NWES returnee Dumarey: As a father, I became a better race driver
Guillaume Dumarey returns to the NWES with PK Carsport in 2020 – Dumarey believes to be a better race driver as a father
“Becoming a father has definitely changed me as a person,” Guillaume Dumarey told ‘Leadlap.de’. The Belgian will return to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) in 2020 with PK Carsport and share the car with two-time EuroNASCAR champion Alon Day. In 2018 Dumarey became a father, which had a great impact on his life.
“Becoming a father definitely changed me as a person. I became better in putting things in perspective and I improved in distinguishing the essentials from the side events,” said Dumarey in the exclusive interview. “I think this should help me to become even more focused as a racing driver.” Dumarey raced in the 2017 and 2018 NWES season and scored two race wins, three pole positions and eight podiums in 20 starts.
Especially the race weekend in Zolder 2018 was something very special for the PK Carsport driver, because he had just become a father. At that time he took the pole position for the NWES race and the victory in the second round. He remembered: “The race weekend was really a great success.”
After a break in 2019, Dumarey will start in the 2020 season again as a full-time driver for the Belgian top team of Anthony Kumpen and this from conviction: “In 2019, I wanted to try something different. Very quickly I realised that the EuroNASCAR is a great platform for every kind of racing driver. I also watched every EuroNASCAR race of 2019 online. So, yes I was missing the series and I’m very happy to be back in 2020.”
Level in 2020 extremely high
In 2020 Dumarey expects a very strong field of experienced NWES veterans and talented newcomers in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship (EN2). “I saw some names and yes for sure it will be a very big competition next year. As long as it is hard but fair, I’m very happy,” he said.#
The runner-up in the EN2 in 2017 still has big goals for the new season: “I’m surrounded by real professionals. I’m on the same car with Alon Day, coached by Anthony Kumpen and supported by the team and infrastructure of PK Carsport. This brings some expectations and of course I will try to go for the win in every race again.”
Meticulous preparation important
Personal preparation is an important key to success, even though Dumarey is not a person who wants to forego anything: “I’m a Belgian, so I love to wine and dine. But to compensate this lifestyle, I do sports three to four times a week: a well balanced weekly sports schedule with weight lifting, endurance and interval training. Important for me during race weekends is to be mentally well balanced. If I’m stressed, nothing works.”
In addition to physical fitness, knowledge about the car and the track is also extremely important. Dumarey also has a clear approach there: “When I go to new tracks, I usually try them first on the simulator. For example I tried already Vallelunga. Unfortunately I haven’t found Most on my simulator yet. But to be honest, I’m not a great fan of sim racing. I like more the real stuff.”
But there is more: “Within the team, we do focus both on the onboard video analysis and the data from the car. The combination of these two things help me to improve and close the gap with the PRO drivers.” That means you need to work hard to become a successful EuroNASCAR driver.
A look at the private person
Of course, Dumarey also loves fast cars in his private life, which is why he also drives a real eye-catcher for the public roads: “My love for fast cars made me invest and combine a tuning shop (Heinz Performance) and a tyre shop (Banden MD) on one location in Belgium close to Ghent. I need to be an example to our customers. Currently I drive a Mercedes G-Class V8 with a Akrapovic exhaust system. I love the sound of V8 engines!”
In times of the coronavirus crisis, Dumarey has an important message to all fans and spectators: “I’m really looking forward to the 2020 season, but I’m afraid we won’t be racing until after summer. At the end, the most important is that we all stay safe and we do what is necessary to kill COVID-19.” Due to the pandemic the races in Valencia and Brands Hatch have already been postponed.
