Written by Juan Arroyo, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Dilano van ‘t Hoff’s bright orange helmets made his cars instantly recognisable. Under the helmet was a young Dutchman who impressed from the outset, and will be remembered for the talent he showed behind the wheel, in his years of racing.
Following a strong karting record in Europe, van ‘t Hoff made his single-seater debut with Xcel Motorsport in the 2021 Formula 4 UAE Championship.
The Dutchman was rarely outside the top five finishers, with five wins and 12 podiums to his name. His 13 pole positions—far and away the most from anyone on the grid—made him the driver to beat in qualifying. In the end, a singular point separated Enzo Trulli ahead of van ‘t Hoff.
Now proven in Formula 4, Van ‘t Hoff returned to Europe to compete in the F4 Spanish Championship in 2021. His debut weekend, in which he claimed two victories and a podium at Spa-Francorchamps, marked the start of a promising year with MP Motorsport.
Van ‘t Hoff would storm to the title, winning ten times in total and claiming another 13 pole positions. He went on a run of six podiums in a row from Navarra to Aragón, and only finished outside the top four three times in 21 races. Entering the penultimate round with a chance to clinch the championship mathematically, he made the Jerez Circuit his own with a hat-trick of wins.
During his Spanish F4 year, van ‘t Hoff began testing Formula Regional machinery and competed in the final six rounds of the European Championship in 2021.
He would step up to the category full-time in 2022, competing in the Formula Regional Asian Championship with Pinnacle Motorsport. Van ‘t Hoff achieved a single podium finish at Dubai Autodrome, along with multiple points finishes.
Returning to Europe with MP Motorsport, van ‘t Hoff faced his toughest challenge yet in the Formula Regional European Championship. Despite sustaining a shoulder injury in the opening round at Monza, he chose to race in the following two rounds, even after undergoing surgery a week before the Monaco event.
Forced to prioritise his recovery, the Dutchman withdrew from the next three rounds. It wasn’t long before he stood on the podium again, this time in Catalunya—a performance reminiscent of his Formula 4 days.
Unfortunately, van ‘t Hoff's 2023 season was tragically cut short at Spa-Francorchamps. The 18-year-old succumbed to his injuries following a horrifichorror crash on the Kemmel straight in severe wet conditions. A minute of silence was observed at the FREC-supported 24 Hours of Spa, as well as the Austrian Grand Prix, to honour his memory.
Divebomb extends their sincerest condolences to the van’t Hoff family, Dilano’s friends, and those who worked alongside him, upon the loss of a hugely talented and competitive driver whose achievements fell nothing short of remarkable in his time in motorsport.