Naveh Talor put his name on the list of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race winners in EuroNASCAR 2 Round 9 at Circuit Zolder and gave his team Not Only Motorsport its maiden win in Europe’s official NASCAR Series. After three-time NWES Champion Alon Day, the 20-year-old is the second Israeli to celebrate an EuroNASCAR win. Talor made the decisive move on pole sitter Vladimiros Tziortzis right at the start and then led all 15 laps. Championship leader Tobias Dauenhauer finished third behind title contender Martin Doubek.
“I’m so happy, it has been a long time coming. Since joining the series in 2019, I have been trying and trying. This year I’m way more confident in the car and the team gave me a great ride. I’m so happy and I want to thank my team Not Only Motorsport, my family and my girlfriend. I’m speechless and so, so happy,” said Talor. “I focused on having a good start and as I never started from the front row, I studied the rules very carefully to prevent any kind of penalty. I made the move and got the lead. From then on, it was the longest race of my life. I was looking at the lap counter, but it felt like the laps were not counting down. When I saw the checkered flag, it was just a relief.”
EURONASCAR 2 RESULTS: FIRST PRACTICE | FINAL PRACTICE | QUALIFYING | ROUND 9
When the green flag waved, Talor got pastTziortzis at the wheel of the #1 Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport Ford Mustang. The Israeli managed to open a big gap on his chasers and be the first under the checkered flag after 15 eventful laps. The driver of the #90 Not Only Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro let out all of his emotion, when he parked his car in Victory Lane to jump on the highest step of the EuroNASCAR 2 podium. Behind Talor, drama struck for Tziortzis.
After losing the lead, Tziortzis was put under pressure by Hendriks Motorsport driver Doubek. The Cypriot had to let the Czech go on lap 4 in turn 4. On the back straight, Doubek’s teammate Tobias Dauenhauer also made a move on Tziortzis to take over third place and the #1 Mustang also collided with a tire barrier at the Villeneuve Chicane. Hendriks Motorsport teammates and title contenders were not able to catch up with Talor but scored important points by finishing second and third. Dauenhauer will start from pole in Sunday’s race thanks to the fastest lap in Round 9.
Brands Hatch winner Advait Deodhar also overtook Tziortzis during the race to conquer fourth place at the wheel of his #56 CAAL Racing Ford Mustang. In the end, the Academy Motorsport / Alex Caffi Motorsport driver had to settle for fifth despite having scored his maiden EuroNASCAR pole in the morning. Double V Racing’s Pierluigi Veronesi followed in sixth ahead of PK Carsport’s Pol van Pollaert.
Vict Motorsport’s Leonardo Colavita ended up ninth scoring his maiden Rookie Trophy win in his third EuroNASCAR 2 start. Massimiliano Lanza not only closed the top-10 but also won the race in the Legend Trophy ranks at the wheel of the #88 CAAL Racing Chevrolet Camaro. He edged Yevgen Sokolovskiy, who was second in the special classification for drivers aged 40 and over, by 1.587 seconds. Vict Racing’s Paolo Valeri rounded out the Legend Trophy podium and also the Rookie Trophy behind Alberto Panebianco.
Several drivers hit trouble during the 15-lap race: first Melvin de Groot lost his Rookie and Legend Trophy lead on lap 7 due to a technical issue. New Rookie Trophy leader Leevi Lintukanto had to park his car off the track, while Justin Kunz, Gil Linster and Arianna Casoli had to retire early. In the end, Solaris Motorsport’s Alina Loibnegger won the race in the Lady Trophy after an animated battle with Casoli.
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will be back in action on Sunday with two more exciting races coming up. EuroNASCAR 2 Round 10 will start at 11:00 am CET, while the second EuroNASCAR PRO will go green at 3.55 pm CET. All races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s platforms – YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, NWES App – and Motorsport.tv.
NWES PR
