Hello Huub, could you give an introduction about yourself to the people who do not know you yet?
My name is Huub van Eijndhoven. I am 25 years old and born in The Netherlands. I am a professional racing driver for a couple of years now and I really enjoy this. Currently I am driving in Porsche Supercup, which is one of the strongest one-make series in the world.
Can you tell us about your journey into racing and what inspired you to pursue a career in motorsports?
I started in karting when I was 6 years old. My father always did racing and karting as a hobby and he got me, as the oldest son, a baby go-kart when I was little.
First, it was just for pure fun. I enjoyed it a lot and started asking if I could go and compete in races. When I was 8 years old, I did my first race in the Dutch National Karting Championship. I raced in go-karts until I was 14 and raced against big names such as Lando Norris, Zhou Guan Yu, Rinus van Kalmthout, Richard Verschoor, Marcus Armstrong etc. I did European, Benelux, Belgian and Dutch karting championships, all in Rotax Max. It was a really enjoyable and competitive time where I learnt all the basics from racing.
At 14, we decided that I had to finish school and focus on that. I graduated from university when I was 21 with a Bachelor in Business Administration. At the same time, when I was 17, my father started racing himself again in a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car. He eventually got a Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car and went to the Ascari racetrack in the south of Spain to race with friends for pure fun. I was there as a 17-year-old just to watch. Jaap van Lagen was there as well coaching other people. Eventually I got asked if I wanted to do some laps together with Jaap next to me. It was quite exciting, because I had not raced a proper race car since I did quit go-karting. It went very well from the first moment, so from there on the hunger for more started. This was the point that my racing career in car took off.
Also, super fun that Jaap van Lagen is still a competitor of mine in the Porsche Supercup today. We started together back in 2017 where I learnt all the basics of handling a Porsche GT3 Cup car from Jaap to the point that we stood on the podium together at the Dutch GP during the Porsche Supercup last year. That was really special for me!
You are currently racing in Porsche Supercup. What makes this championship, to the opinion of many people, the best one make GT series that exists?
The Porsche Mobil1 Supercup is special because it’s a one-make-series. All cars, engines, tyres, shocks etc. are the same for everyone. Everyone has the same options to adjust the setup – which is quite limited.
Next to that, the Porsche Cup cars are not equipped with ABS nor TC. This makes it a really spartan and old-school racing car. We don’t have DRS or Push to Pass buttons. It is just pure and raw racing where the driver and team really can make the difference.
Also, the Porsche Supercup is part of the F1 calendar. That means that we don’t get a lot of driving time during the weekend. For example, Monaco; you get a 45 minute practice session where you have to change tyres, warm-up and most of the time get a red flag. You need to learn the track, push to the limit and adjust the car setup all in a very limited amount of time before you go into qualifying. This, to my opinion, brings out the best drivers. The margins are always tight – at the Red Bull Ring this year the top 10 was within 0.290 of a second. The level is so high and so competitive that there is no room for mistakes. You can only score a pole position when you do a perfect job. If you make one mistake it costs you big time, because there will always be 10 other drivers that do not make a mistake. I think that’s why the Porsche Supercup is so respected in international racing in general. The guys who run top 5 in Porsche Supercup usually become standouts in other international series as well.
What has been the most memorable moment of your racing career so far?
There have been a few. It was really special to be invited to the Porsche Junior Shoot-out in 2021 as one of the 12 drivers worldwide.
I loved my first season in Carrera Cup Benelux, to fight for the championship in my rookie year. My first 24H race in Dubai was special – we won it on the first try! Also last year was special to score my first overall podium in the Porsche Supercup and to score my first overall win in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland. Standing on the top step of the podium in Monaco was a moment I’ll never forget.
And last year I got to do my first LMGT3 Test with Manthey in the Porsche GT3R for the FIA WEC. Also, scoring a podium in the Porsche Supercup at the Dutch GP in front of my home crowd was really memorable!
How do you prepare mentally and physically for a race?
Physically I prepare to some strength training – mainly arms, shoulders, chest and back. Next to that I try to do some endurance training by playing padel and do some running every now and then. Once you are starting the season and sit in the car every week, you will be fine physically. Only when it is really hot I do some extra preparation by taking electrolytes and cooling myself down – a bit of hydration plan you can say.
