Championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli received a 20 points penalty for an illegal shock absorber that was used in his No. 24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro at Vallelunga.
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has announced a penalty of 20 championship points for EuroNASCAR PRO championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli due to an illegal shock absorber that was found in the Italian’s No. 24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro.
The part in question was used during Race 2 at Vallelunga. The shock absorbers from the podium finishers – Ghirelli, Gianmarco Ercoli and Martin Doubek – were collected so that further inspections can be done by the officials at the EuroNASCAR HQ in France.
Subsequently, it was discovered that the part from Ghirelli’s machine was illegal. While it did not affect his on-track performance, it was not conforming to the technical regulations that are in place for the 2024 season.
“The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced a penalty to the #24 PK Carsport team,” announced EuroNASCAR on 7 June 2024. “Championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli was docked 20 points in the drivers standings for a technical non-conformity on the #24 Chevrolet Camaro.”
“The issue regarded the car’s shock absorbers and was found during a post-race inspection conducted on the top-3 cars from EuroNASCAR PRO Round 04.”
“The shocks from the top-3 cars in EuroNASCAR PRO Round 04 were collected for review. The results of the investigation were that the shock of #24 had a non-compliant part not affecting performance,” said NWES Sporting and Technical Director Joe Balash in the official announcement.
This was the second time that an entrant has been severely penalized for an illegal shock absorber in 2024. Previously, Fabrizio Armetta was disqualified from the first race at Valencia for the same infraction.
Unlike Ghirelli, Armetta’s illegal shock absorbers were found during the post-race inspection that took place immediately after the race.
With the penalty now applied, Ghirelli’s lofty 27-point lead to Ercoli in the standings has been reduced to just seven points. Marc Goossens, third in the championship, is now eleven points behind the Italian.
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