Liam Hezemans and Paul Jouffreau’s battle in the Junior Trophy are as close as ever at the end of regular season – The two former EuroNASCAR 2 champions will be the favorites to win the special classification
A weekend full of dramatic moments in the 2024 NASCAR GP Czech Republic at Autodrom Most made the already exciting Junior Trophy into one of the must see battles in the playoffs that will take place in Germany and Belgium. With Paul Jouffreau scoring his first win of the season in Round 9 on Sunday, the Frenchman has closed the gap to Trophy leader Liam Hezemans down to just two points. A set of four high stakes races will be crucial to determine who is going to be the overall winner of the special classification for drivers aged 25 and under.
Already a winner at Autodrom Most from his 2023 heroics, Jouffreau confirmed his speed at the 4.212-kilometer circuit by beating overall championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli in a tense race that had to be restarted due to an opening lap incident. The RDV Competition driver also took home the Tijey titanium ring for being the most successful driver of the event. Liam Hezemans had some misfortunes with a bad start in Round 8 and being affected by the first lap drama in Round 9, but the young Dutchman fought well to minimize his losses in the overall battle.
Third in the Junior Trophy rankings is Ryan Vargas, who took home two Trophy podiums at Most and is poised to make a large step forward as he knows the two tracks that made up the upcoming playoffs. Thomas Krasonis remains in fourth with Thomas Dombrowski rounding out the top-5 positions. Jack Davidson, Max Marzorati, Julien Rehberg and Simone Giussani completed the classifications, the latter making his EuroNASCAR PRO debut with Double V Racing at the Czech Republic.
With two rounds and four double points races remaining, it will be important for the contenders to prepare themselves when the series returns for the NASCAR GP Germany at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben on 21-22 September. All qualifying and races from the EuroNASCAR playoffs will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and several TV networks from all around the world.
Featured image by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