Mentally, I speak already for 4 years to a mental coach to just stay focused in the moment – do not let myself get distracted from side show effects. Really focus on the task that I need to do well and do not care too much about other stuff. I also read books about mental aspects and how to deal with certain situations. In a one-make-series it is most of the time yourself that is the one to blame. It can be quite harsh at times to take all criticism and responsibilities. But I think the ones that really take accountability and do not stay too long in the emotions are the ones that can grow the most and extract the most out of themselves. That’s why I focus a lot on the mental part, because there is always something to gain or to learn at that subject.
Can you share some insights into your training regimen and how you stay in peak condition?
I mostly focus on doing the work before I get to the racetrack. Especially during Porsche Supercup weekends we have a very little amount of actual track time. So, to get most out of it we do a lot of training and analysing before we go out.
I watch onboards from the year before or earlier testing and analyse them frame by frame. Where is the car positioned, what braking point do we use, are there any different references, how does the brake shape look like, are there new curbs, is the surface the same etc. Those are just a few questions we go through before going out.
Besides that, I do a lot of training on the simulator until I can drive multiple laps in a row on the absolute limit. Always analyse those laps on the simulator by looking back footage and checking data – searching for ways where we can improve. Also, and I think this is really important, is to change grip and setup setting on the sim and then again extract the most out of it. This is how I train to adjust my driving style to the conditions required. With the engineer we go through some options. What can we do with setup and with your own driving when you expect this or that.
Basically, we want to cover and be prepared for as much as possible before we actually go driving. Of course, you always will run in some other things. But I think by being fully prepared you get confidence and do not have to be nervous – at least a lot less nervous.
Next to that I also focus on my physical training by doing strength training and cardio. Mid-season we are almost driving the car every week for multiple days, so it is a lot easier to stay fit like that. During the off season we focus a bit more on cardio – especially when doing endurance racing.
What challenges have you faced in your career, and how have you overcome them?
The last challenge I had was when I just missed out on a WEC contract which I had been really close to. It was hard mentally to accept that, and it costed me some time.
But what I learnt from that is to let go things quicker for the future. You cannot change what has already happened and you cannot change what you cannot control. This is a mindset that I would like to develop even more. Basically, that’s the right response to any setback in my opinion – not only in racing. Learn from what you could have done better, take accountability and move on.
How do you handle the pressure and expectations that come with being a professional racing driver?
I struggled with that when I got closer and closer to the front of the field. I experienced a lot of pressure to do well, because I wanted to prove myself. I made mistakes that I never made before, because I was overthinking a lot of scenarios before the actual moment had even started. I got better at handling that by always making sure you give 100% inside and outside of the car – being prepared the best you can. And then, whatever the outcome will be, will be easier to accept when things don’t go your way. And that’s going to happen at some point any way. People will always judge you and I think it is important to not get affected by a personal opinion, because everyone always has their own story about everything. Especially in racing, when you are the one in the car, it is easy to get criticism a lot when things don not go well. And at a World Championship level, most of the time things do not go perfect. It is important to deal with that, so you can stay focused on your actual task (which is driving fast) and not worry about the noises from others.
For me, it helped to be aware that it is not facts that are being spoken, just opinion from other people and most of the time it says more about them than about yourself. I work with a mental coach and also read some books about the mental part. To stay in the moment and do not worry beforehand, the race still has to be driven, so why worry before?
And one more important part is to take accountability when needed. Be honest with yourself and learn about what you did wrong – admit it to the people you need to and improve for next time. This makes you a better driver and also gives a lot of rest. You take away the criticism by accepting it and taking accountability. That is easier said than done, because in the heat of the moment, in a racing car, things can look different to you than it actually does. But being aware of it and trying to improve it really works for me.
If you could swap places with any other professional athlete for a day, who would it be and why?
I would swap a day with Novak Djokovic. I would because I think tennis is a very mentally exhausting sport. I would like to know what goes through his mind and how he deals with certain situations. I think because of his mental strength – besides of his talent of course – he got this far into his career and still at his age is a world class athlete.
What advice would you give to aspiring racers who want to follow in your footsteps?
Trust the process – not everything will go smooth and easy. Learn from the setbacks that come and keep showing up. Keep doing the work and improve on the areas you know you need to improve on. Eventually by putting in the work and by improving, the results will come and opportunities start opening up without you even noticing. Enjoy the ride.
What are your goals and aspirations for the future, both in racing and beyond?
For racing; I would love to compete in the WEC and eventually become a factory driver.
In life, I would love to take on a challenge as an entrepreneur and become successful in that! I think that is top sport in a different kind of form – I think that will be something that keeps me going!
Originally published: 23th of July, 2025
