Vittorio Ghirelli continued his emphatic start to the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season with his fourth win from five races in the first EuroNASCAR race of the American SpeedFest 11 powered by Lucas Oil weekend at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Saturday).
The Italian’s pace from the two prior events immediately translated to the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, allowing the PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro to claim pole position. And it was from the front of the race that Ghirelli controlled things throughout.
The main threat to Ghirelli’s lead came courtesy of a mid-race safety car period following a brief spell of rain. Action quickly resumed however as conditions improved, with two laps added to increase the race distance to 40 laps, and Ghirelli once again managed proceedings watchfully from the front to drive home to the chequered flag.
Paul Jouffreau offered the most consistent challenge to the leader, but he was also forced to defend hard with the chasing bunch packed tightly behind his Ford Mustang. With no true opportunity to pass for the lead, the Frenchman ensured he sealed the second spot on the podium with a strong defensive performance to hold off countryman Lucas Lasserre.
Lasserre claimed the final place on the rostrum after defending from a lively Martin Doubek with Gianmarco Ercoli completing the top-five behind that. Liam Hezemans, Ulysse Delsaux, Thomas Krasonis, Vladimiros Tziortzis and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen completed the top-10 after almost 40 minutes of stock car competition.
In the battle for lead British driver, it was Max Marzorati in just his second weekend as a EuroNASCAR driver who fared best. The former single-seater runner drove to a strong 11th place in front of his home crowd, one position ahead of compatriot Jack Davidson.
EuroNASCAR Pro, Brands Hatch, Race 1
- Vittorio Ghirelli, PK Carsport, Chevrolet Camaro
- Paul Jouffreau, RDV Competition, Ford Mustang, +0.813s
- Lucas Lasserre, Speedhouse, Ford Mustang, +1.010s
- Martin Doubek, Hendriks Motorsport, Ford Mustang, +1.384s
- Gianmarco Ercoli, CAAL Racing, Chevrolet Camaro, +1.784s
- Liam Hezemans, Hendriks Motorsport, Toyota Camry, +2.085s
- Ulysse Delsaux, Speedhouse, Ford Mustang, +2.603s
- Thomas Krasonis, Marko Stipp Motorsport, Chevrolet Camaro, +5.006s
- Vladimiros Tziortzis, Academy Motorsport/Alex Caffi Motorsport, Ford Mustang, +6.480s
- Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, Team Bleekemolen, Toyota Camry, +10.561s
Click here for full race results from this event.