SpeedHouse Racing learned plenty of experience that will help them in future oval races after a challenging NASCAR Oval GP at Raceway Venray.
The 2024 NASCAR Oval GP presented new challenges for SpeedHouse Racing. The French team took part in their first oval round and through a difficult weekend at Raceway Venray, they learned plenty of experience that will help them for the future.
“Venray’s half-mile oval track presented a fresh challenge for us at SpeedHouse, with a race format different from the usual,” said SpeedHouse team boss Lucas Lasserre in their post-race press release.
“With all activities packed into a single day, we faced new hurdles that added valuable experience for future races on this type of track.”
SpeedHouse’s EuroNASCAR 2 drivers Florian Richard and Arianna Casoli kicked things off on Saturday. With Richard making his oval debut and Casoli’s last oval race being six years ago, they set a simple goal of finishing the race.
Both drivers managed to achieve their goal after surviving the caution-free race. They finished one and five laps down in 12th and 18th respectively, but they were glad to be able to bring their Ford Mustang’s back home in one piece.
“The weekend at Venray was a fairly difficult first exercise in terms of learning!” said Richard, the only SpeedHouse driver with no previous oval experience.
“I’m happy to have brought the entire car back to the team who did a great job this weekend! I’m also happy to score another Rookie Trophy podium.”
“Venray has been tough, but I did it!” said Casoli, who is now just two starts away from the 100 starts milestone. “It’s very satisfying to be running with the pack at the start, but it’s a bit tough when leaders lapped you while you’re managing your race with your direct opponents.”
“Oval racing is a real challenge, you must have a great spotter to manage the race properly. Not only is it a different racing style that needs a good car, but it also involves a lot of mental and physical strength. I just love it and it is a pity we don’t have more in the EuroNASCAR.”
The Sunday EuroNASCAR PRO race for Lasserre and Ulysse Delsaux went equally challenging. Physical issues for Lasserre and a flat tire for Delsaux prevented them from maximizing their results, but they’re happy to score important points in the championship.
“Unfortunately, at the early stages of the race, I had to pit for a flat tire, probably due to a debris,” said Delsaux.
“Despite that, I got back on track and didn’t give up with the target to score points. I’m now focused on the next race. I will be back stronger!”
“The race on the oval could have been a challenging one for me, and it certainly was,” said Lasserre. “I’ve been dealing with a physical issue since the beginning of the season and that was more pronounced on this track than at other times.”
“Despite this, I managed to achieve my main goal to score points and maintain my position in the overall standings.”
At the end of August, we’ll return to Most in the Czech Republic, where we have a good feeling and look forward to continuing our progress. Historically, we’ve always performed well there and we aim to keep that momentum going!”
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