Chris Vlok

Chris Vlok (born 17 September 1992) is a racing driver from New Zealand.

Career

E30 BMW Series NZ

He began racing in 2008 at the age of 15, after building his own E30 BMW car while at high school. His first race was at the final round of the New Zealand E30 Series where he finished mid field. He raced in four of the six rounds in 2009, finishing fourth overall after recording four wins, two pole positions, nine podiums and seven fastest laps.

New Zealand Formula Ford

Vlok moved to single-seater racing in 2010 in a Formula Ford, competing in the Christchurch and Timaru rounds of the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship where he finished mid pack, and was twelfth in the series standings.

Quebec Formula Tour 1600

In 2011, Vlok signed to race in the Quebec Formula Tour 1600. Driving for team Brian Graham Racing, Vlok finished fourth overall and was awarded Rookie Of The Year. In a series involving over 30 cars, Vlok had one win, and five podiums. In a post season interview, Vlok said "I really enjoyed the Quebec Formula Tour, it has been very good racing. My highlights include my podium at The Famous Trois Rivieres Grand Prix, as well as the intense qualifying session before my race win at Icar where i was just 0.008 seconds off pole position!"

South Island Formula Ford

At the end of 2011, Vlok returned to New Zealand for the third round of the South Island Formula Ford Series, taking three race wins from pole position.

Toyota Racing Series

With Victory Motorsport, Vlok competed in the 2012 Toyota Racing Series (TRS) with team mates Michela Cerruti, Dmitry Suranovich and Damon Lietch. He finished mid field at most events, his best race being the second to last at Manfeild where he finished tenth after fighting with Jordan King and Bruno Bonifacio.

Formula 3 Australian Drivers' Championship

At the end of the 2012 Toyota Racing Series, Vlok competed for Team Astuti Motorsport in the opening round of Formula 3 Australian Drivers' Championship at Adelaide. Driving alongside Matt Sofi, in a Dallara F307 Sodemo-Renault, Vlok qualified ninth and finished seventh and sixth respectively, but retired from fourth in the third race following an accident.

JK Racing Asia Series

In June 2012 Vlok signed with EuroInternational to compete in round three of the JK Racing Series (formerly known as Formula BMW Asia) at Circuit Paul Ricard, finishing tenth and ninth respectively. Vlok told media "this weekend was just a bit of fun for me really, the opportunity presented itself to come and drive here, it is a step backward for me in terms of speed but it was a great opportunity to come and race at such a legendary circuit. I didn't fit in the car very well unfortunately which made things pretty uncomfortable and hard to drive"

European F3 Open

On 20 August 2012 Vlok replaced injured Luca Orlandi for Team West-Tec at round six of the 2012 European F3 Open at the Hungaroring, finishing 5th and 11th in class.

Personal life

Vlok is involved as a driver trainer for outfits including dealerships, advance driving schools, corporate events, entertainment events, public shows and demonstrations. Vlok also has interests in yacht racing and flying. In 2011 he competed in yacht races in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in between racing in the Quebec Formula Tour. Vlok is also an entrepreneur and currently runs his own sign writing business.

Racing record

Career summary

External links

• www.chrisvlok.com
• Driver Database
• Toyota Racing Series profile