- Marcel Willemsen
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Marcel Willemsen Nationality 
NetherlandsBorn Lochem, Netherlands Website Marcel Willemsens official website Motorcycle racing career statistics Sidecarcross World Championship Active years 1995 - 1999
2001 - PresentManufacturers Honda-EML (1995)
Zabel-EML (1996)
Zabel-BSU (1997-1999)
Zabel-VMC (2000)
KTM-VMC (2003-2005)
Zabel-VMC (2006)
Zabel-BSU (2007)
Zabel-WSP (2008-Present)Championships (1) 1999 2011 Championship position 21st Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 222 26 47 2,094 Marcel Willemsen (born 28 May 1977 in Lochem, Gelderland) is a Dutch sidecarcross passenger and 1999 World Champion.
Marcel won the 1999 world championship as the passenger for his older brother, the seven times world champion Daniël Willemsen. After this, he left his brothers team and started racing as a sidecarcross driver himself, competing in the Dutch and the world championship.
Willemsen is married and has three children, living in Lochem. In 2007 he announced that 2008 would be his last season as a GP rider, retiring from the international competition[1] but took part in a limited number of races in the following seasons.
Contents
Sidecarcross world championship results
Marcel Willemsen & Bruno Kaelin in the German championship in 2009
Marcel started racing with his brother Daniël in the world championship in 1995. As a passenger, his first world championship race was the Dutch GP in Markelo on 24 September 1995, which is the only one he raced in that season. The two brothers quickly improved and the next season saw their first win, at the French GP in Baugé on 12 May 1996. From season to season they improved, culminating in a one-point win of the world championship in 1999. Marcel suffered serious injuries in a training run in February 2000, finding himself temporarily paralised and unable to continue racing.[2]
He made a surprising recovery within ten month and returned to the sicecarcross world championship in 2001, now as a driver, with his countryman Rene Boon as passenger. Marcel could however not archive the same success there as he had with his brother, a tenth overall finish in 2006 being his strongest season result. Three fifth place finishes in races were his best results in individual events. The 2008 season, now with his German passenger Marco Godau, was to be his last as an international rider, but he may continue to race in the Dutch championship were his showings have been much stronger over the years. He did take part in the Dutch and Swiss GP with passenger Bruno Kaelin in 2009, achieving good results.
He mainly raced in the 2009 German Championship, where he finished second overall. In 2010, Willemsen participated in three Grand Prix once more, again with Bruno Kaelin as his passenger. In 2011, he took part in twelve races, using Gertie Eggink as his passenger, who had won the world championship in the previous year as passenger of Marcel's brother.
Season by season
Season Team Equipment Position Points Races Wins Second Third 1995 Daniël WillemsenHonda-EML 25 10 2 — — — 1996 Daniël WillemsenZabel--EML 12 82 16 2 — — 1997 Daniël WillemsenZabel-BSU 3 231 14 5 4 2 1998 Daniël WillemsenZabel-BSU 2 279 18 6 7 2 1999 Daniël WillemsenZabel-BSU 1 386 24 13 5 1 2001 Rene Boon19 44 14 — — — 2002 Rene BoonZabel-VMC 16 144 26 — — — 2003 Rene BoonKTM-VMC 32 33 8 — — — 2004 Rene BoonKTM-VMC 13 181 8 — — — 
Harolds Kurpnicks10 2 — — — 2005 Bart NottenKTM-VMC 13 132 18 — — — 2006 Bjorn RoesZabel-VMC 10 137 12 — — — 2007 
Marco GodauZabel-BSU 17 82 16 — — — 2008 Marco GodauZabel-WSP 11 208 24 — — — 2009 
Bruno KaelinZabel-WSP 24 41 4 — — — 2010 Bruno KaelinZabel-WSP 25 46 6 — — — 2011 Gertie EgginkZabel-WSP 21 58 12 — — — Overall 1995 - 2011 2,094 222 26 16 5 Source:"The John Davey Pages - Marcel Willemsen (passenger)". John Davey. http://www.thejohndaveypages.org/CV/XXX/CV_XXX_P_Willemsen_M.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
Source:"The John Davey Pages - Marcel Willemsen (driver)". John Davey. http://www.thejohndaveypages.org/CV/XXX/CV_XXX_D_Willemsen_M.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- Passengers in italics.
Honours
World Championship
- Champions: (1) 1999
- Runners-up: (1) 1998
Netherlands
- Champions: (2) 1998, 1999
- Runners-up: (1) 1997
References
- ^ "Marcel Willemsen gaat zijn laatste GP-seizoen in (in Dutch)". Han's zijspancross-site. Archived from the original on 2008-04-09. http://web.archive.org/web/20080409175448/http://www.xs4all.nl/~hanvu/zijspan.html. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- ^ History Team Willemsen website, accessed: 4 April 2011
External links
Sporting positions Preceded by
Artis RasmanisSidecarcross World Champion (passenger)
1999Succeeded by
Artis RasmanisPreceded by
Wiljam JanssenDutch national sidecarcross champion (passenger)
1998, 1999Succeeded by
Wiljam JanssenSidecarcross World Champions 1980 Böhler - Müller
1981 van Heugten - Kiggen
1982 Bollhalder - Büsser
1983 Bollhalder - Büsser
1984 Bächtold - Fuß
1985 Bächtold - Fuß
1986 Bächtold - Fuß
1987 Bächtold - Fuß
1988 C. Hüsser - A. Hüsser
1989 C. Hüsser - A. Hüsser1990 Janssen - Janssen
1991 Timmermans - Verhagen
1992 Timmermans - Verhagen
1993 Fuhrer - Käser
1994 Fuhrer - Käser
1995 Fuhrer - Käser
1996 Fuhrer - Käser
1997 Serģis - Rasmanis
1998 Serģis - Rasmanis
1999 D. Willemsen - M. Willemsen2000 Serģis - Rasmanis
2001 Serģis - Rasmanis
2002 Serģis - Rasmanis
2003 D. Willemsen - Stupelis
2004 D. Willemsen - Stupelis
2005 D. Willemsen - Verbrugge
2006 D. Willemsen - Verbrugge
2007 D. Willemsen - Grütter
2008 D. Willemsen - Grütter
2009 Hendrickx - Liepiņš2010 D. Willemsen - Eggink
2011 D. Willemsen - VerbruggeRelated articles: Records and statistics Categories:- 1977 births
- Living people
- People from Lochem
- Dutch sidecarcross riders
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