A little about myself.
Han van Houten, born in Heemstede. Son of a racing garage owner from that lovely village not far from Circuit Zandvoort.
I will write more about my experiences in the garage and at the circuit later on. But you will understand straight away: this is an apple that did not fall far from the tree.
What else has shaped this site? I am the proud father of two sons.
Now you will immediately wonder: what do those sons have to do with it? First of all, their mother — with whom I have been very happily together since 1973 — is one of the most fanatical F1 fans I know. With a (slight?) preference for Max Verstappen. But men like Norris, Piastri, Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli certainly know how to win her heart too.
Race weekends are always devoted to free practice, qualifying, sprint races, more qualifying and the grand finale — the race itself.
Now you might think: that's it. Not at all, that is when it really starts.
The analysis of what happened always takes place, with our eldest son, on the day after the spectacle. I am really more of a listener than a participant in these discussions. Which is why you will find an awful lot of F1 in my collection.
But as I write this, we are on the eve of Max's 24 hours on the Nordschleife. The Green Hell.
I am almost certain that this will also have consequences for the future direction of my collection.
Which immediately raises the question… and what about the youngest son?
Well, he is the driving force behind this site. "You have to do something with that collection, Dad!" He is the one who explores the digital world and investigates every possibility. "Shall I make a little AI model so your Excel list and your photographs go straight onto a website?"
The result: I have been photographing like mad. I set up a sort of little studio and started writing! The result is what you see here. I am still amazed myself at the possibilities.
Enjoy. If you have any questions or comments, you can email me using the contact form.