Coming from a surprising debut season in which they won the ELITE 2 Division title with Gianmarco Ercoli, Double-T by MRT Nocentini will enter the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season fielding at least four Ford Mustangs, with Ercoli leading the charge by moving to the ELITE 1 Division to have his say in the title battle against the best European NASCAR drivers.
The 21-year-old Italian driver collected four wins on his way to the ELITE 2 title in 2015: two in the epic Zolder Finals weekend, one in the season opener in Valencia and his first oval win at Tours Speedway, embellished by one pole position, ten top-5s and eleven top-10s. The impressive score led to the upward move to ELITE 1 as a natural consequence, with the ambition to contend for the European crown, together with a race in NASCAR in the US and the honor to receive the Champion ring from the hands of NASCAR’s vice chairman Mike Helton in at the NASCAR Hall Of Fame in Charlotte. The Rome-native will also be among the drivers aiming at the Junior “Jerome Sarran” Trophy, the prize reserved to the best driver aged 25 or less.
“Managing to be in the top-5 in the first races would be very important to set our sight on a good points result. Starting on the right foot is always fundamental to go through the regular season in the best possible way and play our chances on the playoffs. Valencia will be a key event,” said Ercoli, who in February made his NASCAR Whelen All American Series debut in the US at New Smyrna, in one of the races leading up to the Daytona 500. “The division change doesn’t bother me too much because at the end of the 2015 season we were posting good lap times even for the ELITE 1 Division. Obviously our rivals have a lot more experience and we will have to do better than last year, but I think we have what it takes.”
Alongside Ercoli’s #9 Ford Mustang, Double-T by MRT Nocentini will multiply its effort by fielding at least three more cars and team manager Onofrio Veneziani can’t wait to be on his way to Valencia for the first leg of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season. The Italian iw well aware that the evolution of the team he created with Franco Ercoli, supported by the experience and the technical knowledge of Mauro Nocentini’s MRT by Nocentini, is very promising.
“Winning the title with Gianmarco in our first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season was fantastic. It gave us great confidence in what we’re capable of, an incredible push and the credibility needed to expand our presence to at least four cars for the whole season in championship, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, which is steadily growing and generating more excitement at all levels,” he said. “The incredible support we receive from partners like PCR, Sogeit, SCM and Adria Raceway, the track hosting this season’s Semi-Finals, is and will be fundamental.”
The complete Double-T by MRT Nocentini lineup will be unveiled in the next couple of weeks before the team heads to Spain for the first event of the 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season, scheduled for April 23-24 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
NASCAR PR
- NASCAR All-Star Race NEWS: #HaleYES You Need to Vote for Justin Haley - April 23, 2024
- Goodyear to Supply Option Tire for Cup All-Star Race - April 23, 2024
- NASCAR, North Wilkesboro Speedway Announce 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race Format - April 23, 2024