Germany, Austria, Switzerland: These are the EuroNASCAR protagonists in 2023
The 2023 EuroNASCAR season is in the starting blocks – These are the German-speaking drivers and teams from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) season will kick off on May 5-7, 2023 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, and numerous German-speaking protagonists will compete in the two championships as well as in the regularity test. In addition to many familiar faces, a number of newcomers will also be making their EuroNASCAR debuts. So German-speaking fans will have a multi-faceted choice to find a favorite among the approximately 50 drivers.
The team with the longest tradition is Marko Stipp Motorsport from Germany: As in the 2022 season, the racing team will be fielding the two Chevrolet Camaros with starting numbers 46 and 48, which in contrast to last year will be seen on the track in a new black design. The driver line-up has also changed significantly. Team boss Marko Stipp relies on Miguel Gomes and Thomas Krasonis in EuroNASCAR PRO.
Gomes only celebrated his ARCA debut at Daytona International Speedway in February and therefore travels to Spain with a lot of self-confidence. The Portuguese is competing in the top NWES league for the first time and is fighting for the Challenger Trophy. Krasonis is the first of four newcomers to the racing team, but the Greek already has many years of experience in the European NASCAR series. He shares the car with Nick Schneider, a German with Brazilian roots who is making his EuroNASCAR 2 debut.
Jack Davidson from the United Kingdom was confirmed at the last minute by the team for the second division. His compatriot Gordon Barnes will try to defend his title in Club Challenge. The two-time champion faces Alain Mosqueron, who, like the Briton, has already won the regularity test twice. Another debutant, Victor Neumann from France, joins Stipp’s German team.
Speedhouse Racing from France has Matthias Hauer, a true NASCAR enthusiast from Germany, in its ranks. The lawyer from near Frankfurt am Main drives the Ford Mustang with the starting number 40, as he did last season, and is considered an important part of Lucas Lasserre’s team. Hauer is one of the Legend Trophy drivers in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship, competing for the special classification for drivers aged 40 and over.
Patrick Schober and Viktor Schiffer race for Double V Racing in EuroNASCAR 2 and Club Challenge respectively. The two Austrians are eager to establish themselves at the top of the rankings and bring home some trophies. Schober recorded his first solid results with the Italians in his rookie season in 2022 and impressed with strong overtaking maneuvers on the track. Schiffer already celebrated his Club Challenge debut in Croatia and is looking to gain further V8 experience in the 2023 season.
Racingfuel Motorsport from Switzerland will again field two cars after its debut season. Alina Loibnegger from Austria moves up to EuroNASCAR PRO in the number 94 car and shares it with Nicholas Strickler from the USA, who is competing in the NWES for the first time. Christopher Lenz, another Austrian on the team, also races in EuroNASCAR PRO and teams up with youngster Maximilian Mason from Australia. This completes the lineup of team boss Ferruccio Finkbohner.
EuroNASCAR PRO title contender Giorgio Maggi has extended his contract with Race Art Technology from Switzerland. The Swiss from Hergiswil will once again compete with the number 18 car and share the car with Italian Claudio Cappelli. The 25-year-old won the Junior Trophy in the 2022 season and wants to take the next step in 2023, win a PRO race and fight for the NWES title.
His teammate Thomas Toffel from Switzerland will compete in both championships in the number 34 car. The 31-year-old is looking to establish himself in the NWES with his double duty program. He will also compete in the Club Challenge to get additional track time. The team is also relying on Swiss driver Fatio Edouard, who will be in an NWES car for the first time, to fight for points in the regularity test.
Luxembourg’s Gil Linster, who lives in Saarland, is racing for the EuroNASCAR 2 title with Hendriks Motorsport in the No. 50 car. Linster shares the car with current champion Liam Hezemans, who is moving up to EuroNASCAR PRO. Bremotion from Germany has canceled his participation in the season opener. All races of the season opener in Spain will be broadcast live on the EuroNASCAR YouTube channel. There will also be a summary of the races with German commentary (commentator: André Wiegold) on MotorvisionTV.
