Piquet jr. to start in TitansRX Championship - Speedway Digest

Nelson Piquet Jr. is the next big name on the grid of the brand-new TitansRX Rallycross Series. The 2014/15 Formula E World Champion and former Formula 1 driver will compete on four race weekends. Nelson said: “I’m very happy to be joining TitansRX. I love all forms of motorsport and I really enjoyed competing in rallycross in America a few years ago, so it will be great to get back behind the wheel of a rallycross car. We’re going to have a lot of fun!”

“It is truly a dream come true to see the starting field of TitansRX Europe 2019 go from great to fantastic! I am so proud to welcome Nelson Piquet Jun. to the series. He has already got some Supercar Rallycross experience and should be a great contender for some cool battles for a podium slot,” TitansRX Series promoter Max J. Pucher was delighted.

With motor racing in his blood, it’s no surprise Piquet jr. has continued the family tradition. Having started his career in South American karting, he won the Formula Three Sudamericana, the British Formula 3 Championship, and secured the runner-up spot in the GP2 Series behind Lewis Hamilton, before graduating to a test driver role with Renault F1 in 2007. He earned himself the race seat for 2008 alongside Fernando Alonso where his performances, including a second-place-finish in the German GP, helped the team secure fourth place in the constructors’ championship. He continued with the team into 2009.

From 2010, Nelson began pursuing a career in NASCAR. He became the first Brazilian to win a top tier NASCAR race taking victory at Road America in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2012. In 2014, he took a full-time ride in the Global Rallycross Championship, impressing with four podiums in his debut season and a race win in 2015. Later that year, he was announced for the inaugural 2014/15 season of the FIA Formula E Championship, which saw his return to single-seater competition. Nelson took the overall championship title, scoring race victories at Long Beach and Moscow along the way. In 2016, he recorded a class win at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours. He currently also races full time in Brazilian Stock Car Championship.

“As Nelson will not be able to take part in the full series, he will share his car with Alex Wurz, who is also battling time clashes. Nelson will race in Essay, Lydden Hill, the MJP Arena, and in Nyirad, while Alex will pilot the car in Montalegre and at the Estering. So, wherever fans join us at the track, they will meet motorsport’s best and see them battling it out on an even playing field. What a spectacle it will be,” Pucher added.

Author
Recent Posts

Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.