EuroNASCAR 2 championship with ups and downs: Gil Linster not satisfied with season
In 2022, Gil Linster has returned to racing full-time in the NWES – But the Luxembourger is anything but happy with how the season has gone
Gil Linster made his comeback to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) in 2021 after retiring from the championship after the 2018 season to move to US racing in the States – but the pandemic threw a wrench in his plans. In 2022, the Luxembourger again competed for CAAL Racing – as he had done in 2017 and 2018.
However, he was not really satisfied with the season. “Many thanks to my team, many thanks to the mechanics for the work they have done all season, but that does not count as a good season,” he tells ‘Leadlap.net’.
Yet the start of the season could hardly have gone better for Linster. Although the racer from Frisange was not physically at one hundred percent, which had massively hindered the preparation of the Luxembourger, it was enough for fourth and fifth place in Valencia. In Great Britain, however, there was the first setback. At Brands Hatch, it was not enough for more than eleventh and 18th place – also because of numerous penalties against the 29-year-old.
Things went better again at the Autodromo di Vallelunga. For Linster, however, it was his first visit to the track near Rome. Accordingly, the Luxembourger had a difficult time and also had to deal with technical issues. In the first race he had to park his car due to a defect in the spark plugs and was only classified in 23rd place. In the second race, things went better with eighth place.
And his form continued to show an upward trend in the coming races. At the Autodrom Most, Linster finished in seventh and fourth place. In Zolder, the Luxembourger even took his maiden pole position, but was beaten in the race by Liam Hezemans. He stood on the EuroNASCAR 2 overall podium for the first time and let himself be celebrated. The joy did not last long, however, as he had “engine problems” again on Sunday. In the end, he ended up in 23rd place.
And also at the season finale at the Automotodrom Grobnik, things did not go smoothly. “That was the most terrible weekend this year. It started badly, already in free practice we had problems with the setup,” says the Luxembourger. On top of that, his teammate Niccolo Rocca crashed into the wall in practice. Obviously, more damage had occurred, but the team was unable to find out what the problem was.
In the first race, however, it was still enough for 13th place. In the second race, Linster only finished 23rd after an accident at the start, when he collided with the Austrian Patrick Schober. “The track is too fast to drive along and be fast without a rear spoiler and a straight car,” Linster emphasizes.
Despite the mixed season, however, the Luxembourger is happy to be back in EuroNASCAR. In 2023, he wants to fully attack again both in the USA and in Europe. In EuroNASCAR 2, the goal is clear: “Next year, it’s one hundred percent for the championship. So I’m not coming here to race for top-5 finishes anymore, because after Zolder I know we can do better!”
