Whelen Euro News & Notes: Brands Hatch

This weekend the third round of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will once again be the highlight of an event that will make Brands Hatch the place to be for race fans, families and every American-culture enthusiast: the American SpeedFest is approaching its fourth edition and it will be bigger and better than it has ever been, thanks to four spectacular NWES races an extraordinary list of American-themed attractions.

Anticipation is mounting for the weekend’s four NWES races. With 27 cars on track and three different winners – Anthony Kumpen (#24 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS), Alon Day (#54 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) and Frederic Gabillon (#3 Tepac RDV Compétition Ford Mustang) – in the first four races of the season, the ELITE 1 Division will offer an exciting, unpredictable battle to crown a new Brands Hatch king. None of the entrants has ever won on the British track in the top division, while three have won in the ELITE 2 Division: Wilfried Boucenna (#73 Knauf Racing Team Ford Mustang), Florian Renauer (#5 Dexwet Renauer Team Ford Mustang) and Thomas Ferrando (#37 Knauf Racing Team Ford Mustang). Stienes Longin (#11 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS) will have to cope with a lot of pressure in ELITE 2 while racing for two victories that would tie him for the most consecutive wins ever in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series history. Will he be able to make it or one of his many rivals will end his streak?

History will be made forty years after Niki Lauda and James Hunt battled for the win of the British Formula 1 Grand Prix: Mathias Lauda and Freddie Hunt will be back at Brands Hatch as teammates, sharing the #66 DF1 Racing Chevrolet SS. The Austrian will be back in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series after scoring a top-10 in season opener in Valencia, while the Freddy will be the British hero looking forward to get his first NASCAR Podium in his home event pushed by thousands of fans.

London-resident Freddy Nordstrom (#44 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) can count on 2 top-5s and 4 top-10s on what he considers his home track and took part in every edition of the American SpeedFest.

“It is probably one of the best events, if not the best, on the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series calendar. Brands Hatch is such an amazing historic track and I really enjoy racing there. I turned my first laps when I was fourteen, I have made I think 10.000 laps and it is always special,”“This year we have had good performances but results weren’t as good, so hopefully Brands can help realize our potential. I alway try as hard as I can, but knowing the track so well, staying at home instead of an hotel and having family and friends to support me can hopefully give me a little advantage, even if it’s just psychological,” said the 27-year-old.

The trackside attractions list for this year’s American SpeedFest is simply impressive and it starts with a record-setting American cars display with more than 1.000 vehicles. Younger fans will be able to meet once again Lightning McQueen, star of Disney Pixar’s Cars movies, together with Tow-Mater and SpeedFest debutant Finn McMissile. Live music will play the proverbial key role, thanks to a packed line-up of bands performing across both days and for the first time ever American car displays, historic race car demos, monster truck shows, hot rod displays and demos, children’s entertainment, and the Wall of Death stunt show will extend to Saturday.

All the June 11-12 American SpeedFest races will be streamed live on Fanschoice.tv, while text updates will be available on the NASCAR Home Tracks Race Central Live page. More engaging content will be posted on the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series official social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

RACE CENTRAL LIVE | SCHEDULE | ENTRY LIST

FAST FACTS

The Race: The American SpeedFest IV is the third event of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series calendar and the second road course of the season. The popular British event has reached its fourth edition and established itself as one of the best race weekends in Europe.

The Procedure: 27 Cars will enter the Brands Hatch American SpeedFest. The starting field for each Division will be set by an 8-minute qualifying session, followed by a 5-minute Superpole that will determine the top 12 positions. Each of the four races will be 57,87 Kilometers (30 laps) long and held under NASCAR rules, with double file restarts and an eventual Green-White-Checkered Finish attempt.

The circuit: It was inevitable that Brands Hatch and NASCAR would meet up because in 1950 the circuit consisted of a 1,6-km oval (1 mile). Brands Hatch is located in the south east of London and its length was increased to 1,929 km (1.198 miles) in 1953 with the construction of the Druids Bend section. Due to the nature of the short Indy Circuit, the races provide some of the most intense battles of the season.

Record: The fastest qualifying lap around the Indy Circuit in a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series car belongs to Frederic Gabillon, who in 2013 posted a 48.390 seconds lap to notch the pole position. The 2015 pole position went to Nicolò Rocca in 48.400 seconds.

BRANDS HATCH RACE NOTES

Renauer hoping to shine: Florian Renauer (#5 Dexwet Renauer Team Ford Mustang) is looking forward to a strong weekend in Brands Hatch, the track where he won his first pole and his first career NASCAR race in the ELITE 2 Division in 2015. The Austrian sits eighth in points in his first season focusing solely on the ELITE 1 Division, having collected 3 top-10s in the first four races.

Erika Monforte returns with Double T by Nocentini: The 2014 NWES Lady Cup winner will be back at Brands Hatch at the wheel of the #6 Double T by Nocentini Ford Mustang in the ELITE 2 Division. It will be the first race of 2016 for the Italian, who will join fellow countrywoman Arianna Casoli (#8 Vict Motorsport Ford Mustang) in the battle for the Lady Cup.

The shortest road course on the calendar: With its 1.929 Km The Brands Hatch Indy Circuit is the shortest road course of the NWES calendar, the only one below the 2 Km. The longest track in the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series calendar is Zolder, measuring 4.011 Km.