EuroNASCAR has announced details on how the Test Team will do its duty at Zolder, revealing a series of provisions to limit the car’s impact in the title battle.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has shed more light on how Team FJ’s EuroNASCAR Test Team will be competing in the 2024 EuroNASCAR Finals at Circuit Zolder.
It is known that the Team FJ car – revealed as the No. 25 Ford Mustang – will run secret parts for the 2025 season and had Frédéric Gabillon and Arthur Roche as its drivers, but the announcement revealed details on how they’ll be competing against all other 29 entries.
“A competitive test is the best way to try out new developments and parts to compare them to the current settings,” reports Andre Wiegold in euronascar.com on 10 October 2024.
“Which parts will be tested will remain confidential, but the sporting regulations have been adjusted to avoid the testing team having an impact on the championship.”
The most important point to note is that the Team FJ car will not score any points in the championship. Gabillon and Roche will be recorded as a classified competitor at Zolder, but any race results will award them zero points.
Consequently, neither driver is eligible to take part in podium ceremonies should they finish on the podium. They will be officially credited with a podium finish, but the fourth placed driver will be celebrating on the podium instead.
Gabillon and Roche’s Qualifying results will also be counted in the official records, but both drivers must start from last place regardless of how well they performed in Qualifying.
There’s also an added provision for Gabillon in his Qualifying. If Gabillon qualified his way to Superpole, then whoever is the eleventh place qualifier will also make their way into the 5-minute shootout.
Lastly, EuroNASCAR officials have the power to call Gabillon and/or Roche back to the pits before the checkered flag if it’s deemed necessary.
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.
Last Updated: 3 December 2024