The 2021 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will end with a bang at Autodromo di Vallelunga in Italy on October 30-31. In four exciting races, the EuroNASCAR PRO Champion, the EuroNASCAR 2 Champion and the various Trophy Winners will be crowned in Rome. Who will become the new NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Champion and the second driver to lift the new Tijey Trophy in the air? Let’s find out who the favorites are!
The Autodromo di Vallelunga debuted on the EuroNASCAR schedule in 2020 as the season opener of a thrilling championship. The 4-km long track is located about 30 minutes north of Rome and will host the EuroNASCAR Finals for the first time ever. The defending Champions are Alon Day in EuroNASCAR PRO, who’s again a championship contender in 2021, and Vittorio Ghirelli in EuroNASCAR 2 – the Italian stepped up to fight for the big trophy this year.
EuroNASCAR PRO: Hezemans the man to beat
In the EuroNASCAR PRO championship, Loris Hezemans leads the point standings with 294 points in his pockets. With 6 wins, the Hendriks Motorsport driver from the Netherlands dominated the regular season and looks poised to become the youngest ever 2-time NWES champion before moving to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 with the new Team Hezeberg.
His fiercest rival is Vittorio Ghirelli from Fasano, Italy. The 2020 EuroNASCAR 2 champion will join Not Only Motorsport for the Finals and hopes to bridge the 21-point gap separating him from Hezemans. It would be the first time a reigning EuroNASCAR 2 champion tops the standings in EuroNASCAR PRO right after stepping up into NWES’ premier class.
Another EuroNASCAR 2 champion, CAAL Racing’s Gianmarco Ercoli, follows in third and leads the Junior Trophy. The Rome native already won his home race at Vallelunga in 2020 and may be a real threat for Hezemans in the battle for the title. The Italian is only 23 points shy of the Dutchman on top of the standings.
NWES veteran Lucas Lasserre and reigning champion Alon Day close the top-5 and only have one goal: to overcome the gap and become the championship winner! In the Challenger Trophy, Henri Tuomaala leads reigning champion Davide Dallara and Yevgen Sokolovskiy. The top-3 in the special classification are only separated by 10 points.
EuroNASCAR 2: Dauenhauer vs. Doubek
The EuroNASCAR 2 championship for young and gentlemen drivers has the reputation of being unpredictable and always amazingly tight. The 2021 season is no exception! After finishing second in 2020, points leader Tobias Dauenhauer can count on a 3-point advantage on his Hendriks Motorsport teammate Martin Doubek. Both drivers won 4 races over the course of the regular season and shone with their consistency.
Vladimiros Tziortzis follows in third with a 23-point deficit on the German on top of the standings. The Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport driver from Cyprus scored his maiden Pole Position at Circuit Zolder and collected important points for the championship battle. Not Only Motorsport’s Naveh Talor is fourth after grabbing his and the team’s maiden race win in Belgium. He’s 43 points shy of Dauenhauer, while Brands Hatch race winner Advait Deodhar completes the top-5 ahead of NWES veteran Justin Kunz.
Alberto Panebianco has a comfortable lead over Leevi Lintukanto in the Rookie Trophy. Max Lanza tops the Legend Trophy ahead of Yevgen Sokolovskiy and Miguel Gomes. The top-2 are separated by only 12 points. In the Lady Trophy, Arianna Casoli leads NWES rookie Alina Loibnegger by 25 markers. The tight Trophy battles promises exciting duels all over the EuroNASCAR 2 grid.
The 2021 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season culminates in the Finals on October 30-31 at Autodromo di Vallelunga in Italy. Qualifying and all races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s platforms – YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, NWES App – and Motorsport.tv.
EuroNASCAR PRO
Another Iceboys car on the track – For the first time, the #4 Iceboys Ford Mustang will hit the track at Autodromo di Vallelunga. The car will be driven by Luka Nurmi from Finland. The youngster won the Finnish Legends Car championship.
CAAL Racing signs Davide Amaduzzi – The Italian team secured the services of Amaduzzi, who returns to EuroNASCAR eight years after his last appearance. In 2013, Amaduzzi was the first Italian to climb on a NWES podium while driving for an Italian team.
Villeneuve and Iannetta return to action – After missing the Circuit Zolder event due to his commitments in Formula One, Jacques Villeneuve will be back on the grid with Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport. Romain Iannetta, who was replaced by Pierre Combot at Zolder, will be back on the #46 Marko Stipp Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro.
EuroNASCAR 2
De Matteo to debut with 42 Racing – With past experiences in Touring Cars and GTs, 27-year-old Italian driver Alfredo De Matteo will make his NASCAR debut at Vallelunga driving the #17 42 Racing Shadow.
Youngest driver in NWES history is pulling double duties – With an age of 16 years and 4 days, Leonardo Colavita became the youngest driver in EuroNASCAR’s history. The Italian will again pull double duties with Vict Motorsport and compete in both championships – EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2.
Melvin de Groot the perfect substitute – Due to the injury of Michael Bleekemolen, Melvin de Groot made his EuroNASCAR debut with Team Bleekemolen at Grobnik, Croatia. Since then, the Dutchman left a mark in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship by finishing on the overall podium in his fourth ever NWES race at Circuit Zolder.
NWES PR
