Vittorio Ghirelli put his title defense plan back on track with his first victory in the 2025 PRO season – The Italian held off the late challenge from Liam Hezemans
- Ghirelli won PRO Round 4 in front of his fans and sponsors
- The champion efficiently fended off attacks from Liam Hezemans
- The Italian closed his deficit to Paul Jouffreau in the overall standings battle
Thousands of Italian tifosi visited the Autodromo di Vallelunga to witness their Italian racing hero claim his first victory in the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series PRO season. Vittorio Ghirelli masterfully drove the #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro to the Victory Lane after 18 laps of action in PRO Round 4 at Italy. The defending PRO champion aims to retain his crown and the strong victory at home served as a reminder to his opponents that the driver from Fasano is always the man to beat in the battle for the title.
“It was a really hard race,” said Ghirelli once he finished his emotional celebration. “Liam was very fast, but I didn’t really make any mistakes. He was on fresher tires and it was tough to keep the rhythm. I tried to cool down the tires for a few laps, but then they overheated again. I was sideways around every corner, I really fought for this one but I’m so happy. Thanks to my sponsors for all their support here, I have around 100 people, friends and sponsors who came to support me. The team deserved this, we struggled in the beginning of the season but the car is now spot on thanks to PK Carsport!”
Ghirelli managed his pace well and did not let Liam Hezemans by. The Dutchman on the other hand put pressure on Ghirelli throughout the race, but chose to play the long game and secure the important championship points after losing a lot of ground due to a technical issue on Saturday. The Rette Jones Racing driver also won the duel in Junior Trophy ahead of Thomas Krasonis, who completed the overall podium in another brilliant performance for the Greek youngster.
There was no need for scooters for Martin Doubek this time after he finished fourth thanks to the quick work by the Hendriks Motorsport mechanics to repair his car following the Czech driver’s late gearbox trouble in the OPEN race earlier on Sunday. Gianmarco Ercoli fought off challenges from both Paul Jouffreau and Claudio Cappelli to secure a top-5 result. Jouffreau completed the Junior Trophy podium while Cappelli was victorious in the battle for the Challenger Trophy, the class for elite amateur drivers.
Fabrizio Armetta held off Garrett Lowe to secure a strong eighth place finish in Club Competition’s home race. Vladimiros Tziortzis rounded out the top-10 to continue his consistent start with the Cypriot’s new team Speedhouse. A three-wide situation including Sebastiaan Bleekemolen in the opening lap forced the Dutchman to make a recovery drive up to 11th position.
Bleekemolen finished ahead of Bruno Mulders, who was given an unexpected chance for a debut in EuroNASCAR’s top division. Michael Bleekemolen sat out the race and handed over the keys to the #72 Toyota Camry to Team Bleekemolen’s young protege, who has made a great impression in the OPEN division. Max Lanza and Davit Kajaia filled the top-3 positions in the Challenger Trophy in 14th and 16th.
The conclusion of the titanic battle in the 2025 NASCAR GP Italy saw the return of two familiar faces at the front of the overall standings: Jouffreau and Ghirelli. Three points separate the two drivers, Jouffreau having the upper hand with 145 points. The Frenchman also leads the Junior Trophy ahead of Krasonis, who is only four points behind. Ercoli and Bleekemolen complete the top-5 positions while Cappelli moves to the lead of Challenger Trophy in 13th overall.
NASCAR Euro Series returns on 7-8 June for another edition of everyone’s favorite event at Brands Hatch: The American SpeedFest 12. Already EuroNASCAR’s most popular round in the calendar, the weekend promises to deliver an even more spectacular event in 2025. Tune in to the action from EuroNASCAR’s official YouTube channel, where you are also able to watch the race replays on-demand. Highlights will also be broadcasted on TV channels all around the world, so don’t miss out when they go on air.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
