Putting the fun back into driving TEXT: EVA MENGER | PHOTOS: RIJVAARDIGHEIDSCENTRUM LELYSTAD
Driving is such an everyday activity that people forget it can be fun. At least that’s what Indy Dontje, professional racer and owner of advanced driving centre Rijvaardigheidscentrum Lelystad thinks. With a background in go-kart racing, Dontje has always been aware of the excitement and adrenaline caused by sitting behind the wheel – and it’s his personal mission to share this with others.
driving age. Today, he can look back at many achievements, including a Formula Three race with Dutch-Belgian multichampion Max Verstappen, yearly races in the United States and a permanent place in the German GT3 championships. In addition, he can call himself the owner of one of the Netherlands’ largest go-karting tracks as well as an advanced driving centre.
Dontje was only eight when he first started his kart-racing career and dove into motorsport as soon as he hit legal
Dontje: “The opening of our go-kart track was met with so much enthusiasm that it made me want to expand. I decided to
62 | Issue 66 | June 2019
Playful learning
speak to The Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB), who were next door to us, and now run their former test and training centre. It’s been really great combining my racing career with something completely different.” Changing the course of the training centre to fit his vision towards driving, Dontje offers clients a balance between practicality and fun. “The touring club’s former approach was quite serious and scholastic, but I like to play around with cars and believe this is something we should all do a bit more of. It’s this vision that