Thomas Krasonis completed a great Saturday by clinching his first visit to the OPEN Victory Lane – Gil Linster and Patrick Schober completed the podium, a puncture eliminated Martin Doubek late in the race
- Thomas Krasonis secured his first EuroNASCAR OPEN win after six years in the making
- FCY opens the opportunity for Gil Linster to take second ahead of Patrick Schober
- Heartbreak for defending champion Martin Doubek with a late retirement
History has been made in the first OPEN race of the season at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Thomas Krasonis has long awaited the chance to make his way to the Victory Lane and after six years, the Greek driver finally fulfilled his dream. The driver of the #13 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro became the first Greek driver to win a NASCAR Euro Series race with a dominant performance in OPEN Round 1 in Spain. The victory will no doubt increase EuroNASCAR’s popularity in Greece, as Krasonis was appointed as the sport’s official ambassador in the country.
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Krasonis had to really fight for his win in the 15-lap race at Valencia. The Greek lost out to the rapid Claudio Remigio Cappelli at the start, but Krasonis kept his head cool and patiently waited for his time. On lap 5, PK Carsport’s new star man made his move in the first corner and never looked back. The 23-year old maintained a big enough cushion to survive two FCY periods and earn the early advantage in the 2025 season of the official European NASCAR championship.
“I’m sure that this is just the beginning!” said a happy Krasonis in Victory Lane. “Thanks to my sponsor, Alon Day, my PK team, my personal trainer and to everybody who managed this project. We came to the opening race very prepared, so all I have to say is that winning doesn’t come easy. I made a small mistake with the late braking in the start and I will learn from that. It’s a good experience for the race in PRO where I need to go deeper. I don’t have anything else to say, it’s been a great Saturday!”
The first of the FCY’s came in lap 11 when debutant Valentino Gambarotto spun off in the final corner. The second FCY arrived on lap 13 with major implications: Martin Doubek suffered a puncture that took the defending champion out of the race. The Czech driver was running in second when he suffered the heartbreaking retirement. Gil Linster and Patrick Schober both took advantage of this sudden turn of events, as their long brewing duel for third became a battle for second position. Their fight went down all the way to the checkered flag with the Luxembourger finishing ahead of his Austrian opponent.
Melvin de Groot unleashed his potential by going from tenth to fourth place in the dramatic race. The tall Dutchman also took the top spot in the Legend Trophy after Cappelli suffered his own puncture. Fifth went to Thomas Toffel, who was outfoxed by de Groot in the final laps. Thomas Dombrowski in sixth place clinched first position in the new Master Trophy. The Frenchman held on from category rival Sandro Tavartkiladze, who recovered from a poor start to claim an impressive seventh place finish.
Kenko Miura and Roberto Benedetti rounded up the top-3 in the Legend Trophy with their eighth and ninth place finishes. Dominique Schaak in tenth completed the Master Trophy podium. The Lady Trophy went the way of Arianna Casoli, who showed her expertise against newcomer Happinessa Racing.
With Saturday’s action completed, there will be time for fans and competitors to rest and recharge for Sunday. One more race awaits the drivers in PRO and OPEN, as always promising plenty of spectacle and drama to be witnessed as it unfolds. Make sure to not miss the action because all qualifying and races from the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series championship is broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s official YouTube channel and TV channels all around the world.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
