Double V Racing’s Patrick Schober is happy with his results at Brands Hatch after he scored his first career Top-10 finish in EuroNASCAR 2 to put himself in the Top-10 position on the overall standings.
American SpeedFest 9 was a good round for the Austrian rookie Patrick Schober as he brought home his first Top-10 finish in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series’ competitive EuroNASCAR 2 division.
After his debut at Valencia was hampered by brake issues, the Double V Racing driver was able to get himself a consistent Top-15 pace at Brands Hatch after the team was able to find a solution for the problem that Schober had previously experienced.
Having qualified in 15th place after finishing Friday’s Practice sessions in 11th place on the combined timesheets, Schober fought his way to 13th place in the first race before he was relegated to 21st place after he was forced to go to the gravel when Gil Linster and Claudio Remigio Cappelli collided late in the race.
Despite this, he was able to fight his way back to 14th place in the subsequent Overtime period and his fastest lap time was enough to secure a 12th place start on the grid in the second race. Schober was able to translate his strong starting position into an equally strong finishing position as the young Austrian driver finished 8th after surviving three restart periods.
“Unfortunately we still had the problems with the brakes on the first Free Practice like in Valencia, but between the two free practices we found the problem and were able to solve it. Otherwise I felt very comfortable on this track and had a lot of fights, they were a lot of fun. I was very happy with my performance and reached my goal of being in the Top-10,” explained Schober on his performance at Brands Hatch.
The results at Brands Hatch meant that Schober currently sits in the Top-10 in the overall standings, tied in points with Marko Stipp Motorsport’s Yevgen Sokolovskiy whom Schober beat via best finish tiebreaker.
“Top 10 in the overall ranking sounds good and actually things are going according to plan. However, the goal is to get to the leading rookies and at least join the top 3 there. That already answers the question of what I need to improve for the future,” said Schober on what he can improve for the future rounds.
“Basically, I feel very comfortable in this type of racing car and I’m convinced that I can achieve even better results without any technical problems.”
Schober also left Brands Hatch with a very strong impression on how the American SpeedFest event was organized. With more than 40,000 fans coming to Brands Hatch to spectate the SpeedFest 9 on Sunday according to Team FJ’s statement last week, it set a new Euro Series record for the highest attendance in EuroNASCAR history.
“I am impressed by the whole way the racing events are organized,” said Schober on his impressions of the American SpeedFest event. “Sure, 40,000 viewers is very impressive and something new for me. Like Brands Hatch, I wish it was the same at all other races. Despite all that, the organization of this series is much better than anything else I’ve had the privilege of experiencing in the past.”
With Double V’s home race at Vallelunga coming soon, Schober is optimistic that he can score another Top-10 result and he hopes to be able to score his first podium finish on the Rookie Trophy.
“In Vallelunga, as always, my goal is a top 10 and a place on the podium for the rookies,” said Schober on his expectations for Vallelunga. “I’m optimistic and I’m really looking forward to the races. Double V Racing has done a great job so far and I will do my best for Double V Racing to top the result at Brands Hatch in their home race.”
Disclaimer: Unless noted on the photo, all photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Bart Dehaese.