A new name has come to the top in the special classification for debuting drivers in EuroNASCAR 2. Home nation driver Jack Davidson scored his maiden victory in the Rookie Trophy in a highly dramatic American SpeedFest X at Brands Hatch. The Scotsman crashed twice over the course of the weekend, and Marko Stipp Motorsport had to work overtime to rebuild his car on Friday and Saturday. But the hard work paid off when Davidson took his first Rookie Trophy win on Sunday, following an exceptional performance in the wet conditions.
After a crash during Friday’s final Free Practice session, Marko Stipp Motorsport mechanics had to work until 4AM to fix the #48 Chevrolet Camaro for Saturday’s Qualifying and Race. Unfortunately, Davidson was involved in a scary incident with Double V Racing’s Patrick Schober in the first lap of Overtime in the first race. Marko Stipp Motorsport was faced with another rebuild, but in an act of “Pure Racing” spirit, Hendriks Motorsport mechanics came to their aid and helped the team repair the car once more. Davidson kept his cool, and in the second race – held in slippery conditions – the Stirling native finished seventh overall to bring home his first win in the Rookie Trophy classification.
“It has been a really tough weekend,” admitted Davidson after the race on Sunday. “I didn’t plan to have all of that damage on Friday and Saturday, but it is just one of these things, it is part of motorsport. Last night, Hendriks Motorsport stayed to get the car sorted; without them the car wouldn’t be able to start. Big thanks to them and also big thanks to Marko Stipp Motorsport as well!”
Davidson deservedly got the spotlight for his “never give up” attitude at Brands Hatch, but Team Bleekemolen’s Thomas Dombrowski maintained the points lead in the special classification after a solid weekend at the American SpeedFest. He finished seventh overall and secured the Rookie Trophy win on Saturday, while also bringing home the bonus points for most positions gained. An eleventh place finish on Sunday meant that the Frenchman still scored important points. He currently sits seventh overall in the standings with 118 points, but Davidson’s victory kept the gap close as the Scotsman trails Dombrowski behind by 16 points.
One point separates third and fourth in the Rookie Trophy standings. Nick Strickler rose up the ranks with a strong performance. Racingfuel Motorsport’s American driver narrowly missed out on his first Rookie Trophy podium finish on Saturday, when he crossed the line twelfth overall. However, equalling that performance on Sunday was enough to give him his first podium in the special classification. The results mean that he now sits third in the Rookie Trophy points ahead of Nick Schneider, who dropped points after suffering a mechanical failure in the first race and a penalty in the second.
Two finishes by Sven van Laere promoted the CAAL Racing driver to fifth in the Rookie Trophy ranks, ahead of Thomas Toffel, who experienced two late retirements in the two races at the American SpeedFest. Max Mason now sits in seventh, and gained important experience with wet weather driving, while maiden podium finishes in the Rookie Trophy put Igor Sicuro and Victor Neumann in eighth and ninth respectively. Gordon Barnes closes out the ranks in tenth place, after completing his first races as a EuroNASCAR 2 driver.
The Rookie Trophy competitors will continue their battle when the series returns for the NASCAR GP Italy at Autodromo Vallelunga on 8-9 July. Every qualifying session and race from the 2023 season will be streamed live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and multiple television networks around the world.
NWES PR
