Our second Race Preview for the 2024 American SpeedFest 11 takes a look at what we can expect from the title contenders and Trophy battles in EuroNASCAR PRO.
Brands Hatch will be hosting the third round of the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season for the eleventh edition of EuroNASCAR’s “crown jewel” event: American SpeedFest 11, Powered by Lucas Oil.
The SpeedFest has always provided thrills and excitement both on and off the track, which contributes to the event’s great popularity among the fans in the United Kingdom.
With more than 50,000 spectators visiting SpeedFest 10 last year, EuroNASCAR and organizers MotorSport Vision (MSV) are ready to ensure that this year’s running will be just as grand as ever.
It wasn’t just the fans that were enthusiastic about the event as the Provisional Entry List revealed a colorful cast of 28 cars and 43 drivers that will be entered to Brands Hatch, all ready to give the fans the best show possible at the 1.944 kilometer Indy Circuit.
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Brands Hatch will be packed to the brim with action thanks to a highly competitive field of 27 drivers that are set to take part in EuroNASCAR PRO, the top division of European stock car racing.
The favorites for the SpeedFest is undoubtedly going to be Vittorio Ghirelli. The Italian won three of the first four races of the season and has shown that he’s unstoppable if everything went according to plan.
Ghirelli has yet to win at Brands Hatch, but his team PK Carsport is a squad that has done so numerous times before. If the No. 24 infitto.eu Camaro finished Friday’s Practice sessions on top, then expect Ghirelli to contend at the sharp end of the field for the rest of the weekend.
One driver that could stop Ghirelli’s momentum is Gianmarco Ercoli. Not only is he the closest driver to his countryman in the standings, the CAAL Racing driver is also the current “king” of the SpeedFest after he swept the competition in 2023.
There will be an added incentive for Ercoli to perform at his best in Brands Hatch because the Saturday race is going to be his 100th start in EuroNASCAR PRO. Celebrating an important milestone with a victory would be ideal for the 29-year old Italian to rejuvenate his title defense campaign.
Race Planet Team Bleekemolen’s Marc Goossens is not too far behind the two leading Italians and carries plenty of momentum after a strong start to his season, finishing in the top-10 in all four races so far and helping the No. 72 Toyota squad to lead the Endurance Teams Championship.
Brands Hatch has been kind to the Belgian in the past. He won the Formula Ford Festival in 1991 and took 3 podium finishes in EuroNASCAR, but the last three years was a struggle with only a single top-10 to show for.
A return to the top-5 positions at Brands Hatch will be ideal for “The Goose” to keep him in the chase for the championship.
Never count out Tobias Dauenhauer, Lucas Lasserre and Ulysse Delsaux from race winning contention at the SpeedFest. Not only are they a safe bet for strong finishes, they will carry stories to be told this weekend.
For Dauenhauer, he’s motivated to give his team owner Patrick Brenddorfer a victory at the track where Bremotion made their EuroNASCAR debut in 2023.
Lasserre and Delsaux will be looking to recover points in the standings after a little setback in the previous round at Vallelunga relegated them to seventh and eighth in the standings.
The goal to regain lost ground will be in the mind of drivers such as Vladimiros Tziortzis, Fabrizio Armetta and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen. Currently 15th, 20th and 21st respectively, they have a significant obstacle to overcome if they want to stay in the title race.
A trouble free weekend will be something that they will be happy with, but as a racing driver they’re certainly going to be aiming for higher.
On the topic of younger competitors, former EN2 champions Liam Hezemans and Paul Jouffreau are tied in points in both the overall standings and Junior Trophy. Both drivers are expected to continue their exciting tussle in both classifications at Brands Hatch.
Thomas Krasonis and Ryan Vargas are some ways behind in ninth and thirteenth respectively, but the Greek and the American will be ready to pick up the scraps should they receive the opportunity to do so.
For the Challenger Trophy, the battle will be heating up after Thomas Toffel lost some ground to his rivals in Italy. One driver to watch out in particular is Club Motorsport’s Riccardo Romagnoli, who showed tremendous pace with the No. 43 Camaro at his home race.
Romagnoli was able to hold his ground against faster opponents and with Brands Hatch being the track where he scored his career-best finish in ENPRO, there’s a good chance that the 60-year old driver will be able to make some surprises this weekend.
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Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.