Speedhouse youngster Jose Penalta dominated the Rookie Challenge with commanding performance in Italy – Teammate Andreas Kuchelbacher and Daniil Shapkha completed the podium positions
- Jose Penalta secured his second Rookie Challenge win of the season
- The Spaniard was the most consistent driver in both timed sessions
- Andreas Kuchelbacher and Daniil Shapka rounded out the top-3
Can anyone match Jose Antonio Penalta? That’s a question the competition has to solve after the NASCAR GP Italy at Autodromo di Vallelunga after the Spaniard grabbed his second victory in Rookie Challenge. The Speedhouse Academy talent went one step better from his debut at home in Spain by finishing on top in both timed sessions, proving that he once again is the most consistent driver in EuroNASCAR’s time attack and regularity based division.
“The first session was really good, I made one mistake but otherwise it’s almost perfect,” said Penalta after his second win. “The second was a little bit worse, but it’s still very good. I feel great because I won again! It will help me because the goal for next year is to move up to the OPEN championship.”
Penalta bested a driver that knows his way around Rookie Challenge like the back of his hand: Andreas Kuchelbacher. The 2017 overall winner of the division showed his experience by finishing inside the top-3 both times, giving the Austrian his first podium finish of 2025. Daniil Shapkha also grabbed his first podium result after he completed a phenomenal comeback. Having finished seventh in the first session, the Team Bleekemolen driver secured enough points to overhaul his rivals with a second place in the last session.
A bonus point for having the third fastest reference time for Shapka proved to be the difference. This solitary point denied Speedhouse from a top-3 sweep, with Nuno Caetano narrowly missing out in fourth but still bringing home a solid result. Another Italian in Davide Frulio completed the top-5 ahead of Maxim van Laere, who had a challenging time in Italy despite collecting important points of the overall standings.
Mike Wise impressed with a third place result in the first session, but a tough second session relegated the American down to seventh overall. The wakeskating champion still finished ahead of the defending champion Federico Monti, Yann Cristovao, Nicole Davidson, Bruno Mulders and Happinessa, who all rounded up the final positions. Mulders, who is also doubling up in OPEN, clinched the maximum bonus points for picking the fastest reference time across all competitors.
The Rookie Challenge drivers will have to wait until NASCAR GP Czech Republic in August before they can have their next outing, but the waiting time is significantly less for the PRO and OPEN pilots as they will be going out for the Free Practice later on Friday. The two thirty-minute long sessions in each division are crucial for the Qualifying and races that will come up on Saturday and Sunday. Make sure you tune in to the NASCAR GP Italy, which is broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and numerous TV channels around the world.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
