AGT Ponce Grand Marshal
PONCE, Puerto Rico (November 1, 2006) – Cornelius Tamboer, a collector of historically important sports cars and occasional racer, has been named the Grand Marshal of the Nov. 11-12 Ponce Grand Prix at Ponce International Raceway Park.
Tamboer, 60, lives in Puerto Rico with his wife, Olga. They have one daughter.
“We are thrilled to have Corky serve as our Grand Marshal,” said track owner Edison Lluch. “His contributions to our sport here on the island have been extraordinary and we are happy to recognize that.”
Tamboer has competed in the famed Milla Miglia road race, the Paris to Dakar Rally and in many exhibition events for former Formula One cars. He owns a 1995 Ferrari Formula One racer and three Ferrari 312PBs, Daytona’s, among 40 others.
The headline event for the Ponce Grand Prix will be the American GT Challenge event on the 12th. The AGT road racing series pits American muscle cars from a variety of applications against each other.
Puerto Rican driver Rolando Falgueras captured the overall victory in the 2005 AGT race at Ponce. Felix Sarralles Jr. and Edison Lluch, also residents of Puerto Rico, finished second and third in that order. This year’s event is the penultimate race on the AGT schedule and the championship is still up for grabs.
The event is dedicated to drivers from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic that have won major international races. Those drivers include 1980 GTO champion Luis Rafael Mendez, former Rolex 24 at Daytona winner Chiqui Soldevilla and four champions of the 12 Hours at Sebring: Bunky Fernandez, Mike Ramierz, Tato Ferrer and Diego Febles.
Tamboer, known as Corky to those close to him, is fluent in four languages and is a successful businessman in the construction business in Puerto Rico. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Westernbank.
Tamboer was born in New York, but he has completed all of his racing endeavors under the Puerto Rican flag. Because he is too tall, at six-foot-six, to fit in the confines of the original cockpit of the Formula One car, Tamboer sent the car back to the Ferrari factory to have the frame lengthened.
More information on the AGT is available at www.americangt.com. More information on the Ponce Grand Prix is available at www.eltuque.com.
