Liam Hezemans and Thomas Krasonis set the early pace with their best lap times in free practice – Major championship contenders PK Carsport and RDV Competition experienced setbacks
- Liam Hezemans beat Gianmarco Ercoli by just 0.035 seconds in PRO
- Thomas Krasonis set the pace in OPEN
- Thomas Dombrowski was involved in a violent incident in Paddock Hill Bend
The 12th edition of the popular American SpeedFest at the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit roared to life on Friday with Free Practice for both NASCAR Euro Series divisions. Liam Hezemans topped the combined times in PRO with a strong performance for Rette Jones Racing, while PK Carsport’s Thomas Krasonis led the way in OPEN. The day was marred by a violent crash for Thomas Dombrowski, whose #24 Chevrolet Camaro suffered a technical issue and flipped three times after slamming into the tire barriers at Paddock Hill Bend. The Frenchman exited the car under his own power and, after an initial check at the track-side medical center, was sent to hospital for further evaluation of his leg.
PRO: Just a few centimeters
Liam Hezemans was the driver to beat on Friday at Brands Hatch, setting the pace in both free practice sessions at the legendary Indy Circuit. The Dutchman clocked a blistering lap of 48.901 seconds behind the wheel of his #30 Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang, edging out Gianmarco Ercoli of Alumitec Racing by just 0.035 seconds. Ercoli, a former PRO winner at Brands Hatch in 2018, showed strong early pace on a track he knows well. Hezemans’ lap not only topped the combined timesheets but also secured him the fastest time in the Junior Trophy classification.
Thomas Krasonis also impressed for PK Carsport, finishing third and only 0.079 seconds off the top time. Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Fabrizio Armetta followed in fourth and fifth, with just 0.140 seconds covering the top-5 positions in a tightly contested session. British fan favorite and 2024 OPEN race winner Jack Davidson used his home-track experience to slot into sixth place, just ahead of Martin Doubek and young gun Bruno Mulders. Mulders adapted quickly on his first weekend as a double duty competitor after his surprise PRO debut on Round 04 in Italy.
Max Lanza led the way in the Challenger Trophy in ninth, while Claudio Cappelli completed the top-10. Garrett Lowe ended the day in 11th, just ahead of reigning EuroNASCAR PRO champion Vittorio Ghirelli, who was sidelined for the second session following the heavy crash of his teammate Thomas Dombrowski in the OPEN division.
The day wasn’t without more drama. Paul Jouffreau suffered a major setback when the engine let go on his #3 RDV Competition Ford Mustang. With teammate Patrick Schober also missing valuable track time, the French squad faces a steep climb heading into Saturday. But in EuroNASCAR, anything is possible and the duo is hoping to turn their misfortune into the beginning of a remarkable comeback story.
OPEN: Race winners led the charge
Two drivers have won the races in OPEN in 2025 so far: Thomas Krasonis and Martin Doubek. After two practice sessions at Brands Hatch, both drivers became the leading pace setters heading to Saturday’s OPEN qualifying. Doubek was the early leader with his first lap time of 49.265, but the reigning champion was beaten by his new fierce rival Krasonis in the second Practice session. Krasonis clocked a quick lap of 49.030 that put the PK Carsport driver on top of the combined timesheets.
Mulders utilized the extra track time that he got by doing double duty to great effect in OPEN. The Team Bleekemolen driver was third fastest with only two tenths separating him from Krasonis. The young Dutchman was also the quickest in the Master Trophy. Thomas Toffel rebounded from his crash in Italy to become the fourth fastest pilot ahead of Melvin de Groot – the leader in the Legend Trophy class.
A fast American hotshot puts his name on the board with an impressive sixth place result. Jordan O’Brien quickly got up to speed and found himself faster than experienced veteran Claudio Cappelli and the returning Matthew Ellis. O’Brien and Ellis completed the top-3 positions in the Master Trophy, while Cappelli was second fastest in Legend Trophy behind his rival de Groot.
Valentino Gambarotto and Roberto Benedetti rounded out the top-10 results, with the latter trailing de Groot and Cappelli in the Legend Trophy battle. Michael Bleekemolen in 13th position returns to OPEN as a substitute for Gil Linster, who is absent due to health issues. Fellow debutants Davide Frulio and Mike Wise familiarized themselves with the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit and ended up 16th and 20th fastest respectively.
Thomas Dombrowski was involved in a violent crash at Paddock Hill Bend during the OPEN Free Practice 1 session. Technical issues forced him into the tire barriers and three flips. The Frenchman was able to leave the car under his own power. He was checked in the track-side medical center, released and sent to hospital for further evaluation of his leg. The driver is alert and in good spirits.
Saturday’s action begins with the traditional Qualifying sessions at 09:50 CEST, followed by the races from PRO and OPEN at 13:55 and 17:25 CEST respectively. With tens of thousands of fans expected to attend the event, the pressure is on for drivers and teams to maximize their results in front of the raucous British race fans. Tune in to the action from EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and TV channels all around the world.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
