Double V Racing, a new team formed by Pierluigi Veronesi and Francesco Vignali, will be entering the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with Veronesi acting as an owner-driver as Solaris Motorsport announces that Club Challenge regular Alina Loibnegger will be replacing Nicholas Risitano as their EuroNASCAR 2 driver in 2021.
Popular Italian driver Pierluigi Veronesi will return to NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2021 after he announced yesterday that he will be returning with his own team, Double V Racing.
“I’m really excited to start this new adventure as both driver and team manager,” said Veronesi in the official announcement. “I’m honoured to put my experience to good use. Working with Francesco [Vignali, co-owner of Double V] is really motivating and I think we have the opportunity to do very good things. I can’t wait for Valencia.”
Formed by Veronesi and Francesco Vignali, the CEO of Modena-based automotive laboratory company Testing srl, Double V Racing will be entering the No. 27 Ford Mustang with Veronesi acting as the owner-driver in the EuroNASCAR 2 class. Solaris Motorsport would provide Double V with technical support on the team’s debut season.
In the long term, Double V is aiming to provide aspiring drivers and engineers with an academy that would allow future talents to develop their skills further.
“We wanted to bring Testing’s know-how to the track, given our experience in the automotive industry and beyond,” said Vignali. “We choose to do it with Pierluigi for his extensive resume as racecar driver and test driver, but also for his great commitment to help the community, a value our company advocates and carries on with local organizations”.
Veronesi’s return would also see his SBOMBER charity project make a return to the grid, with SBOMBER once again working together with Bimbo Tu to provide help and support for families that are affected with pediatric neurosurgery.
“Double V Racing originates from a convergence of ideas between me and Francesco Vignali, a union finding the perfect output in the Sbomber character,” said Veronesi on Double V’s connection with his SBOMBER charity project. “Facing adversities with a smile and support each other, this is how Double V Racing was born.”
“We face the challenges of these hard times with a smile and we want to help others with a project that mixes racing and social support with the Sbomber initiative. I can progress as a driver and help people through my passion.”
On the same day as Double V’s announcement, Solaris Motorsport also made a separate announcement that reveals the team’s drivers for the upcoming 2021 season.
Francesco Sini, son of team owner Roberto Sini, will continue to drive the No. 12 car in the top class as Club Challenge regular Alina Loibnegger will made the step up to EuroNASCAR 2 division as the new EN2 driver of Solaris, replacing Nicholas Risitano after Risitano made the switch to Italian GT Championship in 2021.
“I can’t wait for the season to begin and to work with the team,” said Loibnegger in the team’s press release. “My goal for 2021 is to continue to grow and improve in racing and in NASCAR in particular. I want to keep learning and getting better and better. A special thank you goes to my sponsors, without them all of this wouldn’t be possible.”
Sini, who scored a career-best 7th place finish in the standings last year and helped carry the team to a 4th place finish in the Teams Championship, hopes that he and Solaris would be able to build upon the success that the team had achieved in 2020.
“I can’t wait to get started!” said Sini in the press release. “It was a long winter, we worked hard to put this program together when everything seemed lost. There have been some tough moments but we’re past those and we are looking forward to Valencia. It will be hard as usual, but even more challenging because we’ll handle a second car.”
Solaris’ former technical partner CAAL Racing also revealed a few days earlier that Arianna Casoli – the most experienced driver in EuroNASCAR 2 with 56 starts on her name – will be returning to the grid with the No. 54 team for her sixth consecutive season in the series.
Disclaimer: Unless noted, all photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard / Bart Dehaese.