Martin Doubek won OPEN Round 4 of the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series season at Autodromo di Vallelunga – A gearbox issue slowed him down on the last lap but he still took the checkered flag first
- Martin Doubek coasted his wounded car to the checkered grabbing the second win of the season
- The Czech suffered from a gearbox issue in the last lap
- Thomas Dombrowski and Patrick Schober fought their way onto the podium
You never know when a race is over until it’s over. That’s what Martin Doubek experienced in OPEN Round 4 at Autodromo di Vallelunga, who had a nail biting moment as he completed the final lap of the 15-lap race. A gearbox issue left the defending OPEN champion limping towards the finish line, but the Czech’s mastery of the circuit located close to Rome gave him just enough of an advantage to fend off Thomas Dombrowski and Patrick Schober and therefore grab the victory – his second in the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series season.
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Even though Doubek was unable to bring his damaged car to the Victory Lane, the Czech driver saw the fun in the issue by bringing the scooter he uses in the paddock to the podium. It’s not everyday you’ll see a Victory Lane featuring a scooter, but that’s what makes EuroNASCAR exciting for the fans: Even after a challenging race, drivers are ready to bring out the joy in their own unique ways and provide a lot of entertainment.
“I had to come to Victory Lane with a scooter,” said Doubek after the 15th OPEN win of his career. “I lost my gearbox in the last two laps. I only had first and fourth gear left and then I got stuck in fourth gear on the last lap. I had to park the car in the garage right after the race. For me, it was an amazing race. We had too many Full Course Yellows and too many restarts. But I’m happy because we managed to open a gap. We are delighted to be back on the podium.”
Just 0.665 seconds denied Thomas Dombrowski from what could have been his first victory in the OPEN division. The Frenchman praised Doubek for driving well and maintaining enough advantage on the challenging Italian asphalt. A runner-up finish was still enough for the PK Carsport driver to clinch victory in the Master Trophy. Patrick Schober impressed in numerous battles as the Austrian won plenty of them, culminating in his podium finish onboard the #3 RDV Competition Ford Mustang.
Thomas Krasonis collected important points in fourth in the PK Carsport machine and retained his advantage in the lead of the championship. Krasonis lost positions during the restarts after FCY but stated he always respected race control’s countdown. Melvin de Groot completed the top-5 and therefore won the Legend Trophy classifications for drivers aged 45 and over. Roberto Benedetti showed a promising pace with his sixth place finish and second place in the Legend Trophy, as did fellow Italian Valerio Marzi who followed behind in the overall results. Like Benedetti, Marzi was also second in the class that he participated in: the Master Trophy.
Sandro Tavartkiladze completed the Master Trophy top-3 in eighth place overall, beating his Trophy rivals Mario Ercoli and Florian Richard who rounded out the top-10. Claudio Cappelli was penalized for his contact with Bruno Mulders on lap 3, but collected silverware with his third place finish in the Legend Trophy.
Much like OPEN Round 3, the race saw numerous contacts that resulted in several FCY periods. Andres Beers and Valentino Gambarotto made contact right at Curva Grande on the opening lap, the site of Round 3’s heavy incident that brought out the red flag. Fortunately, a major crash was avoided and while Gambarotto had to retire from his home race, no other car was collected in the incident.
There were also a couple of single car incidents that the busy marshals around took care of quickly. Dominique Schaak spun the #99 Bremotion Chevrolet Camaro around, while Giovanni Faraonio had mechanical issues in his #22 Club Competition Chevrolet Camaro. Both drivers were able to rejoin the race and take the checkered flag.
After two dramatic races in the 2025 NASCAR GP Italy, Krasonis is the leading driver of the overall classification with 131 points on his account. Schober and Master Trophy leader Dombrowski are the Greek’s closest competitors sharing second with 128 points each. Melvin de Groot is fourth with 126 points leading the Legend Trophy, Sandro Tavartkiladze and Martin Doubek are tied for last spot in the top-5 with 121 points for both drivers. Arianna Casoli maintains her lead in the Lady Trophy despite not being able to participate in OPEN Round 4. The Italian driver injured her arm in Round 3’s incident and will be working towards a smooth recovery for a return later in the season.
At 14:25 CEST, the final race of the 2025 NASCAR GP Italy will be held to conclude the stunning weekend in Autodromo di Vallelunga. With PRO Round 4, the stakes are higher and the pressure is also bigger. Make sure to tune in at EuroNASCAR’s official YouTube channel and TV channels around the world if you don’t want to miss out on the action packed racing from Italy.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
