Drivers, start your engines: EuroNASCAR ready to kick off 2024 season at Circuit Ricardo Tormo - Speedway Digest

It’s time for the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season to get underway at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The first race weekend of the year will take place in Valencia, Spain on April 13-14 at one of the most impressive coliseums in Europe. With 28 full-time teams entering the season, the level of competition promises to make the 2024 European NASCAR Series one of the most unpredictable championships in its history.

48 drivers from 4 continents will represent 17 different countries in Valencia, further testifying the international status of the EuroNASCAR championship. Fasten your seatbelts and prepare to hear the most famous words in motorsport: “Drivers, start your engines!”

The eleventh edition of the NASCAR Valencia Fest marks the start of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season for the ninth time since NASCAR joined the series to create its official championship in Europe in 2012. The Circuit Ricardo Tormo, which opened in 1999, has 14 corners and a length of 4.005 kilometers. 17 teams from nine different countries are ready to take up the challenge and kick off the 2024 season in the best possible way.

EuroNASCAR PRO

2023 EuroNASCAR PRO Champion Gianmarco Ercoli is back with CAAL Racing and the Rome native is looking to defend his title aboard the #54 Chevrolet Camaro. The Italian will have plenty of competition, starting with reigning EuroNASCAR 2 Champion Paul Jouffreau, who will be concentrating on his full-time EuroNASCAR PRO campaign with RDV Competition after setting historical records in 2023.

All six 2023 race winners will be back and there are plenty of drivers who want to conquer the official European NASCAR crown and there are many who are capable of achieving this goal. Vittorio Ghirelli has joined Anthony Kumpen’s championship-winning PK Carsport team and the Fasano native is aiming to win the EuroNASCAR PRO Championship after topping the EuroNASCAR 2 standings in 2020. Other hot contenders for the EuroNASCAR PRO crown include Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport’s Vladimiros Tziortzis and Patrick Lemarie, Speedhouse’s Lucas Lasserre, Hendriks Motorsport’s Liam Hezemans, Team Bleekemolen’s Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, Bremotion’s Tobias Dauenhauer and many more.

In the Challenger Trophy for EuroNASCAR PRO’s elite amateur drivers, Fabrizio Armetta is one of the favorites, but Dario Caso, Thomas Toffel, Riccardo Romagnoli, Kenko Miura and Max Lanza are also hungry to win the special classification. The Junior Trophy for drivers under 25 will be a tough battle between Jouffreau, Tziortzis, Ryan Vargas, Thomas Krasonis, Victor Neumann, Nick Strickler, Hezemans, Thomas Dombrowski and Alessandro Lebourgeois. Many of the young guns are also expected to be in contention for the overall championship.

EuroNASCAR 2

With many new faces, young talent and fast gentleman drivers, the EuroNASCAR 2 championship has once again formed an incredible grid of amazing drivers. The most unpredictable championship in the world of NWES consists of the overall championship, the Rookie Trophy, the Legend Trophy for drivers over 40 and the Lady Trophy. Arianna Casoli is the only lady to have entered so far, so she will be the favorite to win her fourth Lady Trophy.

Following Jouffreau’s move to EuroNASCAR PRO, many young talents are looking to follow in the Frenchman’s footsteps. Only three drivers will start with a race win in their resume: Patrick Schober, Gil Linster and Martin Doubek. Schober has joined RDV Competition and with the momentum of his first race win, the Austrian will certainly be one of the contenders. The same goes for Linster at Hendriks Motorsport. The Luxembourger won his first race in 2023 and has plenty of experience at the wheel of a NWES car.

Martin Doubek won the championship back in 2021 and the Czech wants to add another trophy to his collection, but the Hendriks driver is the only one in the EuroNASCAR 2 grid with a NWES title to his name. Claudio Cappelli led laps in the final at Circuit Zolder and cannot be ruled out in the fight – not only for the Legend Trophy, but also for the overall title. Mario Ercoli will be one of the Rookie Trophy contenders with the potential to surprise the competition. Jack Davidson will focus on EuroNASCAR 2 with his new team, while Simone Giussani, Florian Richard, Neumann, Strickler, Julien Rehberg, Veeti Rajara and Dominique Schaak are the dark horses. Melvin de Groot, the reigning Legend Trophy champion, is aiming to win the class for the third time.

The event

Circuit Ricardo Tormo has a number of events planned for the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season opener. Throughout the weekend, musicians will add a special Mediterranean flair to the event, while a variety of food trucks will bring the best of Spanish and international cuisine directly to the track. In addition to EuroNASCAR, the Copa Nacional and the Copa Racer will race at the track as part of the supporting programme. As always for the EuroNASCAR events, fans will be able to join their heroes on the starting grid before each EuroNASCAR PRO race.

The 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season kicks off on 13-14 April and all races will be broadcast live on the EuroNASCAR YouTube channel and on numerous TV channels around the world.

EuroNASCAR PRO

Nine race winners at the start – No less than nine drivers on the grid have won at least one EuroNASCAR PRO race: Ercoli, Ghirelli, Lasserre, Dauenhauer, Iannetta, Jouffreau, Bleekemolen, Lemarie, Hezemans.

EuroNASCAR PRO Champion vs. EuroNASCAR 2 Champion – Gianmarco Ercoli, the first EN2 Champion to win the ENPRO title, will battle it out with rising star Paul Jouffreau, who set the record for the only driver to win a race in both championships in the same season.

Nine contenders for the Junior Trophy – Despite several past contenders moving out of the category, no less than nine drivers will chase the prestigious Junior Trophy. Only two have already won a race in EuroNASCAR’s top division: Paul Jouffreau and Liam Hezemans.

EuroNASCAR 2

Doubek the only former EuroNASCAR 2 Champion – The only driver on the EuroNASCAR 2 grid to have won the EuroNASCAR 2 Championship in his career is Martin Doubek. All the others are looking to add their names to the NWES championship list for the first time.

De Groot chasing a milestone – With a third consecutive Legend Trophy, Melvin de Groot would tie Jerry de Weerdt for most consecutive trophy titles ever. The two are also tied in second place in trophy race wins at 14, three behind Eric De Doncker.

Nine rookies on the grid – The Rookie Trophy often revealed future stars of EuroNASCAR. It’s what the nine drivers making the class of the 2024 Rookie Trophy surely hope while chasing a classification that was won by ENPRO race winners Stienes Longin, Tobias Dauenhauer and Liam Hezemans and Lasse Soerensen.