NWES 2022: Hendriks brings new Hezemans and Dauenhauer into the team
Hendriks Motorsport has announced the driver pairing for the #50 Ford Mustang – Liam Hezemans joins Tobias Dauenhauer on the team
The Hezemans era in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) is entering the next round: After Loris Hezemans won the EuroNASCAR PRO title for the second time last year, his younger brother Liam Hezemans is now joining the official European NASCAR series. The 18-year-old will compete in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship and share the car with Tobias Dauenhauer from Germany, who is moving up to the EuroNASCAR PRO category.
Liam Hezemans does not yet have a driver’s license and has no previous experience in automobile racing. The young Dutchman comes to NWES directly from karting and has already tested the V8 car extensively during the November recruiting program. Liam Hezemans succeeds his brother Loris, who will focus on his US NASCAR career in the Xfinity and Cup Series – with Team Hezeberg – in 2022.
“I’m really looking forward to the new tasks, I was able to do a few laps in EuroNASCAR in France in November 2021 and it was tremendous. No technical aids, no ABS, no traction control, no ASR and no ESP, the driver is the only thing that matters here!”
His father Toine Hezemans, who founded Cup Team Hezeberg with his friend and business partner Ernst Berg, is proud to have brought another offspring into EuroNASCAR: “I’m looking forward to Liam’s start in EuroNASCAR. Although he doesn’t have a driver’s license yet, he can start in international races in EuroNASCAR 2 and together with Tobias Dauenhauer in EuroNASCAR PRO, he also wants to aim for podium places.”
For Dauenhauer, it’s off to the top category of the NWES in the 2022 season: the German has left a mark in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship over the past two years, claiming two second-place finishes. Dramatically, the title slipped out of his hands in each of the last races of the season. With the promotion to the EuroNASCAR PRO championship, the Heppenheim native wants to take the next step in his young NASCAR career.
“I’m looking forward to starting again for Hendriks Motorsport this year, a very experienced team,” said the German. “I’ve trained hard over the winter, so I can’t wait to see my performances in Hockenheim in April and aim for some podiums, maybe even some wins soon in 2022!”
Hendriks Motorsport won both drivers’ and team titles last year and now has the mammoth task of defending all of them. Team boss Roy Hendriks is optimistic about the upcoming season, which starts at Hockenheim on April 9 and 10. The Dutchman is satisfied with the driver pairing, especially because Liam Hezemans would bring “the right blood type”: “Hezemans+!”
