Remembering Dilano van’t Hoff
- therookiereporters
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 7
Who was Dilano van’t Hoff? What happened at Spa Francorchamps in 2023? Here is the story of Dilano, a commemoration of the boy whose life was taken too early.
Early Career in Racing (2015-2020)
In 2015, when Dilano was 11 years old, his international karting career started with him competing in the SKUSA SuperNationals. He went on to compete in the IAME Euro Series and IAME International Final in 2018, where he finished a respectable third place in both categories. Van’t Hoff placed sixth in his rookie season in the European Championship, the following year he one upped this finishing fifth in the OK class. In addition he was awarded the Trofeo delle Industrie with Forza Racing.
Formula 4 (2021)
Dilano made his Formula 4 debut in 2021 with Xcel Motorsport. The season began splendidly from his first race. Even though he initially stalled at the beginning of the race, his outstanding determination was representative of him driving to conquer the second step of the podium! He went on to then win the two following races- as a rookie this was quite the show stopper. He ended up with a total of 5 wins at the end of the season, missing out on the championship win by one point to Enzo Trulli.
Van’t Hoff then joined the Spanish F4 Championship with MP Motorsport and had a dominant season, showcasing his talent and securing his first single seater Championship win.
Formula Regional European Championship (2021-2023)
In September of 2021 van’t Hoff made his debut for MP Motorsport at Circuit Ricardo Tormo as the guest driver.
The following year he signed with MP Motorsport for the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship (now known as FRECA). Unfortunately he had to undergo a serious surgery on his shoulder leading to him missing race weekends and ultimately crucial points. However, he managed to bounce back with a podium in Barcelona and ended up 19th in the Championship Standings. News then shocked the motorsporting world as it was revealed Dilano has been effectively driving one-handed. This was because the original surgery proved to show complications of a loose plate and broken screws. It meant he had to undergo a secondary surgery that winter and restart his recovery in the off season.
The following year Dilano came back with MP Motorsport ready to fight in FRECA. Before the round in Belgium, at Spa Francorchamps, he was yet to score a podium that season, his best result being seventh at Imola.
2023 Spa Francorchamps
On the 1st of July 2023, Dilano van’t Hoff passed away in a multi-car accident during a rainy race for FRECA. The incident occurred at the exit of Raidillon, just before the Kemmel straight and involved the other following drivers: Joshua Dufek, Adam Fitzgerald, Enzo Scionti and Tim Tramnitz.
Dilano lost control of his car before being struck by Fitzgerald’s car. The weather was the most significant factor that resulted in his passing. There was poor visibility when driving without spray to begin with, so trying to race in spray caused safety concerns from individuals. However the governing body (the FIA) deemed the conditions safe enough to race, this decision would soon be harshly criticised by Formula One drivers Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll. Both elite athletes called for an investigation into the incident and changes to be made to ensure the track is safer.
Lance Stroll’s concern was highlighted by Athione Hubert’s accident in 2019 at the same corner. Max Verstappen stated “we (FIA, drivers and teams) have to look at it (Dilano’s fatal accident) for the future to look at what we can do better to protect drivers”. This concern led to safety changes like extended run-off areas, adding gravel traps and re-surfacing the track to modify grip levels.
Remembering Dilano van’t Hoff
Two years on from Dilano’s passing, we have seen improvements for safety concerns during certain weather conditions. As we saw during Silverstone 2024 and 2025, the FIA administered Safety Car Conditions during heavy rainfall as a protecting precaution for drivers. It shouldn’t take the death of a driver for safety to improve yet it has with Dilano van’t Hoff, Athione Hubert and Jules Bianchi. Dilano’s family has since set up a foundation to support the recovery and rehabilitation of drivers/riders after racing accidents, after seeing the struggle Dilano faced having two surgeries.
Our condolences go out to Dilano’s family and friends during this time of remembrance for the tragic loss of the incredible driver.
Article written by Alice Seager ©️Alice Seager 2025
