Interview: Autospeedway youngster Nico Storb facing last Ministox season
Nico Storb will contest his last season in the Autospeedway Junioren class in 2021 – Afterwards, he will have to decide which new category he will join
Autospeedway offers a total of two classes in which youngsters can gain their first racing experience in order to build a career in Dutch oval racing. In addition to the F2 Juniors, there are also the so-called Ministox, which are called Junioren on some circuits. In the past, each track had its own regulations, but finally there is the possibility to race with one car on all ovals.
Nico Storb will contest his last season in the Ministox class in 2021. The 15-year-old will try to attack at the top and take home as many trophies as possible once again. For the 2022 season, Storb will be spoilt for choice: Which class will the youngster choose? ‘Leadlap.net’ spoke to the talent.
André Wiegold: “Hello Nico, how long have you been active in the Ministox class?”
Nico Storb: “It’s my third season now. I got the new car, a Toyota Starlet, just before Christmas as a reward for my performance at school. Then I was allowed to build up the car myself. So I had to remove everything superfluous, rebuild the car and adapt it to the regulations. If I needed help, my family was there, of course. And then the Toyota slowly became a Ministox race car.”
André Wiegold: “So you learned all the basics yourself because you had to build the car yourself?”
Nico Storb: “Yes, I learned the car from the ground up. I know exactly what I’m looking at. I also really appreciate what we did there in the winter.”
André Wiegold: “What have been your biggest successes in the Ministox class so far?”
Nico Storb: “I’ve gained a lot of experience first, of course. I learned how to find the right setup and got a lot of help in the process. That’s the only way to have success in the class. I took the day’s win in the last race of 2019 at the Midland Circuit in Lelystad. I’ve also raced two or three times at Ter Apel and things didn’t go too badly there either.”
André Wiegold: “The competition is strong and there are up to 30 cars on the grid on a race weekend, what are your goals in 2021? Where will you be racing?”
Nico Storb: “In the last season that I am still allowed to drive in the class, I will drive on all tracks – meaning Posterholt, Ter Apel and Lelystad. Posterholt has changed the regulations so we can race there with those cars as well. My goal is to win the Flevo Cup in Lelystad. I also want to finish as high up as possible in all the rankings. I’m focusing on both the track championships and the special races.”
André Wiegold: “Your father competes in the National Hotrods, your brother competes in Formula Toyota, where are you drawn to after the Ministox?”
Nico Storb: “My dream class is Stockcar F2, it always has been. But I see myself first at the Continental Stockrods in Lelystad. We’ll have to see how the class develops there. That’s a new category with right-hand drive, races clockwise and it is based on the British model. I dream of racing in England one day, just like my father.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, autospeedway racing in the Netherlands is currently at a standstill. But as soon as the gates open again for drivers, teams and spectators, the Storb family will be back at full throttle on the ovals. The interview with Marcus Storb, Nico’s father, is available here.
