance.

Full TCR Europe Touring Car Series Results

(Legend) (Events shown in bold denote pole position) (Events in italics represent fastest lap)

Year	Team	Vehicle	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final Standing	Total Points
2019	Boutsen Ginion Racing	Honda Civic Type R TCR	HUN 1	HUN 2	HOC 1	HOC 2	SPA 1	SPA 2	RBR 1	RBR 2	OSC 1	OSC 2	CAT 1	CAT 2	MNZ 1	MNZ 2	12th place	137 points
2020	Boutsen Ginion Racing	Honda Civic Type R TCR (FK8)	LEC 1	LEC 2	ZOL 1	ZOL 2	MNZ 1	MNZ 2	CAT 1	CAT 2	SPA 1	SPA 2	JAR 1	JAR < br > 2 < br >			16th place	100 points
2021	Comtoyou Racing	Audi RS 3 LMS TCR	SVK < br > 1 < br >	SVK < br > 2 < br >	LEC < br > 1 < br >	LEC < br > 2 < br >	ZAN < br > 1 < br >	ZAN < br > 2 < br >	SPA < br > 1 < br >	SPA < br > 2 < br >	NÜR < br > 1 < br >	NÜR < br > 2 < br >	MNZ < br > 1 < br >	MNZ < br > 2 < br >	CAT < br > 1 < br >	style = " background :#FFFFFF; "\|[[ Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya	CAT 2 ]]	4th place	258 points
2022 TCR Europe Touring Car Series	Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport	Audi RS 3 LMS TCR	style= background :#DFFFDF;	Algarve International Circuit ALG1	8	style= background :#FFDF9F;	ALG2	3	style= background :#FFFFBF;	Circuit Paul Ricard LEC1	1	style= background :#DFFFDF;	LEC2	5	style= background :#DFFFDF;	Spa Francorchamps SPA1	5	style= background :#FFDF9F;	SPA2	3	Norising NOR1	Norising NOR2	style= background :#FFFFBF;	Nürburgring NÜR1	1	style= background :#FFFFFF;	Nürburgring NÜR2	C	style= background :#DFFFDF;	Monza MNZ1	13	style= background :#DFFFDF;	Monza MNZ2	8	style= background :#DFDFDF;	Barcelona CAT1	2	style= background :#DFDFDF;	Barcelona CAT2	-	2023 TCR Europe Touring Car Series	Comtoyou Racing	Audi RS 3 LMS TCR	style= background :#FFDF9F;	Algarve ALG111^1^	style= background :#FFFFBF;	ALG25	style= background :#DFFFDF;	Pau PAU16	style= background :#FFFFBF;	-

TCR Spa 500 Event Results

Year	Team Name	Co-Drivers	Vehicle Model	Category	Completed Laps	Overall Rank	Category Rank
2019	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Red Camel-Jordans.nl	Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Ivo Breukers Template:Country data NLD Template:Namespace detect showall Rik Breukers Template:Country data ESP Template:Namespace detect showall Pepe Oriola	align="left" nowrap\| CUPRA León TCR	P	454	style="background:#FFFFBF;"\| Winner	style="background:#FFFFBF;"\| Class Winner

Comprehensive TCR World Tour Results

(Legend) (Pole positions are in bold, fastest laps in italics)

Year	Team Name	Vehicle Model	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Final Standing	Points Total
2023	Comtoyou Racing	Audi RS 3 LMS TCR	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \| ALG 1 (11)	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \| ALG 2 (5)	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \| SPA 1 (7)	style="background:#FFDF9F;" \| SPA 2 (3)	VAL 1	VAL 2	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \| HUN 1 (11)	style="background:#DFFFDF;" \| HUN 2 (9)	ELP 1	ELP 2	VIL 1	VIL 2	SYD 1	SYD 2	SYD 3	BAT 1	BAT 2	BAT 3	MAC 1	MAC 2	13th place	76 points