In our exclusive interview with Reza Sardeha, the Dutchman talks about his debut EuroNASCAR campaign, teaming up with Ryan Vargas at Zolder and the future of his racing career.
Reza Sardeha has earned a reputation for his exploits in tech entrepreneurship, but starting from 2024 the Dutchman is carving a new path in motorsport through his participation in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
Sardeha joined Race Planet Team Bleekemolen with the No. 11 Ford Mustang sponsored by Anyone.com, a website owned by Sardeha that is aimed to give people more opportunity to afford a reasonably priced house.
Sardeha raced solo in the No. 11 car for most of the season, racing full-time in both EuroNASCAR 2 and EuroNASCAR Club Challenge.
Things changed in Zolder however, where circumstances led to Ryan Vargas joining in as Sardeha’s teammate in EuroNASCAR PRO.
Speaking to World of EuroNASCAR in an exclusive interview, Sardeha said that Vargas’ arrival created a large difference in how the No. 11 car handles throughout the weekend.
“Ryan for sure has much more knowledge about how to read and feel the car and implement the right setup for the track conditions,” said Sardeha on Vargas’ impact.
“After just driving the first 30 minute Practice on Friday in the #11, he implemented changes that made the car operate significantly more stable and smoother.”
“I wish we had raced the entire season together as I’m pretty sure he and I will end up 5 positions higher [in the standings].”
When we asked Sardeha on whether the Zolder experience made him want to try to compete in EuroNASCAR PRO or if he prefers to have a PRO teammate join him in the team instead, the Dutchman chose the latter option.
“I prefer a pro driver joining as my team mate since I’m not ready for the PRO competition yet, but I can learn more from for example data analysis when sharing my car with a pro,” said Sardeha.
Sardeha acknowledged that he had made mistakes that costed him a better finishing position in the championship, but he remained proud with what he had achieved as a debutant in not just EuroNASCAR, but also racing as a while.
“I think I could have finished in the top-14 if I didn’t collect so many penalties this season for making rookie mistakes,” said Sardeha.
“I also had a good chance to win the Club Challenge so overall, for someone with so little racing experience, I think we had a great first season.”
Sardeha wants to continue building his experience in EuroNASCAR for the foreseeable future, but he also had a new goal to achieve: Racing in ovals.
He missed the Oval GP at Raceway Venray due to his lack of experience, but he wants to give it a shot owing to the challenge that oval racing presents compared to road course racing.
“For the next period I want to explore more on ovals to gain more experience driving ovals or rovals,” said Sardeha on his future plans. “Challenge drives me and that seems to be my next challenge.”
Disclaimer: Credits for all photos are listed underneath each image.
Last Updated: 26 November 2024