Yesterday, it was announced that Alex Caffi Motorsport will form a partnership with Race Art Technology as the team confirms that they will be competing in the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season.
Founded by former Formula One driver Alex Caffi, Alex Caffi Motorsport has been a mainstay in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series since the team joined the series in the 2016 season. The team have scored a total of three race wins across both EuroNASCAR Pro and EuroNASCAR 2, all of which are scored in the team’s first full season campaign in 2017.
In the 2019 season, Alex Caffi Motorsport primarily fields two teams: The No. 1 Ford Mustang for Rubén García Jr., Alex Caffi, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Christophe Bouchut, and Michaela Dorcikova in Elite 1 and Thomas Krasonis in Elite 2, and the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro for Kenko Miura and Jesse Vartiainen. The team also initially fielded the No. 27 Ford Mustang for Thomas Ferrando and Pierluigi Veronesi before the No. 27 team’s entry was sold to CAAL Racing in between the rounds at Brands Hatch and Most.
“The collaboration with Race Art Technology was born from the increased need for an adequate direct technical coordination inside and outside the race field, as well as a more highly professional structure and partner in every phase of the competitive season,” said Alex Caffi.
“Our team has grown a lot in these seasons in NASCAR, an adventure that started almost as a bet that has given us excellent opportunities for the growth and enrichment of our professional skills. All this thanks to the precious and trusting support of our other partners, among which the collaboration with SVC Motorsport Group stands out.”
As for Race Art Technology, the partnership would mean that the Swiss-based team will be returning to the NWES grid after one season of absence. Race Art Technology was founded in 2006 and primarily competes in the world of rallying, with the team mostly known for their partnership with Skoda as the official Skoda Swiss Motorsport team since 2013.
Race Art Technology joined the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in the 2018 season when the team fielded the No. 31 team in collaboration with Blu Motorsport. Francesco Parli scored the team’s best result with a 5th place in the second Elite 2 race at Tours, while Mauro Trione achieved the team’s best Elite 1 result when he finished 10th in the second Elite 1 race at Tours.
The team then sold the No. 31 entry to CAAL Racing in the 2019 season before opting to return to the series in a partnership role with Alex Caffi Motorsport for 2020.
The NASCAR project remains an important objective for us, so that the 2019 season could not end better than with us announcing the beginning of the partnership with Alex Caffi Motorsport,” says Paola Pellò, Team Coordinator for Race Art Technology. “The partnership certainly is a strong point that will allow our team to increase its presence at the highest levels, even in this challenging and exciting environment.”
The announcement confirms that Alex Caffi Motorsport’s No. 2 team will be returning for 2020 and there’s a possibility that the No. 2 team will return to Toyota after the team ran a Chevrolet in the 2019 season. The status of Caffi’s No. 1 team is currently unknown. No drivers have been confirmed by the team as of now.
The 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will start on 25-26 April 2020 with the Valencia NASCAR Fest at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Spain. Presale tickets for the 2020 NASCAR GP’s at Brands Hatch, Most, and Hockenheim are now available at the links provided below:
- Brands Hatch: https://brandshatch.msv.com/BH-20-AmericanSpeedFest-V1?promoCode=SPEEDOFFER20
- Most: https://www.autodrom-most.cz/en/tickets/?tprid=327425
- Hockenheim: https://www.eventimsports.de/ols/hockenheimring/de/motorsport/channel/shop/index/
Disclaimer: Unless noted, all photos are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard / Bart Dehaese.