Liam Hezemans handled a restart very well to take his second win of 2024 – Lucas Lasserre and Martin Doubek fought hard for podium positions
Liam Hezemans produced a stunning turnaround in Round 6 of the EuroNASCAR PRO at Brands Hatch, becoming the new king of the popular American SpeedFest. Hezemans grabbed pole position after setting the fastest lap of Saturday’s race and used his advantage well to maintain the lead. The Dutchman then survived a restart early in the race and took the lead over his rivals, sealing his return to Victory Lane. This is the second victory of the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season for the driver of the #50 Toyota Camry of the Hendriks Motorsport team and the third of his career. Hezemans not only earned the King of Brands Hatch crown, but also collected another beautiful titanium ring for winning the Tijey Fastest Driver Award.
“It was a tough race, especially on the restart when we went double row again,” said Hezemans, who took his first win in a EuroNASCAR PRO race away from Valencia. “I got a push from Lucas Lasserre and Gianmarco Ercoli was on the outside, this helped me defend the lead. The car was really fantastic throughout the race, but managing the traffic at the end was difficult. I tried to do it gently but Lasserre pushed really hard and came back onto my rear bumper. Obviously I want to win the title and with my home race at Raceway Venray just around the corner, I’m looking forward to the next challenge. I’ve already raced on ovals and I won in another series there.”
The 1,944 kilometer Indy circuit provided an early dramatic moment with a multi-car collision on lap two that took out local hero Max Marzorati, who made contact with Scottish star Jack Davidson. The Safety Car entered the track to allow the marshals to safely recover Marzorati’s #27 Double V Racing Ford Mustang. The restart on lap seven – the race was then extended two laps to 40 – was key for Lucas Lasserre to finish on the podium in both American SpeedFest races. The Frenchman masterfully fought his way past Gianmarco Ercoli to take second place at the Druids hairpin and fend off attacks from Hezemans teammate Martin Doubek until the checkered flag.
Doubek’s podium was the reward for a good comeback. The Czech driver, who started from sixth position, did not gain positions in the first start, but the Safety Car gave him a second chance which he took with both hands. The driver of the #7 Ford Mustang overtook both Vittorio Ghirelli and Fabrizio Armetta on the restart and found an opening in Ercoli’s defense on lap 14 to take the final podium position away from the previous King of Brands Hatch. Ercoli then crossed the finish line in fourth position at the end of the 40 laps of the race.
Another driver who made a good comeback was Tobias Dauenhauer, who gained seven positions to secure a top-5 finish for Bremotion. Paul Jouffreau, sixth, took second place in the Junior Trophy, beaten only by race winner Hezemans in the special classification for drivers aged 25 and under. Ulysse Delsaux finished seventh ahead of Vittorio Ghirelli. The Italian had a difficult race in his #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro which resulted in his first non-podium finish of 2024.
Ghirelli said he was dissatisfied with the driving style of Fabrizio Armetta, who was part of the group of six cars fighting for fifth position. Armetta was involved in an accident with Thomas Toffel which cost him a 10 second penalty from the race direction. The Club Motorsport driver then had to serve a drive through in the final stages of the race for contact with Delsaux, Ghirelli and Dauenhauer, dropping to eleventh place. Ghirelli said: “He pushed me five or six times, it was a difficult situation. It really doesn’t suit me how he ran today.”
Closing out the top-10 are Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Ryan Vargas, the latter bringing a trophy back to America with third place among the Juniors. Max Lanza was the best driver of the Challenger Trophy reserved for elite amateur drivers, in twelfth position. Riccardo Romagnoli and Kenko Miura thrilled fans in their battle for the top three positions in the Challenger Trophy. The Italian and Japanese drivers made fantastic and clean passes on each other.
Round 6 of the EuroNASCAR PRO did not go according to plan for Ghirelli, but the Italian still holds Whelen’s red banner as the championship leader. With 204 points, Ghirelli now has an eleven point lead over reigning champion Ercoli. Hezemans moved up to third place with 190 points while Jouffreau and Lasserre completed the top-5 of the standings.
One race remains on the 2024 NASCAR GP UK schedule: EuroNASCAR 2 Round 6, which will air at 5.20pm CEST / 4.20pm local time. The race will be broadcast live on the EuroNASCAR YouTube channel and on various television networks around the world.
EuroNASCAR PRO Results | EuroNASCAR 2 Results
Featured image by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
