The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season is under way and at the end of the NASCAR GP Spain one driver stood out with a phenomenal performance at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Vladimiros Tziortzis swept both races, led all laps in EuroNASCAR 2 so far and left Valencia on top of the second division of European NASCAR racing. The Cypriot driving the #5 Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport EuroNASCAR FJ had a good start and kept Alberto Naska at bay to win the second race on Sunday.
Tziortzis worked hard to improve his starts and it paid off. The 26-year-old not only won the initial start of the race, but also took the lead in the restart following a caution triggered by an incident on lap 1 that involved Roberto Benedetti and Paolo Valeri. Afterwards, no competitor could keep up with the pace of Tziortzis, who crossed the finish line 4.669 seconds ahead of Naska. The Italian scored two second places and earned important points in the battle for the 2023 EuroNASCAR 2 crown.
“I’m excited and we finally got it done! We are fast, we are there, we are consistent and this is the main key for the rest of the season!” said the Cypriot driver in the Victory Lane. Tziortzis was initially confirmed only in EuroNASCAR PRO, but opted to pull double duties in Valencia. After winning two races and leading the championship by ten points on Naska, Tziortzis has now to make a decision on how to continue the 2023 NWES season. “Let’s see from the next round, there’s some news that we will announce soon!”
Naska stated that the Circuit Ricardo Tormo is not a track favoring him and CAAL Racing, but still the 2022 runner-up collected plenty of points with another second place in Sunday’s race. The Italian now has 70 points on his tally and is looking to strike back when the EuroNASCAR 2 competitors will be back in action in Brands Hatch, UK. The overall podium mirrored the one from Saturday, with RDV Competition’s Paul Jouffreau rounding out the top-3. The Frenchman scored his second podium finish in a row, but still doesn’t see the title as his main goal in 2023, rather focusing on his race-by-race progress.
Gil Linster finished fourth in the #50 Hendriks Motorsport Toyota Camry after an eventful start to the race. The Luxembourger made it past Jouffreau in the early stages, but he was overtaken by the Frenchman at the restart. Afterwards, Linster brought home fourth place and closed a solid season opener with Hendriks Motorsports. After a disastrous start to the weekend due to engine issues, Patrick Schober made a tremendous comeback in his #27 Double V Racing Ford Mustang. The Austrian had an intense battle with Claudio Cappelli and completed the top-5 under the checkered flag.
Race Art Technology’s Cappelli crossed the finish line in sixth place, grabbing the win in the Legend Trophy for drivers aged 40 and over. The Italian with his iconic beard stated that the braking issues from Saturday were solved by the team and the mechanics worked the whole night to fix the #18 Ford Mustang. Cappelli was followed by Team Bleekemolen’s Thomas Dombrowski, who claimed the top spot in the Rookie Trophy as he did on Saturday but still wasn’t 100 percent happy with his driving. The Frenchman is looking to quickly climb the learning curve and further improve in Rounds 3 & 4.
Vict Motorsport’s Dario Caso, second in the Legend Trophy, Marko Stipp Motorsport’s Jack Davidson, who finished second in the Rookie Trophy and Riccardo Romagnoli – the Italian took the last place on the Legend Trophy podium – completed the top-10. Marko Stipp’s drivers collected two trophies in the race as Nick Schneider made it onto the Rookie Trophy podium in 13th overall. He was bested by Kenko Miura and Martin Doubek, who was involved in an incident on lap 1 and had to change a tire. Despite the damage to his #7 Ford Mustang, the Hendriks Motorsport driver from the Czech Republic made a strong comeback and finished twelfth.
Closing the race behind Schneider was Max Mason, who took home the bonus points for most positions gained in Round 2. The Australian was finally able to take the start in the second race of the weekend thanks to the hard work done by Racingfuel Motorsport. The Swiss team repaired the #58 Chevrolet Camaro overnight after a crash in Qualifying with the support of Double V Racing mechanics. Helping competitors in tough situations is another great “Pure Racing” value in EuroNASCAR: all teams strive to provide the best show for the fans at the track and watching from home. Arianna Casoli claimed the Lady Trophy with her 17th place finish.
One race of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season opener is left on the schedule. While the EuroNASCAR 2 drivers will be back in action on June 17-18 at the Circuit Brands Hatch in the UK, the EuroNASCAR PRO drivers will be taking on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for the second round of the NASCAR GP Spain at 14:05 CEST. All races will be broadcast on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several TV channels from all around the world.
RESULTS: EURONASCAR PRO | EURONASCAR 2
NWES PR
