Philippe Adams

Born in Mouscron, Belgium on the 19th of November 1969, Philippe Adams started racing karts in 1981 before taking up car racing in 1984. He contested 1988’s German Formula Opel Lotus and the British Vauxhall Lotus Championship, where he took one pole and had three consecutive podium finishes at Thruxton, Silverstone and Donington and finished eighth overall. However, at another Thruxton race he had a heavy accident and suffered a broken ankle which entailed a four month recovery.

For 1989 he secured a seat in British F3 for the first of two seasons with Bowman Racing and was tenth in his first race with the Ralt RT33-Volkswagen at Thruxton. He was fifth at Brands Hatch, doing well in taking his first points in a race that was restated three times and only lasted eleven laps before finally being stopped due to the torrential rain. Following this he was fourth at Silverstone, fifth at Thruxton, tenth at Silverstone, fourteenth at Oulton Park, seventeenth at Silverstone, ninth at Donington and sixth at Thruxton. His best results were second at Silverstone (to Allan McNish) and his first F3 victory at Brands Hatch, from pole, while in two non-championship rounds he was second at the Jewson Scotland Superprix at Knockhill and sixth at Brands Hatch’s Cellnet Superprix. He eventually finished sixth in the championship while the title battle was largely fought between Allan McNish and David Brabham. McNish was initially declared champion as a result of Brabham being disqualified from his second-place finish at Silverstone and being penalised a further 18 points due to an irregularity with his Volkswagen engine. However, his points was reinstated following a court hearing early the following year, giving him the title by 10 points over McNish. Other notable drivers in the field included Rickard Rydell, Alain Menu, Mika Häkkinen and Mika Salo.

Philippe finished sixth in his second season with Bowman Racing’s RT33 in 1990, a year which was dominated by Mika Hakkinen and Mika Salo. Finishes included fourth at Snetterton, fourth, sixth, ninth and eleventh at Silverstone, fifth at Oulton Park, sixth at Thruxton, tenth and eleventh at Brands Hatch and eleventh at Donington. There was a retirement with Racing for Europe’s RT33 in an International race at Macau and, away from single seaters, he, Thierry Tassin and Yves Semoulin retired a Ford Sierra from the 24 Hour Spa.

From there he travelled to Japan to compete in the F3 championship, finishing fifth, seventh and ninth at Suzuka, sixth and seventh at Mine and Sugo plus ninth at Tsukuba, with his best result third place at the third round at Fuji and finished twelfth overall. He also contested an F3000 race at Suzuka plus two Japanese Touring Car Championship races, finishing seventh and third in class at Tsukuba alongside Andrew Gilbert-Scott in the Autotech BMW M3 car, with Roland Ratzenberger driving the team’s second car. He later spoke positively of his time there and how he enjoyed the teams, drivers and the fans, stating “nice country, nice people, nice food.”

In 1992, Philippe returned to the British F3 Championship, driving Bowman Racing’s Reynard 923-Mugen and finished fourth at Donington, eleventh at Silverstone, fifth at Thruxton and fourth at Brands Hatch. But, after retiring at the fifth round at Thruxton he moved on the Alan Docking Racing team and the switch to their Ralt RT36-Mugen brought immediate reward. At the next race, at Brands Hatch, he qualified second and after taking the lead he controlled the race from the first to the last lap and took victory plus recorded the fastest lap. In the following rounds he was second and took a win at Silverstone, was sixth at Donington, second at Snetterton and retired at Silverstone then was third at Pembrey. Another victory followed at Silverstone (from pole plus fastest lap) though he had retirements at the next two rounds at Donington and Thruxton then was fifth in the final round at Silverstone, to finish second in the Championship to Gil de Ferran. There was also a ninth place finish with the RT36 in the Marlboro Masters of F3 at Zandvoort though he retired at Macau.

He then contested the British F2 Championship but though he started in Madgwick Motorsport’s Reynard 92D-Cosworth he left the team to join Argo Racing and won the championship. He retired in the final round but took five wins, at Oulton Park, Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Donington and Thruxton, with five pole positions and six fastest laps plus a circuit lap record at Thruxton. Away from single seaters he teamed with Bernard de Dryver and David Leslie for the 24 Hour Spa though engine problems ended their run after 101 laps with the Ecosse Vauxhall Cavalier.

Philippe raced an Audi Quattro in 1994’s Belgian Procar Championship and, with each round holding two races he took early wins at Spa, Colmar-Berg (Luxembourg) and three at Zolder plus third at Zolder and Colmar-Berg to finish second in the standings. The Spa victory took place in a support race at the Belgian GP, where he won by 27 seconds. At a further round at Zolder, a Super Tourenwagen Cup event was also held at the same time and he competed in both races and in the Cup race (against drivers including Bartels, Capello, Boutsen and Capelli) and drove well to finish sixth. He returned to the 24 hours of Spa, with Jose Close and Michel Neugarten in an Audi, though they retired after 79 laps (engine). During the year, after contact with Lotus, he attended a meeting at Ketteringham Hall and, after waiting for a decision, received confirmation of an F1 race seat at 6pm and tested the 107C at a wet Silverstone the following day and completed 20 laps. However, despite his earlier successes in single seaters, F1 would be a frustrating experience. He spun out of the race at Spa and Alex Zanardi was back in the car for the Italian GP but Philippe raced in Portugal and finished sixteenth.

Continuing in Belgian Procars the following season with an Audi 80 there were four wins, two each at Colmarberg and Zolder), third at Zolder (twice) plus third (twice), fourth and sixth at Spa to finish third in the championship. Racing Belgian Volkswagen Club’s Audi Quattro with Vincent Vosse and Terry Moss, they finished seventh in the Spa 24 Hours.

There were two outings with V de V Racing Team’s Gillet Vertigo in 1996 alongside Eric van de Vyer in the BPR Global GT Series, but they were not classified in the 4 Hour Jarama and retired from the 4 Hour Silverstone. In June he raced in the 2 Hour Dijon with Jose Close in European Luigi Motorsport’s Dodge Viper though they retired after forty one laps and he, Luca Drudi and Martin Wagenstetter were eleventh (sixth in class) in the Spa 24 hours in August with Wagenstetter Motorsport’s BMW M3.

Contesting Group N in 1997 he had three wins with the Waggenstetter BMW M3 at Maggione, Spa and Salzburgring and finished second in the championship while he, Wagenstetter and Loris de Sordi were twenty third (tenth in class) at the 24 Hour Spa. Racing a BMW Compact in VLN with Wagenstetter the following year they took the championship with six class wins plus set a new class Nordschleife lap record and raced a BMW Compact in the 24 Hour Zolder with Chaballe and Wagenstetter.

In 2000 he raced in the VLN’s GT4 class and took four class wins in the Ferrari 355 Challenge before suffering a huge accident that destroyed the car. Following this he raced LVC Motorsport’s BMW Z3 with Tom van Bavel in a 2002 Belcar race at Zolder then in 2006 entered a Legends Masters event at Zolder.

Away from racing he worked for SEAT Belgium and Citroen in Valenciennes, France and was a financial manager and advisor in France plus also did track tests and was involved in an automobile museum in Leuze-en-Hainaut in Belgium.