The 2021 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season culminates in the EuroNASCAR Finals at Autodromo di Vallelunga in Italy this weekend. Both the EuroNASCAR PRO and the EuroNASCAR 2 – as well as all Trophies – are on the line. In EuroNASCAR PRO, Alon Day sped to Pole Position at the wheel of his #88 CAAL Racing Chevrolet Camaro and kept alive his dream of becoming the first ever four-time NWES champion. Championship leader Tobias Dauenhauer topped the field in the 30-minute EuroNASCAR 2 session.
EuroNASCAR PRO: Will Day be the surprise of the weekend?
Alon Day needs a perfect weekend and a bit of luck to claim his fourth EuroNASCAR PRO title at the 4-km Autodromo di Vallelunga. The Israeli laid a solid foundation to become the biggest surprise in Italy by clocking the fastest lap in Qualifying and winning the Pole Award. The three-time NWES champion was just 0.098 quicker than Formula One Legend Jacques Villeneuve, who showed a very strong pace on his #5 Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport EuroNASCAR FJ.
EURONASCAR PRO RESULTS: PRACTICE | FINAL PRACTICE | QUALIFYING
Championship leader Loris Hezemans ended up third, 0.306 shy of Day at top of the standings. The Hendriks Motorsport driver from the Netherlands carries a 21-point advantage on Vittorio Ghirelli into the 2021 EuroNASCAR Finals. Ghirelli finished fourth at the wheel of his #90 Not Only Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro. Another Italian championship contender, Gianmarco Ercoli, rounded out the top-5. The CAAL Racing driver ended up 0.550 seconds behind his teammate on pole and also topped the Junior Trophy ranks.
Hendriks Motorsport’s Giorgio Maggi followed in sixth overall and second in the special classification for drivers aged 25 and under, while DF1 Racing NWES veteran Nicolo Rocca followed in seventh. His teammate Patrick Lemarie was eighth ahead of Romain Iannetta and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen. Fabrizio Armetta topped the Challenger Trophy standings by beating Davide Dallara and trophy leader Henri Tuomaala.
EuroNASCAR 2: Dauenhauer starts on the right foot
Only 3 points separate Tobias Dauenhauer and Martin Doubek ahead of the two final double-points EuroNASCAR 2 races at Autodromo di Vallelunga. Dauenhauer will have a solid advantage when the green flag falls in Saturday’s race as the German grabbed the Pole Position. The 23-year-old from Heppenheim clocked the track in 1:41.135 and therefore beat Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport’s Vladimiros Tziortzis by 0.335 seconds.
EURONASCAR 2 RESULTS: PRACTICE | FINAL PRACTICE | QUALIFYING
The Cypriot and the DF1 Racing’s Simon Pilate animated the final minutes of the session and the Belgian finished third, followed by 42 Racing’s Francesco Garisto. Closing the top-5 was Pilate’s teammate Justin Kunz, while championship contender Doubek only finished sixth – 1.216 second shy of Dauenhauer. Zolder race winner Naveh Talor clocked the seventh fastest lap of the 30-minute session, while DF1 Racing’s Leevi Lintukanto topped the Rookie Trophy standings in eighth.
The quickest Legend Trophy driver was Max Lanza, who’s also leading the special classification for drivers aged 40 and over. Double V Racing’s Pierluigi Veronesi, who’s car is covered in Halloween drawings done by children supported by the BimboTu foundation, rounded out the top-10. Rookie Trophy leader Alberto Panebianco followed in eleventh despite having missed a lot of practice time on Friday due to technical issues.
The battle for the championships is on and the final four double-point races at Autodromo di Vallelunga will bring the 2021 NWES decision. The EuroNASCAR PRO Final 1 will go green on Saturday at 1:10 pm CET, while the EuroNASCAR 2 championship will be in action at 4:20 pm CET. All races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s platforms – YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, NWES App – and Motorsport.tv.
NWES PR
