Despite ups and downs: Deodhar plans to move up to EuroNASCAR PRO
Advait Deodhar wants to make the jump to EuroNASCAR PRO after a EuroNASCAR 2 season of ups and downs
Advait Deodhar wants to stay true to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) and move up to the EuroNASCAR PRO championship in 2022. The Indian experienced many ups and downs in the 2021 season, but feels ready to take on the elite of European NASCAR racing. He has not yet revealed which team the 31-year-old will drive for.
He told ‘Leadlap.net’, “I decided at the beginning of the season to move up to the EuroNASCAR PRO Championship in 2022 if I finish in the top 3 of the EuroNASCAR 2 standings this year. We certainly would have contended for the title this year and made it into the top 3 if we hadn’t had so much bad luck with things out of my hands.”
As a result, despite a twelfth-place finish in the EuroNASCAR 2 standings, Deodhar is positive and plans to move up to EuroNASCAR PRO. “My current plan is to come back to EuroNASCAR in 2022 to compete in the PRO classification. The goal is to immediately become a race winner in the championship and battle for the title.”
Deodhar celebrates first win
Deodhar claimed his first ever NWES race win in 2021 with CAAL Racing. The Indian, who lives in London, finished first at his home circuit of Brands Hatch and parked his car in Victory Lane for the first time. “This is a dream come true,” said Deodhar. “I’ve always dreamed of coming to Europe and winning a race as well as a championship.”
That has given the 31-year-old a mighty boost in confidence, which is why he is already motivated about his challenge in the upcoming season. Sometimes the highest highs and lowest lows are incredibly close together. Deodhar was unable to fully enjoy his first NWES victory due to a family tragedy.
“I unfortunately had the high and low points of my life in one week and my life got turned upside down,” Deodhar recalled. “I lost my brother just four days after the Brands Hatch race weekend. That had an impact on everything. It was even written in the stars whether I would even finish the season. My brother would have wanted me to continue and that’s why I decided to do so.”
The Indian dogged by bad luck
But then Deodhar didn’t really get going – but mostly he had no influence on that at all or a lot of bad luck. “There was an accident on the first lap in the second race in Most, which I could have won. Then suddenly, completely unexpectedly, we didn’t have good pace in Croatia, a crash in the second race in Zolder and technical problems in Italy that forced me to retire in both races.”
“I’m the first person to admit a mistake, but it was all out of my hands,” clarified the Mumbai native. But that won’t stop Deodhar from continuing to pursue his dreams of taking on the best NASCAR drivers in Europe in 2022. The season opener will take place on April 9 and 10 at the Hockenheimring in Germany.
