The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series returns this week for the American SpeedFest, the third round of the 2019 season. Qualifying started the on-track activities for the NASCAR Euro teams yesterday, and in Elite 1 it was Stienes Longin that would claim his first Elite 1 Pole Position as well as his first overall Pole Position since the 2016 Elite 2 season finale race at Zolder.
Longin’s lap time of 49.440 in Superpole was enough to get him his first Elite 1 pole position ahead of Loris Hezemans, whose Superpole lap time of 49.452 was ultimately 0.012 seconds slower than Longin’s lap time.
“Really happy to have my first pole,” said Longin to Mark Werrell after Superpole. “I wasn’t thinking that it was possible here in Brands Hatch as it’s not one of my favorite tracks, but the guys worked hard during the (Friday) night to find the good setup. We discuss a lot and in the end it worked, so yeah, I’m so happy (with the Pole).”
Championship leader Alon Day qualified third with a best lap time of 49.551, while Longin’s teammate Nicolò Rocca would accompany Day in the second row of the grid after he set a lap time of 49.562 in Superpole despite leading the drivers coming to Superpole with a lap time of 49.390 in Qualifying 1.
Francesco Sini completes the Top 5 with a lap time of 49.621, 0.081 seconds faster than fellow countryman Gianmarco Ercoli in sixth. Marc Goossens qualified seventh with a lap time of 49.768, ahead of Lucas Lasserre as Ant Whorton-Eales again leads the home crowd heroes in ninth with Romain Iannetta completing the Top 10.
Free Practice 1 pace setter Frédéric Gabillon had a tough qualifying, as he can only managed to set the 11th fastest time in Superpole. He only beat Lasse Sørensen, who did not set a lap time in Superpole after the prop shaft on his No. 66 Dexwet-DF1 Camaro broke apart just after he started Superpole.
Jacques Villeneuve just missed out on another Superpole appearance in P13, ahead of Alex Sedgwick who is still struggling to find more pace in his No. 90 Braxx Camaro. Salvador Tineo Arroyo qualified in fifteenth with a lap time of 49.949, ahead of Alexander Graff who had an off-track excursion during Qualifying 1.
Henri Tuomaala leads the Challenger Trophy drivers in 17th with a lap time of 50.003, ahead of the defending Elite 2 champion Ulysse Delsaux as Ander Vilariño had an absolute shocker in Qualifying 1. Despite being one of the favorites coming to Brands Hatch thanks to his perfect podium record here, Vilariño can only manage to qualify in 19th with a lap time of 50.112, leaving him and the No. 48 Racing Engineering team with a lot to do before the Race.
Thomas Ferrando completes the Top 20, while Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, Dario Caso, Kenko Miura, Eric Filgueiras, Mauro Trione, Eric De Doncker, Ellen Lohr, Simone Laureti, and Jennifer Jo Cobb completes the remaining 9 positions on the grid for Saturday’s Race 1.
All NASCAR Whelen Euro Series qualifying and races for this season are going to be aired live on FansChoice.tv, Motorsport.tv, and the official Facebook page and YouTube channel of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
Full Qualifying Results
| RANK | DRIVER | QUALIFYING 1 | SUPERPOLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Stienes Longin (11) | 49.526 | 49.440 |
| 2. | Loris Hezemans (50) | 49.671 | 49.452 |
| 3. | Alon Day (54) | 49.437 | 49.551 |
| 4. | Nicolò Rocca (24) | 49.390 | 49.562 |
| 5. | Francesco Sini (12) | 49.851 | 49.621 |
| 6. | Gianmarco Ercoli (9) | 49.811 | 49.702 |
| 7. | Marc Goossens (78) | 49.700 | 49.768 |
| 8. | Lucas Lasserre (33) | 49.718 | 49.807 |
| 9. | Ant Whorton-Eales (46) | 49.789 | 49.838 |
| 10. | Romain Iannetta (88) | 49.723 | 49.865 |
| 11. | Frédéric Gabillon (3) | 49.677 | 49.893 |
| 12. | Lasse Sørensen (66) | 49.832 | No Time |
| 13. | Jacques Villeneuve (32) | 49.852 | – |
| 14. | Alex Sedgwick (90) | 49.890 | – |
| 15. | Salvador Tineo Arroyo (64) | 49.949 | – |
| 16. | Alexander Graff (77) | 49.954 | – |
| 17. | Henri Tuomaala (23) | 50.003 | – |
| 18. | Ulysse Delsaux (36) | 50.023 | – |
| 19. | Ander Vilariño (48) | 50.122 | – |
| 20. | Thomas Ferrando (27) | 50.141 | – |
| 21. | Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (69) | 50.302 | – |
| 22. | Dario Caso (8) | 50.323 | – |
| 23. | Kenko Miura (2) | 50.386 | – |
| 24. | Eric Filgueiras (70) | 50.541 | – |
| 25. | Mauro Trione (31) | 50.746 | – |
| 26. | Eric De Doncker (98) | 50.813 | – |
| 27. | Ellen Lohr (99) | 51.385 | – |
| 28. | Simone Laureti (19) | 51.802 | – |
| 29. | Jennifer Jo Cobb (1) | 54.891 | – |
Unless noted, photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard.