Now owns and runs a hugely successful winery and lodge (Bernadus - which is his full first name - Winery and Lodge) in Carmel, California, USA. Pon only raced for a relatively small time and is somewhat a footnote to a long and successful life. A race winner in the European Touring Car Championship, Pon got interested in cars as his father ran the first Volkswagen Beetle dealership outside Germany. His father then expanded into America and became Porsche's Dutch importer. When Ben started racing, it was in a Porsche, which he competed in sportscars, GT and touring cars. His Grand Prix debut was his last single-seater race as he crashed on lap two and although unhurt, vowed never to race a single-seater again. He retired from motor racing in 1967 to become a skeet shooter and he competed for the Netherlands at the 1972 Munich Olympics. In 2019, shortly before his death, it was announced that one of the stands at the revitalised Zandvoort circuit would be named after him, both in honour of his contribution to Dutch motorsport and because of the Pon Holdings involvement with the circuit, which hosts Formula 1 races again after a long absence. In later life, Pon also ran an investment fund company, finishing his involvement with that in 2017 and occasionally competed in classic Porsche events. As he became ill, he moved back to Holland, where he died in 2019.

Biography last updated 1 Oct 2019