World of EuroNASCAR’s second Race Preview for the NASCAR GP Czech Republic takes a look at what can be expected from the EuroNASCAR PRO drivers at Autodrom Most.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series competitors get up from their summer break slumber this week as the series is set to visit Autodrom Most for the fourth edition of the NASCAR GP Czech Republic, the fourth round of the 2023 season.
Autodrom Most made its debut in the EuroNASCAR schedule in 2019 as a standalone event before EuroNASCAR and FIA European Truck Racing Championship joined forces to host a double headline round in 2021, an arrangement that has been kept to this day.
The round has provided many highlights, which for last year saw the crowning of a first time winner in Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Alberto Naska’s first weekend sweep in EuroNASCAR. The 25 teams and 47 drivers that are listed on the provisional Entry List for Most will get their chance to make their own moment to remember this weekend.
This NASCAR GP Czech Republic Preview article is the second of a three-part series, in which we will be focused on the preview for the EuroNASCAR PRO races. Part 1 was focused on the Entry List changes while Part 3, scheduled for tomorrow, will be focused on our preview for the EuroNASCAR 2 races.
Twenty-three drivers are set to take part in the EuroNASCAR PRO division at Most and after six races, it’s Gianmarco Ercoli that arrives in the Czech Republic as the championship leader. With three wins, four pole positions and five podiums, the Italian has truly established himself as the favorite for the title in 2023.
Autodrom Most has been kind to Ercoli as he has scored three podium finishes in the last four races at the 4.212-kilometer long circuit. Rain is predicted to hit the track for the entire race weekend, but that should not be a worry for the 28-year old driver as shown by his performance on the dry-to-wet race in 2021.
Lucas Lasserre continues to trail Ercoli behind in second place. The SpeedHouse owner-driver unexpectedly entered the title contention with his win at Valencia and while he only has finished on the podium once since then, his trademark consistency has allowed him to stay within touching distance.
Lasserre traditionally comes strong in the second half of a season and his track record at Most showed that he’s truly capable of podium contention at the very least. With the Frenchman now committing to a full-season campaign onboard the No. 64 Ford Mustang, he will be a dangerous threat that must not be overlooked.
Staying in third in the championship standings after Vallelunga is Anthony Kumpen, the sole former champion in the grid this weekend. Kumpen started his season well with solid performances at both Valencia and Brands Hatch, but a poor round in Italy has left the Belgian with a 25-point deficit to Ercoli.
Kumpen, who will have a reality show that chronicles his return to EuroNASCAR airing in the near future on VTM Go, does have a problem: He has never raced here with the EuroNASCAR stock cars. Thus, the weekend at Most will be a week of learning for the Belgian, which will be easier said than done should it rain during race day.
The same can’t be said for Vittorio Ghirelli as Most is the track where the Italian scored his first EuroNASCAR PRO win two years ago. Ghirelli is fired up more than ever thanks to his victory at Vallelunga as it truly established the 2020 EuroNASCAR 2 champion as one of the strongest drivers in the field.
He’s certainly eager to be back on the Victory Lane at Most, as does his teammate – and team boss – Sebastiaan Bleekemolen. It was here in 2022 that Sebastiaan finally scored his maiden victory in EuroNASCAR, beating Alexander Graff in an epic battle that lasted the whole race.
Most has proven to be Sebastiaan’s best track in EuroNASCAR so far as he has never finished outside of the top-10 after six races at the Czech Republic. This bodes well for his plan to rise back up the leaderboards after his issues at Vallelunga left him trapped in 13th on the standings.
Fellow countryman Liam Hezemans would have similar plans for this weekend. Liam’s pace this year has been one of the best, but luck has continued to fail him in every Sunday race so far. Vallelunga was the first time he finished on Sunday and even then, he was only 16th after he was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop that left him a lap down.
Simply finishing both races at the top will do wonders for the 20-year old Dutchman, who is guaranteed to have one of his bad races counted on his final points tally. Another mistake would greatly hamper Liam’s title chances even with double points on the line at Zolder.
Marc Goossens would also like to have a turn around in form after a disappointing round in Brands Hatch and Vallelunga where he’s mired in the midfield. The same would also be hoped by Giorgio Maggi, who has had a terrible season so far. He has yet to crack into the top-5 positions and a double DNF at Vallelunga has left him with 68 points of deficit to Ercoli.
On the opposite end of the scale, Ulysse Delsaux and Vladimiros Tziortzis are aiming to continue where they left off at Vallelunga. Another set of strong finishes would help them maintain their position at the top of Junior Trophy, which will have eight drivers contesting for the top Trophy honors at Most.
One Junior Trophy contender to keep an eye for is RDV Competition’s Paul Jouffreau. With the 19-year old immediately finishing on the overall podium in his debut at Vallelunga, Jouffreau shocked the establishment and left fans with plenty of excitement on what heroics he will do next.
In the Challenger Trophy, Fabrizio Armetta comfortably led the standings for Grade C rated drivers in EuroNASCAR PRO. The owner-driver of The Club Motorsport has finished on the top step of the Challenger podium four times already and he plans to make it five – or possibly six – at the Czech Republic.
Armetta would be fighting for the Challenger Trophy supremacy against six other drivers. The Challenger cast saw plenty of changes for Most, but it is certain that Riccardo Romagnoli and Max Lanza will give their best to catch up to the 51-year old Italian.
Advait Deodhar will not compete as his seat at Academy is temporarily taken by Michaela Dorcikova, who will lead an all-female driver line-up on the No. 1 Ford Mustang team. Dorcikova will be the sole female driver on the ENPRO grid as Alina Loibnegger temporarily moves down to EuroNASCAR 2 due to Racingfuel Motorsport’s withdrawal.
She will be joined by Yevgen Sokolovskiy in the list of returning drivers for Most. Sokolovskiy is focusing on GT racing in 2023, but he remains as a part-time contender with Marko Stipp Motorsport and could become a huge wildcard that will change the balance of the Challenger Trophy.
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.
Last Updated: 24 August 2023