Magical moment: Claudio Cappelli achieves dream to become an EuroNASCAR 2 race winner - Speedway Digest

Smiles are in full bloom in the Victory Lane of the NASCAR GP Germany after Claudio Remigio Cappelli took a popular first victory in the first race of the EuroNASCAR 2 Playoffs. The race started off with drama in the first corner that involved the front row starters Patrick Schober and Thomas Toffel. Toffel sent Schober into the grass and was given a 30-second penalty, which presented Cappelli with the chance to take his long awaited first victory. The Italian held his position from the chasing Hendriks Motorsport duo of Martin Doubek and Gil Linster to take the checkered flag onboard the #5 Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport Ford Mustang.

NASCAR GP GERMANY LINKS: INFO & TICKETS | SCHEDULE|ENTRY LIST|LIVE TIMING|WATCH LIVE “It feels incredible!” said Cappelli, who also took the Legend Trophy victory for drivers aged 40 and above. “When they said to me that there’s a penalty for Toffel, I managed the risk and controlled the race. With Doubek behind, I have to go very fast. The team then said that they [Race Art Technology] will file a protest against the penalty, so they told me to go overtake now with five laps to go. I tried again, but I’m happy to be here!”

The victory was widely celebrated by not only Cappelli, but also his team Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport. The Italian-Monegasque joint effort suffered with numerous misfortunes in the 2024 season, but the team never gave up and worked hard to give Cappelli the best car for the Oschersleben round. “We needed some confidence to finish the championship. We’re in the Playoffs, so it’s double points and it’ll be important for the championship,” co-owner Alex Caffi said in Victory Lane.

Just like with the situation that Vittorio Ghirelli had in the EuroNASCAR PRO race, Schober had to make a recovery drive after his off-track excursion. Fortunately for the Austrian, he did not find himself at the tail end of the field and had an easier recovery job in his hands. The driver of the #3 Ford Mustang minimized his losses by finishing in sixth place. One solace that Schober had is that he will get another chance of victory in EuroNASCAR 2 Playoffs 2 by setting the fastest lap, a result that will hand pole position to the RDV Competition star driver.

After qualifying a lowly fifth, Martin Doubek showed why he’s the dominant driver in the field with his second place finish. The Czech driver therefore extended his lead in the championship. Behind him, there was an exciting duel between Hendriks Motorsport teammate Gil Linster and Marko Stipp Motorsport’s Thomas Krasonis. The duo battled after the restart following a Safety Car period that was called due to an incident involving Mario Ercoli on lap 7. Krasonis initially got past Linster, but the Luxembourger struck back on lap 13 and passed the Greek driver to claim the final podium position.

Jack Davidson had a strong race and brought the Lux Motorsport pink machine to a top-5 finish. Victor Neumann was seventh and took first position in the Rookie Trophy after a competitive Saturday for the Frenchman who took over the class lead. Melvin de Groot ended up second in the Legend Trophy in eighth while Thomas Dombrowski and Julien Rehberg completed the top-10. Rehberg also finished second in the Rookie Trophy, while fellow home driver Dominique Schaak completed the podium in 12th. Michael Bleekemolen finished third in the Legend Trophy in 13th. Luli Del Castello was the top Lady Trophy driver in 15th, while Arianna Casoli completed her 100th milestone race with a clean race and a 22nd place finish.

With a total of 380 points, Doubek grew his advantage in the championship as he extended his lead to Schober from 49 points to 57 points. Linster reclaimed third with 315 points on his tally, three points ahead of Krasonis. Toffel stays inside the top-5, but only three points separate the Swiss driver from Davidson, Legend Trophy leader Cappelli and Dombrowski. Neumann has a Rookie Trophy lead of eight points, while Casoli defended first place in the Lady Trophy.

The first of the four double points paying races for EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 has been completed, so it’s time for the drivers and team to regroup and take a breather before the action continues on Sunday with Playoffs 2. EuroNASCAR 2 will go first at 10:40 CEST before EuroNASCAR PRO concludes the NASCAR GP Germany weekend at 14:25 CEST and as always, you can tune in to the races from EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and several TV networks from all around the world.