Tours A Big Factor In NASCAR Whelen Euro Championship Race

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Ander Vilariño’s strategy in the first two Tours Speedway events was simple: Stay out of trouble and don’t give away too many points.

The two-time NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion, though, has a different plan for this weekend.

Attack, attack, attack.

“It’s always difficult to approach this race, because you have to stay focused on the championship but at the same time you have to stay out of trouble until the end,” said Vilariño. “This time, I’m not going to defend. I’m going to attack, because I definitely want to go for the win.”

The driver from San Sebastián, Spain, holds a slight advantage as he’s participated in all four races at the French oval track. However, it’s drastically changed over that time – from a temporary flat oval in its 2012 debut, to one with partial banking, to a permanent structure with banking on both ends for this weekend’s events.

The Knauf 75 will be Saturday at 8:15 a.m. EDT, and the Michelin 75 is Sunday at 5:30 a.m. Fans around the globe can watch all the action on FansChoice.TV, as well as get live updates and timing & scoring on NASCARHomeTracks.com.

Tours is the only one of six events on the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series calendar to be competed on an oval. The nearly half-mile circuit has nine degrees of banking in Turns 3 and 4 and 10.5 degrees in Turns 1 and 2.

In the first open practice Friday morning, Vilariño’s No. 2 TFT-Banco Santander Chevrolet posted the top lap of 16.927 seconds – edging Borja Garcia (16.952) and Anthony Gandon (17.067) for the fastest time in the session.

Frederic Gabillon, who swept the two races last season, was fourth fastest, followed by rookie Eddie Cheever III.

“It will definitely be a race like no one I did before,” said Cheever, who scored his first NASCAR win on the road course at Brands Hatch in England. “It’s a radical change of perspective for me.

“Turning only left with my opponents so close to me is completely new for me: finding the limit will be difficult and every error will be very costly. I’m not thinking about the championship yet, I’m approaching it race by race, trying to maximize results at each event and see where we are when the playoffs start and every race will give double points.”

Cheever doesn’t have to look far for guidance on ovals. His father, Eddie Cheever Jr., has won the Indianapolis 500 as a driver and an owner.

“My dad has a lot of winning experience on ovals and he gave me some advice that will be very helpful,” Cheever said, “but he usually lets me do my own way. He thinks I have the right approach, so better not to change that.”

Points leader Anthony Kumpen was seventh fastest.

Kumpen enters the third of four race weekends of the regular season leading Vilariño by nine points and Christophe Bouchet by 15. The top 10 are all within 38 points of the leader, and Saturday and Sunday’s races could shake-up the standings.

“I’m very excited to have my first oval race,” said Kumpen “From what I saw on the pictures it seems like Team FJ and NASCAR did a great job to have this unique track.

“As I have no oval experience, we did a few days of test sessions on an oval in Holland. We earned a lot setup-wise and driving-wise. I also had some calls with experienced NASCAR drivers and engineers in U.S.

“We hope and think we are well prepared. My goal is to keep p1 in the championship.”

The series will finish the regular season back on the road course at Germany’s Nürburgring Grand Prix Circuit 2 on July 19-20. The playoffs will start at Autodromo dell’Umbria in Magione, Italy, before the championship is settled on Circuit LeMans Bugatti in LeMans, France on Oct. 11-12.

Vilariño finished second in the second race in 2012, but also has had his share of trouble and finished outside the top five in the other three races. He’s still managed to overcome the hiccups to claim the championship at the season’s end, but as competition grows tighter, he knows Tours will be a huge factor in winning a third title.

“Last year, we had to find the best compromise between the flat portion (Turns 1 & 2) and the banked part of the oval (Turn 3&4) and I think this time the setup will be less of a compromise, because both ends of the track are banked,” said Vilariño. “We will be faster and we’ll have a better chance to make the outside work, especially on restarts.”

“Avoiding troubles and take advantage of restarts will be crucial.”

NASCAR PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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