28 Cars, 45 Drivers From 17 Countries Ready To Rock In Spain!
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series released today the provisional entry list for the Valencia NASCAR Fest and it promises to make the Spanish event unforgettable, thanks to a unique mix of star drivers, young talents climbing the ranks and ambitious debutants.
28 cars are entered for the first event of the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season, fielded by 12 different teams, with a grand total of 45 drivers on the grid to represent four continents 17 different countries – including United States, Brazil, Israel and, for the first time ever, Russia and Algeria – confirming NWES global appeal and its role as the ideal stepping stone towards NASCAR in the US.
ELITE 1 Division: A stronger-than-ever grid
The ELITE 1 Division will undoubtedly see a fierce battle for the NASCAR European title, thanks to a long list of high-profile favorites and a wave of young NWES talents moving up the ranks. EuroNASCAR’s global appeal has attracted top-drivers from wide variety of motorsports disciplines, all with the ambition to become European NASCAR Champion.
Mathias Lauda (#66 Df1 Racing Chevrolet SS), who is serving as Aston Martin factory driver in WEC and raced in DTM and GP2, will look to replicate the success he found in 2014, when he won the first ever NWES oval race held under the rain. 2014 EuroNASCAR Champion, Spa 24 Hours winner, 2009 FIA GT Vice-Champion, multiple-time Belgian GT Champion and Zolder 24 Hours winner Anthony Kumpen (#24 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS) will be among the men to beat after making his Daytona International Speedway debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in February. Alon Day (#54 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) will have many eyes on him thanks to his astonishing performances in the final races of his first NASCAR season after cutting his teeth in FIA GT and Indy Lights. World-class endurance driver Marc Goossens (#90 Brass Racing Ford Mustang), who is currently competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and has a vast background including the Le Mans 24 Hours and Road Course races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will join the field for the first time with the clear goal to stay at the front from the get-go, while former Formula 1 test driver and GP2 racer Borja Garcia (#1 SPV Racing Ford Mustang) will return to the European NASCAR Series with a new Spanish team. Polivalent endurance veteran, Belcar and Zolder 24 Hours winner Bert Longin (#11 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS) will enter his third season in NWES and NASCAR XFINITY Series driver and K&N Pro Series East race winnerBrandon Gdovic (#46 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS), will come from the United States to Valencia to drive the #46 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS thanks to the strong bond tying NWES to NASCAR in the US. After a first stint in 2014, eclectic offshore, powerboat and auto racer Gian Maria Gabbiani (#12 Double-T by Nocentini Ford Mustang) will be back behind the wheel of a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series car for the entire season.
Frederic Gabillon (#3 Tepac RDV Compétition Ford Mustang) will enter the season as the active driver with the most career wins in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with five and the sole goal of incrementing the number to win the title, last season’s three-time winner and Race And Win Pole Award Winner Nicolò Rocca (#56 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) will be back,determined to pick up where he left last year.
A strong group of young talents, all raised in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and including 2015 ELITE 2 Champion Gianmarco Ercoli (#9 Double-T by MRT Nocentini Ford Mustang), Thomas Ferrando (#37 Knauf Racing Team Ford Mustang), Florian Renauer (#5 Dexwet Renauer Team Ford Mustang) and Ulysse Delsaux(#31 McDonald’s RDV Compétition Ford Mustang), who made a promising debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in February, will take the next step in their NASCAR career by focusing on the ELITE 1 Division.
Nine drivers will try to dethrone Day in the Junior “Jerome Sarran” Trophy in Valencia, with Freddy Nordstrom(#44 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) and the 2009 Champion Wilfried Boucenna (#73 Knauf Racing Team Ford Mustang) among them. Seven drivers, a mix of veterans like Erick De Doncker (#98 Motorsport 98 Ford Mustang) and Jerry De Weerdt (#78 Brass Racing Ford Mustang) and newcomers like Dario Caso (#8 Vict Motorsport Ford Mustang) and Carlo Forte (#6 Double-T by Nocentini Ford Mustang), will take part in the Challenger Trophy.
VALENCIA NASCAR FEST LINKS
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ELITE 2 Division: Let the battle begin
The ELITE 2 Division will once again be the battleground for young talents eager to make a name for themselves in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and experienced drivers in search of results and fun at the wheel EuroNASCAR’s 450 HP beasts.
Four drivers have won previously in the division and will start as obvious favorites: Thomas Ferrando, who can count on five wins and two poles in his career, 2015 Rookie Cup winner Stienes Longin (#11 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS), Spain’s Salvador Tineo Arroyo (#54 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) and PK Carsport’s latest addition and GT top driver Gabriele Gardel (#24 PK Carsport Chevrolet SS).
Exactly forty years after his father’s epic battle for the Formula 1 World Championship with Niki Lauda, Freddie Hunt (#66 DF1 Racing Chevrolet SS) will share the #66 DF1 Racing Chevrolet SS with Mathias Lauda, bringing back to the track a motorsports legendary duo.
Predicting the races’ outcome will be extremely tough, as many veterans and newcomers will try to join the winners list, starting with 2015 Legend Trophy winner Eric De Doncker (#98 Motorsport 98 Ford Mustang),Simone Laureti (#9 Double-T by Nocentini Ford Mustang), Hugo Bec (#3 Tepac RDV Compétition Ford Mustang) Simone Monforte (#88 DF1 Racing by Euro Kart Chevrolet SS) and Martin Doubek (#5 Dexwet Renauer Team Ford Mustang), to continue with rookies Roman Mavlanov (#15 Dexwet Renauer Team Ford Mustang) – the first Russian driver to enter the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series – Riccardo Geltrude (#7 Double-T by Nocentini Ford Mustang), Volant Knauf winner Paul Guiod (#73 Knauf Racing Team Ford Mustang), NWES development driver Guillaume Deflandre (#56 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS) and Justin Kunz (#44 CAAL Racing Chevrolet SS).
There are five more rookies on the provisional entry list for Valencia, all willing to demonstrate their talent and compete for the Rookie Cup: Arianna Casoli (#8 Vict Motorsport Ford Mustang), who will also race for the Lady Cup, Willy Gruber (#26 Dexwet Renauer Team Ford Mustang), British Shawn Paul Wakefield (#69 SPV Racing Ford Mustang), Brazilian Marconi De Abreu (#47 Brazil Team Ford Mustang) and Algerian Rayane Ait Adjedjou (#69 SPV Racing Ford Mustang).
The Legend Trophy, now dedicated to drivers aged 40 and above, will see eight drivers battle for the win: the above mentioned De Doncker, Laureti and Gruber, 2015 Gentleman Trophy winner Jerry De Weerdt (#78 Brass Racing Ford Mustang), Italian teammates Marco Spinelli (#12 Double-T by Nocentini Ford Mustang) andRenzo Calcinati (#9 Double-T by Nocentini Ford Mustang), Didier Bec (#31 McDonald’s RDV Compétition Ford Mustang) and Brazilian William Ayer Jr. (#69 SPV Motorsport Ford Mustang).
The Valencia NASCAR Fest will be streamed live on a dedicated NWES channel on Fanschoice.tv, the streaming platform created by NASCAR, IMSA and AMA Pro Racing, where they will be available also as On Demand content, while the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series magazine will be broadcasted in more than 180 countries through a vast group of broadcasting partners.
