Buggyra ZM Racing has announced an early end to their NASCAR Whelen Euro Series program this year as the Emirati team has decided to shift their focus on preparation for their participation in the 2023 Dakar Rally.
Yesterday, Buggyra ZM Racing announced an early end of their participation in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series championship this year as the team switches their focus to the preparations for the 2023 Dakar Rally.
While the team has retracted some of the statement that they released yesterday, reports of the official statement that was reported on websites such as ThreeWide suggests that the team made the decision to exit the series in order to reduce the risk of Aliyyah Koloc receiving an injury after the events that happened in the previous round at Autodrom Most.
The decision had its own merits: Aliyyah’s twin sister Yasmeen was forced to withdraw from this year’s championship after she was injured in a crash on the 24H Series race held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in April. Yasmeen is currently dedicating her focus and preparations solely for her Dakar Rally debut next year.
“During the race in Most, there were countless completely unnecessary accidents. If this style of racing were to continue on the circuit at Zolder, which is very dangerous in itself, it is highly likely that a driver would get injured,” said Buggyra’s team principal Martin Koloc.
Aliyyah had initially planned to finish the entire season, but she understands that preparations for Dakar is her current priority and she wishes her fellow EuroNASCAR competitors good luck for the last two rounds of the season.
“Had lots of fun but that’s it for me and the NASCAR. Last circuit race of the year next weekend then full focus on Dakar. Good luck to everybody for the last two races of the season!” said Aliyyah on her social media.
Buggyra has yet to determine whether they will continue their participation in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series next year, although the Czech-Emirati team has officially announced their exit from the European Truck Racing Championship earlier this week after a 30-year stay in one of the biggest truck road racing series in the world.
Disclaimer: Unless noted on the photo, all photos used in this article are courtesy of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Bart Dehaese / Klemen Sofric.
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