Vittorio Ghirelli got significantly closer to his ultimate goal of winning the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series championship title. The Italian perfectly handled the pressure brought by his rivals to win EuroNASCAR PRO Playoffs 03 in front of the fans of his team PK Carsport of Belgium. The driver of the #24 Chevrolet Camaro transformed his record-breaking seventh Pole Position Award from Qualifying to his seventh victory of the season and with fastest lap secured, Ghirelli also secured the high ground for the Sunday decider in the EuroNASCAR Finals.
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“It was a very nice race at a very good pace,” said the Fasano native in Victory Lane. “There was a lapped car that blocked me and my rivals, but we managed to regain the gap. We were very fast and I think we have got pole position for tomorrow also. It’s a fantastic season so far and let’s finish the job tomorrow!”
Things were tense for Ghirelli at the beginning. The Italian had to fend off his position from Anthony Kumpen and Marc Goossens, both having a great start from second and third positions. Ghirelli kept his focus and found his way to maintain his lead while his closest chasers shuffled places. Paul Jouffreau came out as the leading pursuer, but the Frenchman was struggling with his brakes and therefore played safe. His second place finish was more than enough to secure the top spot in the Junior Trophy for drivers aged 25 and under. Marc Goossens engaged in a race-long battle for third with Gianmarco Ercoli that he won, much to the delight of thousands of Belgian racing fans.
Fabrizio Armetta took his first top-5 finish of the year in fifth ahead of Sebastiaan Bleekemolen. Liam Hezemans battled with Hendriks Motorsport teammate Martin Doubek to grab seventh. The Dutchman also got second in the Junior Trophy, but lost a lot of crucial points to Jouffreau in the class race and Ghirelli in the overall championship. Julien Rehberg and Ryan Vargas completed the top-10, the German having edged the American for the final podium position in the Junior Trophy. Ulysse Delsaux took the bonus points for most positions gained in twelfth. Kenko Miura ran a consistent race to come out as the victor in Challenger Trophy. Dario Caso and Liam Lambert joined the Japanese driver in the special classification top-3 positions.
Several big names got into unfortunate issues in this race. 2023’s winner Tobias Dauenhauer retired on lap 8, his third non-finish in as many double points Playoff races. Lucas Lasserre received a time penalty for his involvement in an opening lap incident, while Anthony Kumpen’s race was hampered by a contact with Jouffreau. The Belgian stated that he had rear axle issues in his post-race interview and exchanged some heated words with the Frenchman afterwards.
Another victory for Ghirelli meant another increase of his advantage, with his lead now grown to 34 points. Jouffreau will try his best to fight back, but it will be a tough task because the Italian can clinch the championship if he finishes 14th or higher in EuroNASCAR PRO Playoffs 04 on Sunday. Ercoli is third, three more points behind Jouffreau. Hezemans is the last remaining title contender in fourth, 48 points behind Ghirelli. The Dutchman needs a miracle to have a chance at winning the title.
The intense battles of Saturday will continue with EuroNASCAR 2 Playoffs 03, which is scheduled to go live at 16:30 CEST. Be sure to tune in to EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and several TV networks from all around the world when the penultimate race of EuroNASCAR’s junior division gets underway.EuroNASCAR PRO Results | EuroNASCAR 2 Results
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