Van Overbeek “Looking Forward” to Racing Return With Lizards

Sports car racing driver-turned coach and IMSA driver advisor Johannes van Overbeek is “looking forward” to racing as he returns to full-time competition with Flying Lizard Motorsports in this year’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series.

The 50-year-old Californian will be making his first start in high-level competition since 2018, a season which saw him claim an overall victory at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the same circuit where he returns to the wheel this weekend as the Super Trofeo season kicks off with a pair of rounds in Monterey.

“I’ve driven a bunch and I’ve driven a lot of interesting cars since I’ve retired,” van Overbeek told Sportscar365. “But other than some vintage races, I haven’t raced super competitively in a long time.

“Driving at 95 percent is like riding a bike. But that last couple percent, that gets dull of really fighting for every tenth, so that blade is definitely rusty in my toolbox for sure. But it’s coming back.”

Van Overbeek has driven recently at Laguna Seca in non-competitive settings, including setting the then-electric vehicle track record in 2020 when he navigated the 2.238-mile circuit in a Tesla Model S Plaid.

The Oakland resident said he was excited to jump back into competition in what he considers to be his home track.

“It feels familiar, it’s comfortable,” van Overbeek said. “I stay at a good friend’s house here, so it’s private and quiet and it just has a great feeling.”

Van Overbeek’s return to the grid was largely driven by his role as a longtime coach of Chris Bellomo, with whom he will share the No. 46 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 as Flying Lizard expands its presence on the grid.

Both drivers are making their debuts in Lamborghini’s single-make series this weekend.

“This came together purely as an opportunity to help Chris,” said van Overbeek. “So, it’s really coming back at the service of him.

“Chris was a customer of Flying Lizard and then I was brought into help coach Chris in 2021. He has as close of a relationship with Flying Lizard as I do.”

Both drivers have long-standing relationships with the California-based team.

Van Overbeek drove under the Flying Lizard banner for many years, including multiple appearances and a class podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as winning the Porsche Cup in 2007 and went on to claim overall victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with the now-defunct Extreme Speed Motorsports squad.

He has since coached Bellomo to titles as a Lizard in both the 2021 Yokohama Drivers Cup as well as in last season’s Porsche Sprint Challenge West Championship ahead of his step up to Super Trofeo this year.

“The races are relatively short, but it would give Chris and I an opportunity to share data, the same car, the same tires, the same car, at the same time, which is pretty unique,” van Overbeek said. “So here we are.”

Double Duty for Van Overbeek on Track, in Race Control

Van Overbeek initially announced his retirement from pro racing at the end of the 2018 season but has continued to stay involved in the industry through his work as a coach, and since 2021, a driver advisor in race control for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Michelin Pilot Challenge.

Working alongside IMSA race director Beaux Barfield and Mark Raffauf, IMSA’s senior director of race operations, van Overbeek analyzes race incidents to help determine driver responsibility.

“Beaux and Mark brought me in to help IMSA basically call balls and strikes during the race and get my perspective because I’ve driven GT cars, I’ve driven prototype cars,” he said. “It’s been a great experience.

“Every driver should spent time in race control to really understand what happens.”

Van Overbeek will be balancing his duties as a driver, Bellomo’s coach and as an IMSA driver advisor for the year.

“This weekend is pretty relaxed by most standards and race control is a two-minute walk away,” van Overbeek said. “So places like Watkins Glen will be difficult because race control is pretty far away, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

“The big thing is making sure that Chris is getting what he needs out of this program and making sure race control is getting what they need out of this program. And so far, so good.

“Both people were aware of the conflict at the beginning and both were happy with it, or OK with it, so I’m grateful to both parties that this worked out.”