Francesco Garisto’s first NWES season: Coronavirus forced him to change teams
Francesco Garisto made his EuroNASCAR debut in the 2020 season – Due to positive coronavirus cases within his team, he had to race on two different organisations
It wasn’t an easy debut season for Francesco Garisto in the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES), for that the Italian signed a contract with 42 Racing to compete in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship. The team was unable to contest the rounds in Grobnik, Croatia, and Valencia, Spain, because mechanics tested positive for the coronavirus.
Accordingly, Garisto had to quickly find a solution. In the end, the 18-year-old found a place in the German racing team Marko Stipp Motorsport, for which he raced in the NASCAR GP of Croatia and Super Speedweek in Spain. Despite the difficult conditions, the Italian cut a good figure.
In Zolder, Garisto stood on the EuroNASCAR 2 podium and won the Rookie Trophy for the first time. “That was of course my absolute highlight in 2020,” Garisto told ‘Leadlap.net’. He finished seven out of ten races inside the top 10, which was enough for ninth place in the overall standings and fourth position in the Rookie Trophy.
“Of course, you always have to get used to the new car when you change teams, so that wasn’t easy,” Garisto explains. “But I always take the positives with me, because this situation gave me the experience of driving for a foreign team. This experience was an important impression for me.”
Garisto is satisfied with his results overall, even though “technical issues with the cars” and “some penalties” set him back. But the learning curve showed a steady, steep upward trend. “If the sponsors go along, I will of course compete in the NWES again in 2021,” said Garisto about his future plans. The entire interview with the Italian is available on the YouTube channel of ‘Leadlap.de’.
