Gianmarco Ercoli scored Alumitec Racing’s maiden NASCAR Euro Series win, capitalizing on the rich experience of technical partner CAAL Racing at the iconic Brands Hatch Indy Circuit
- Gianmarco Ercoli with a dominant flag-to-flag race win at Brands Hatch
- Vittorio Ghirelli finished second after his team brought the #24 Chevy back to life
- Fabrizio Armetta brings home second podium result in his career
The Brands Hatch Indy Circuit and Gianmarco Ercoli are a match made in NASCAR Euro Series heaven and the Italian proved it once again in the 2025 season. Starting from pole position in Round 5, Ercoli delivered a lights-to-flag performance, scoring a dominant maiden victory for Alumitec Racing behind the wheel of his #11 Chevrolet Camaro, prepared by none other than Brands Hatch powerhouse CAAL Racing. Even a late-race virtual safety car and a four-lap shootout to the checkered flag couldn’t shake the Roman, who held off reigning champion Vittorio Ghirelli to claim his first win of the year.
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Right from the drop of the green flag, Ercoli laid down the hammer, quickly building a gap as the field scrambled to keep up with the 2023 champion. His pace was untouchable. The 30-year-old earned CAAL Racing’s 12th win at Brands Hatch and celebrated his personal 11th career victory at the tight and twisty British bullring just south of London. After a rocky start to the season with setbacks in Valencia and Vallelunga, Ercoli’s win puts him firmly back in the hunt for the championship and Brands Hatch might just be the turning point.
“Here, it’s always stressful,” said Ercoli in Victory Lane. “When I got to lap 32, I thought to myself, ‘this group is really strong today’ and then just one corner later, there was an accident. I’m really happy with the car – it’s the first win for Alumitec Racing, and congrats to the team for doing a great job. It was an incredible race. On this track, you can’t relax for even a moment. I think this result can change the course of the championship. I’m confident about this race because in Valencia and Vallelunga we struggled with small mistakes and couldn’t show our true potential. Today, we changed the momentum – and maybe even the rules!”
After the horrific crash involving Thomas Dombrowski in OPEN free practice, Vittorio Ghirelli delivered the perfect reward to the PK Carsport crew, who worked tirelessly through the night to rebuild the heavily damaged #24 Chevrolet Camaro. With a fresh but provisional paint scheme, a car yet to be fully discovered and a fired-up mindset, the reigning PRO champion had to fight hard to earn his podium finish.
Ghirelli dropped to third after local hero Jack Davidson nailed the launch and surged ahead, but the Italian kept his cool and retook second place on lap 13. From there, he hunted down race leader Ercoli, closing the gap after a late virtual safety car reset the field for a four-lap sprint to the checkered flag. Ghirelli stuck to Ercoli’s rear bumper in the closing stages, but couldn’t find a way around and had to settle for a strong second-place finish. Still, his efforts were enough to put him back atop the championship standings.
A strong run from Fabrizio Armetta saw the experienced driver bring his #22 Club Competition Chevrolet home in third place in Round 5 of the PRO championship. The Italian was initially handed a time penalty for exceeding track limits, which would have dropped him off the podium. However, a post-race review cleared Armetta of any wrongdoing, reinstating his well-earned result. That secured a hard-fought third-place finish and another podium in his long and storied NASCAR Euro Series career — the second of his time in the championship. The Club Competition team boss proved once again that experience and consistency still count at the highest level.
Home crowd favorite Jack Davidson delivered a stellar performance in front of the passionate British fans, finishing fourth after an intense battle with some of the top stars in the NASCAR Euro Series. The Scotsman had to dig deep and fight hard throughout the race, but all the effort paid off when the 2023 OPEN race winner at Brands Hatch crossed the line. The result marked Davidson’s best PRO result so far and a dominant victory in the Junior Trophy classification for drivers aged 25 and under. A true breakout moment for the Lux Motorsport driver on home soil.
Liam Hezemans wrapped up the overall top-5 and grabbed second place in the Junior Trophy standings, showing strong pace once again at Brands Hatch. The Dutchman edged out Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, who crossed the line in sixth. Bruno Mulders originally finished third but was handed a penalty for overtaking before the control line on the final restart, dropping the young Dutch talent to seventh. He still secured third in the Junior Trophy, rounding out the podium in the special classification. Giorgio Maggi finally turned his luck around with an eighth-place finish, scoring his first top-10 of the season after a rough start in Valencia and Vallelunga. Julien Rehberg brought his #77 machine home in ninth, while Vladimiros Tziortzis completed the top-10.
Davit Kajaia powered his way to victory in the Challenger Trophy by finishing 12th overall, edging out Max Lanza in 15th and Jordan Wallace in 18th. While Kajaia celebrated his maiden Challenger Trophy win, Wallace impressed with a podium finish in his very first EuroNASCAR appearance. It was a tough day at the office for Paul Jouffreau, who was forced to bring his #3 RDV Competition Ford Mustang into the pits on lap 8 due to technical issues. After already facing engine troubles in free practice, the Frenchman saw a potential strong result slip through his fingers – along with the overall championship lead in PRO.
Vittorio Ghirelli took over the lead in the provisional PRO championship standings with 177 points. Gianmarco Ercoli’s first win of the 2025 season catapulted him into second place, just 11 points shy of his fierce rival Ghirelli. Thomas Krasonis held onto third, but a late puncture cost the Greek driver valuable points, leaving him 15 markers behind the leader. Despite the setback, Krasonis claimed the top spot in the Junior Trophy standings, ahead of Paul Jouffreau, who trails the overall leader Ghirelli by 17 points. Sebastiaan Bleekemolen rounds out the top-5 in PRO. Over in the Challenger Trophy, Davit Kajaia’s victory was enough to vault him back into a shared lead with Claudio Cappelli, both drivers now tied at 109 points apiece.
One more exciting race awaits the PRO competitors on Sunday, but Saturday’s action will conclude with the first OPEN race of the 2025 NASCAR GP UK at 17:25 CEST. All races from the NASCAR GP UK, as well as the 2025 season as a whole, will be broadcast on EuroNASCAR’s official channel and TV channels all around the world.
PENALTY REPORT: Race control penalized Fabrizio Armetta for overtaking before the control line during the restart of PRO Round 5 at Brands Hatch. After a thorough review, officials confirmed that the Club Competition driver passed another competitor prior to reaching the designated control line. As a result, Armetta received a penalty, demoting him to fourth place. This adjustment promotes Jack Davidson to third, awarding the Lux Motorsport driver his first PRO podium on home soil in the United Kingdom.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
