Rookie Trophy winner Panebianco: “I improved in the braking zones”
Alberto Panebianco won the battle in the Rookie Trophy standings in both EuroNASCAR 2 rounds at the NWES season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain – The Italian thinks he has improved in the braking zones in particular
Alberto Panebianco is one of the most promising rookies in the 2021 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES). The Italian, who competes for Not Only Motorsport in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship, took first place in the Rookie Trophy in both rounds at the opening round at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. He believes he has made significant improvements, particularly in braking.
The 24-year-old shares the car with Challenger Trophy champion Davide Dallara and finished in the top-10 twice in the first two NWES races of the 2021 season with a ninth and an eighth place. The Italian contested his first race weekend back in 2020 at Super Speedweek in Valencia, which rounded off the season back in December. That’s why Panebianco went into the first two rounds with a lot of confidence.
“We had a very strong weekend. I knew what to do as I got my first taste of EuroNASCAR in Valencia about six months ago,” said Panebianco. “Basically I knew how the track was and how the car felt there. Having two strong teammates like Davide and Naveh (Talor) helped me a lot. I was able to look at their data and see where I had room to improve.”
“In comparison to December I really improved, especially under braking as it was my weakness last year,” he continued. “But there is still a long way to go to learn and improve. We were prepared for it and we worked really hard as a team, that was the only secret.”
Panebianco is hungry for more and has set a goal of finishing on the Rookie Trophy podium in every race of the 2021 NWES season and then standing atop the podium of the special EuroNASCAR newcomer classification at Vallelunga, where the season finale is scheduled.
The next stop is the Indy Circuit at Brands Hatch. The race track in Great Britain is very short but a real challenge due to its difficult corners and massive elevation changes. The races will take place on July 3-4 and will be broadcasted live on the Facebook page of ‘Leadlap.de / Leadlap.net’.
