Andreas Jochimsen makes a strong impression at EuroNASCAR debut
Andreas Jochimsen delivered a convincing performance upon his debut in EuroNASCAR 2 in Vallelunga and defines his goals for the rest of the season
After months of waiting due to the Corona pandemic, the Dane Andreas Jochimsen finally made his debut in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) at the Autodromo di Vallelunga in Italy. At the wheel of DF1 Racing’s #66 Chevrolet, the 22-year-old youngster followed in the footsteps of reigning EuroNASCAR 2 champion Lasse Soerensen in the EuroNASCAR 2 Championship.
The rookie drew attention with a second place in qualifying and a fifth place in the second race after a strong comeback from tenth place.
At the same time, Jochimsen achieved his first podium finish, as he finished second in the Rookie Trophy. In the first race of the EuroNASCAR 2, the Dane may even have finished third in the overall classification.
However, a small driving mistake and the subsequent collision with Dylan Derdaele ultimately caused him to retire. Nevertheless, the young Scandinavian made a strong impression on his NWES debut and was satisfied overall.
“I think it went pretty well, especially in terms of our pace,” he said to ‘Leadlap.net’. “Most of the time I was in the top 5 and I guess with the limited testing and preparation beforehand, it’s pretty close to what we hoped for. I’m taking a lot of positive things with me from my first race weekend and of course I’m trying to learn as much as I can from the negative.”
“More precisely from my mistake in race 1, where I had to retire lying in third place! All in all there were definitely more positives than negatives for me at the first NWES race in Vallelunga. I especially enjoyed the close battles on the track. A big thank you goes to the team and my partners who made this experience and this season possible for me,” he said.
Jochimsen following the trail of Soerensen?
“I only had two real test days with the car before the season started. Due to the COVID-19 situation, this was certainly not the best preparation for my first race weekend”, said Jochimsen. “It was really difficult to estimate where I would lie with my pace. But in the end I am really happy with the pace we had. The team and also Lasse [Sorensen] helped me a lot to speed up the learning process.”
Soerensen had taken over the #66 car from DF1 Racing in EuroNASCAR 2 only from the second race weekend last year, and then continuously drove circles around his opponents. At the end of 2019, Soerensen crowned himself EuroNASCAR 2 champion. Does his successor, Andreas Jochimsen, feel under pressure to defend the EuroNASCAR 2 title for his compatriot who is now competing in EuroNASCAR Pro?
“Of course I, like any other driver, have the goal of winning the championship”, the rookie says in diplomatic fashion. “The most important thing for the moment, however, is to focus from one race to the next, to get the best out of myself and to improve continuously throughout the season.”
