Villeneuve and Lemarie launch EuroNASCAR racing school
15 drivers will compete for a cockpit in the 2022 EuroNASCAR season in August 2021
Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Lemarie competed in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) since last year with their own racing team, FEED Racing. However, FEED Racing’s trail leads further back in time, with Villeneuve and Lemarie already committing to their own junior programme in 2019.
Having previously mainly sought talent for Formula 4, the way has now been paved for an exclusive EuroNASCAR racing school. Simon Pilate, a participant in the 2019 programme, proved in his rookie season that FEED Racing’s academy has a nose for young talent.
In August 2021, 15 riders from the age of 16 will be given the opportunity to showcase their skills at Magny-Cours in France. With an entry fee of €8,000 per driver, the eventual winner of the racing school is promised an all-expenses paid NWES cockpit for the 2022 season. Villeneuve and Lemarie will be supported in this endeavour by the president of European NASCAR, Jerome Galpin.
“I’ve been enjoying myself so much since 2019 in this championship”
“The EuroNASCAR car is probably the car providing the best ratio between performances, costs and fun to every kind of driver of every age”, Galpin said. “Over the years they have demonstrated to be the perfect tool to develop drivers’ skills! This is why we are very happy to open a new dimension for our EuroNASCAR cars and build this first Racing School program.”
For Formula One World champion and Indy 500 champion Villeneuve, the move to set up his own NWES drivers’ academy is apparent: “EuroNASCAR is the ideal platform for those who otherwise could not hope to drive such a car, and who knows, to win a full season.”
“I’ve been enjoying myself so much since 2019 in this championship. It’s an amazing chance for all those who want to express their talent, to take part in very close races, against a fierce competition.”
The 2022 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season will reveal who will follow in Pilate’s footsteps at FEED Racing. Pilate and Lemarie will compete together for DF1 Racing in the 2021 season, which begins in May, while Villeneuve has joined the newly formed Academy Motorsport team.
