Reigning Club Challenge champion Gordon Barnes is set to make his EuroNASCAR PRO debut with Double V Racing at the NASCAR Oval GP in Raceway Venray.
Gordon Barnes is prepared for his biggest NASCAR Whelen Euro Series challenge to date when the series returns to the track on 29-30 June for the NASCAR Oval GP at Raceway Venray in the Netherlands.
Through an article that was published by EuroNASCAR on 20 June, the three-time EuroNASCAR Club Challenge champion was revealed to have signed a deal with Double V Racing to race the No. 27 Ford Mustang in EuroNASCAR PRO at Venray.
“Double V Racing signed oval veteran Gordon Barnes for EuroNASCAR PRO because the three-time Club Challenge champion has taken part in many races on the half-mile track in the Netherlands in a different class,” reports EuroNASCAR.
Barnes revealed that his decision to join EuroNASCAR’s top class only came because he was not able to find an open seat in EuroNASCAR 2.
The Brit has made two prior appearances in EN2, including the previous round at Brands Hatch where he took a 17th place finish with Club Motorsport’s No. 55 Dinoil Chevrolet Camaro.
“The step up to PRO came about as it was the only seat we could find for this event,” said Barnes to World of EuroNASCAR. “It’s going to be quite a step up.”
“However, doing it on an oval should help as I have more experience there than on road courses. The main goal is to finish, try to finish in a good position, and just enjoy the experience of racing in the top division.”
While Barnes primarily competed in EuroNASCAR’s regularity-based division in recent years, the Brit is a veteran on the ovals. He raced at various ovals in the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Barnes won in late models at Warneton Speedway in Belgium and the flat quarter-mile oval of Ipswich in England. He’s also a regular at Venray, the closest oval to his current place of residence in Germany.
Barnes is among the few who has gained Venray experience through the V8 Oval Series, a late model-based championship that he and several other EuroNASCAR drivers previously competed on a part-time basis.
This expertise is why Double V chose Barnes as the running mate for Simone Giussani – their rookie star in EuroNASCAR 2 – at Venray. Giussani had prior experience in legend cars, but he – or Double V for that matter – had never competed at an oval before.
Thus, Barnes will also serve as a mentor for Giussani and Double V on the Italian team-driver combo’s oval race debut.
“Car setup is different for an oval and very important,” said Barnes to euronascar.com on the challenges of racing at an oval track. You need a good setup and you can’t hustle the car.”
“There’s no run-off, just a wall. If the car slides and you try to catch it, you’re probably going to hit the wall. The racing is different too. Everywhere is an opportunity to pass. There are no single file areas, and if you make a mistake, you’re going to get passed.”
“Blocking doesn’t make sense at Raceway Venray because the outside line is the faster one. You have to read the traffic and make quick decisions. If you take the wrong line, you’re more likely to be overtaken than passing other cars.”
“Overtaking doesn’t work the same way. On a road race, you get to the apex first and control the line. On an oval, the other car just takes the higher line, keeps the speed up on the exit, and holds the position.”
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