First Dutch team registers for the Prototype Cup Germany. Father Mark and son Max van der Snel to share a Ligier JS P320. Season kicks off at the Hockenheimring on the last weekend in April.
It will be a few weeks still until the LMP3 cars of the Prototype Cup Germany are permitted onto the Hockenheim track for the first race of 2023. When they do so, the More Motorsport team will be among them for the first time; alternating at the wheel of the Ligier will be the father-son duo of Mark and Max van der Snel. “We were looking for a category, in which we could drive together, and soon saw that LMP3 is the best route for us,” said 19-year-old Max van der Snel. “One of the reasons we opted for the Prototype Cup Germany was that we, as Dutchmen, would have two home races in Zandvoort and Assen. And the trips to the four other circuits in Germany are not too long either.”
Max van der Snel started out in karting as a seven-year-old, and continued on the karting circuit until he was eleven. He then took a break from racing, during which he dedicated himself to sports like kite surfing and downhill mountain biking. When he rediscovered his passion for motor racing at the age of 17, he entered the Westfield Cup in the Netherlands. “It is a one-design class, which was perfect for my return to racing.” After his debut year, which he ended as the best-placed rookie, he considered stepping up a class. However, he remained loyal to that class for one more season. It proved to be a successful decision: he took his driving to the next level and finished second in the overall standings. His 51-year-old father Mark van der Snel got a taste of motorsport in the Radical Cup back in 2012. Like Max, he can look back on two years in the Westfield Cup, in which he was eleventh in the Drivers’ Championship in 2022. “We both drove for our team More Motorsport, but each had our own car. That will not be the case now. I think that will predominantly help us to find the right set-up, as we have more input as a pair than alone. As far as the driving is concerned, I think we will be at roughly the same level,” Max jokes.
More Motorsport is teaming up with Reiter Engineering for its debut season in the Prototype Cup Germany. “Reiter Engineering has a lot of experience of LMP3 racing: for example, they secured the first pole position in the history of the Prototype Cup Germany in 2022. Their support allows us to save a lot of time, which we would otherwise have needed for learning purposes.” When it comes to results, the Van der Snel duo has not set itself any concrete goals for 2023. “It is our first season in LMP3 and the step up from a Westfield car to an LMP3 racer should definitely not be underestimated,” says Max. However, he does have a long-term goal: “Like every LMP3 driver, I would love to drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, I know that is still a long way off.” And should he at any point be unable to pursue his driving career, he has a second ace up his sleeve: Max is studying motorsport engineering.
