Three podiums in a row: Swiss Giorgio Maggi gains massive momentum
For the third time in a row, Giorgio Maggi has finished on the podium in the EuroNASCAR PRO – He also won the Junior Trophy for the fourth time
Things are going well for Giorgio Maggi in the 2022 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES): The Swiss driver finished on the podium for the third time in a row in Italy and secured victory in the Junior Trophy for drivers up to and including the age of 25 for the fourth time at the Autodromo di Vallelunga. In the overall standings, the Race Art Technology driver is tied with Alexander Graff on points in fourth place.
The 2019 EuroNASCAR 2 runner-up now feels at one with the machine provided to him by the Race Art Technology team from Switzerland. After numerous attempts to optimize the setup, the Toyota Camry now seems to do exactly what the 25-year-old needs to keep up with the leaders. At Brands Hatch he already clinched second place behind Graff and in Italy he went one better.
Maggi thundered around the circuit in the number 18 car on both Saturday and Sunday, keeping pace with the top drivers. In qualifying, the Swiss secured third place on the grid for Saturday’s EuroNASCAR PRO race. He got off to a good start and finished a strong second behind three-time NWES champion Alon Day. On Sunday, it was enough for Maggi to finish a solid third.
With his four Junior Trophy wins in a row, he now clearly leads the special classification ahead of Thomas Krasonis. However, Maggi also benefits from the fact that Tobias Dauenhauer from Germany has already missed two events in the 2022 NWES season – one due to a coronavirus infection, one for financial reasons. If Dauenhauer were in the mix, there would surely be a heated exchange between the two youngsters.
“It was a difficult race because I didn’t get a good start on the outside lane. I was on the outside lane at turn 2, which is not a good idea here. I was pushed out a bit and lost momentum on the backstretch. That cost me a few positions, but we never stopped fighting. I fought with Martin Doubek for a long time, it took me a while to pass him. My pace was better, but it wasn’t easy.”
The Swiss is confident that he can now attack at the top of the EuroNASCAR PRO championship: “I pushed the car to the limits and the tires were overheating. Because of the heat, it wasn’t an easy task in the car, especially during the safety car phases it got very hot. But we have a fast car now and I’m very happy with the two podiums. It looks like we have a strong package for the upcoming races.”
The NWES is stuck in summer break for now after the NASCAR GP of Italy. So the drivers have a chance to recover, continue to work on their skills and test before heading to Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic on Sept. 3-4. Maggi has already won an EuroNASCAR 2 race there in 2019. The Race Art Technology driver now has the big goal of taking the momentum with him and claiming his first win in EuroNASCAR PRO.
