Vladimiros Tziortzis achieved a feat that no one had ever achieved before in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series history with his stunning performance in NASCAR GP Spain’s Qualifying sessions. By becoming the fastest driver to clock the 4.005 km long Circuit Ricardo Tormo in both EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2, the Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport racer became the first driver to secure pole positions in both EuroNASCAR championships on the same weekend.
The Spanish venue delivered many firsts for the Cypriot driver in the past as well. Tziortzis had previously scored his first podium finish at Valencia in 2020 and claimed his first win in the same venue in the 2022 season. With two races coming up on Saturday, there is going to be excitement and plenty of drama to keep the fans on their feet during the Valencia NASCAR Fest.
EuroNASCAR PRO: A maiden pole position for Tziortzis
Tziortzis finished fourth in the 15-minute Q1 session to qualify for Superpole, the 5-minute dash for the pole position in EuroNASCAR PRO. The 26-year-old put the hammer down in the decisive session, beating reigning EuroNASCAR 2 Champion Liam Hezemans in the #50 Ford by just 0.067 seconds. The Hendriks Motorsport driver was second in the Junior Trophy standings. The top-3 were separated by just 0.073 seconds, with Vittorio Ghirelli of Team Bleekemolen in third. The Italian had a strong final attempt in Superpole, but a small mistake in the challenging final corner cost him a potential pole position.
“I can’t believe it, but the hard work paid off!” said Tziortzis, who also was on top of the Junior Trophy standings, the special classification for drivers aged 25 and more. “Until yesterday we suffered from many issues like understeer and oversteer, but in the last session we kept pushing and fighting as much as possible. I think all of the team deserves it, but we keep pushing because in a few minutes I’m jumping back in for EuroNASCAR 2!”
CAAL Racing’s Gianmarco Ercoli followed in fourth 0.187 seconds off the leaders pace, while Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, who topped the Q1 session, rounded out the top-5. Giorgio Maggi, the reigning Junior Trophy Champion racing for Race Art Technology, finished sixth ahead of RDV Competition’s Frederic Gabillon, who wasn’t happy with the result in Qualifying. The Frenchman stated that he already reached the peak of his Hoosier Racing Tires on a track that was very demanding due to the fast turns and high temperatures under the Spanish sun.
Two-time NWES Champion Anthony Kumpen was eighth in his comeback with PK Carsport at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, edging out Lucas Lasserre and Marc Goossens. The Club Motorsport’s Riccardo Romagnoli was the fastest Challenger Trophy driver – the special classification for bronze and silver drivers – in twelfth. The Italian ended up behind Ulysse Delsaux, who missed out on Superpole by 0.381 seconds in Q1. Advait Dheodar was second in the Challenger Trophy ranks in 14th overall, while Massimiliano Lanza rounded out the top-3 in 16th out of 28 drivers out on the 4.005 kilometer long track.
EuroNASCAR 2: Tziortzis secures the double
Tziortzis was on his A-game again in EuroNASCAR 2, clocking a phenomenal 1:41.637-lap in the 20-minutes long qualifying session. RDV Competition’s Paul Jouffreau, who did a lot of karting in the Comunitat Valenciana as a kid, ended up second 0.212 seconds off the polesetter’s pace. Legend Trophy title contender Claudio Cappelli grabbed his best qualifying result in his EuroNASCAR career in fourth place, right behind 2022 EuroNASCAR 2 runner-up Alberto Naska who was third in his #54 CAAL Racing Chevrolet. The two were ahead of Hendriks Motorsport’s Gil Linster from Luxembourg.
“We did what we did before, we still keep pushing and improving because everyone will keep improving from now on,” comments the Cypriot driver after his historic performance. “Let’s get as many points as possible this afternoon! Having a good start in both races, clean race and consistency on a lap to lap basis will be the key.”
Riccardo Romagnoli ended up sixth in Qualifying, snatching second place in the Legend Trophy for drivers aged 40 and more. The Italian bested Double V Racing’s Patrick Schober, who made a spectacular comeback after a tough Friday. The #27 Ford Mustang suffered from two engine failures and therefore the Austrian, who was born in Spain, didn’t have a lot of track time in Free Practice. The 18-year-old was happy with the pace of his car and is looking to improve the pace during the two races on Saturday and Sunday.
2021 EuroNASCAR 2 Champion Martin Doubek put his #7 Hendriks Motorsport Ford in eighth position ahead of Michael Bleekemolen, the oldest driver on the grid at the age of 72, who also grabbed third place among the Legend Trophy drivers. Vict Motorsport’s Dario Caso completed the top-10 as Team Bleekemolen’s Thomas Dombrowski topped the Rookie Trophy standings in eleventh place. Thomas Toffel was second in the special classification in 13th overall, while Jack Davidson rounded out the top-3 for newcomers in EuroNASCAR 2.
The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will kick off with the EuroNASCAR PRO Round 1 at 13:30 CEST. The EuroNASCAR 2 drivers will be back in action at 17:10 CEST for their first race of what promises to become a spectacular year of pure racing. All races will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several TV services from all around the world. Buckle up for the roaring thunder of the unique V8 beasts without any electronic aids, 400 horsepower and H-pattern gear shift at one of the best tracks around Europe.
NWES PR
