Martin Doubek struck back with a phenomenal win at the Indy Circuit of Brands Hatch – The Czech is tied in points with Patrick Schober seven markers behind “Prince of Brands Hatch” Melvin de Groot
- Martin Doubek continued winning form with his third OPEN win of 2025
- Thomas Krasonis broke the all-time lap record for EuroNASCAR cars at Brands Hatch
- Melvin de Groot has been crowned “Prince of Brands Hatch”
Martin Doubek once again showed why he’s the reigning NASCAR Euro Series OPEN champion by extending his perfect streak of wins across all three venues in the 2025 season. After triumphs in Spain and Italy, the Czech ace delivered a defensive driving masterclass at Brands Hatch to secure victory in OPEN Round 6. Doubek held off a hard-charging Thomas Krasonis to grab his third win of the year, keeping his title defense on track heading into the summer break.
“I had to ask how many laps were left to the finish, and it turned out it was the last lap when they red flagged the race,” said the #7 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang driver. “I managed to hold off Thomas Krasonis. I think he might be a bit mad at me for closing the door too hard, but hey – we’re back in Victory Lane, so I’m happy. Yesterday’s race was rough because I couldn’t see anything out there. Now we can head home with the trophy!”
The race was brought to an early end following a multi-car incident on lap 31. Running third at the time, Matthew Ellis lost control of his #21 Lux Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro in Paddock Hill Bend and spilled oil onto the track surface. The slick conditions triggered a chain reaction that took out five more cars: Patrick Schober, Andres Beers, Dominique Schaak, Florian Richard, and Gordon Barnes. Earlier in the race, Jordan O’Brien and Sandro Tavartkiladze had also retired near the same section of the circuit. With eight cars stranded and the track compromised by oil, race control red-flagged the event and declared lap 30 as the official end of the race.
None of the chaos behind fazed either Martin Doubek or Thomas Krasonis, who were well ahead of the incident. Krasonis delivered a brilliant comeback drive after Saturday’s technical issues in Saturday’s round had left him starting tenth on the grid. The Greek showed blistering pace in the #13 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro, slicing through the field with precision. His charge was capped off by a stunning fastest lap of 48.771 seconds – a new outright race lap record at Brands Hatch, breaking the benchmark previously set by NASCAR Euro Series legend Ander Vilarino.
The rollback of the results worked in favor of Patrick Schober, who was classified third and secured the final podium spot in his #3 RDV Competition Ford Mustang. Melvin de Groot took fourth place, and with his spectacular win on Saturday, the towering Dutchman was crowned the new “Prince of Brands Hatch” as the standout driver of American SpeedFest 12. De Groot also bagged the overall win in the Legend Trophy, adding more silverware to Team Bleekemolen’s growing collection.
Ellis battled hard at the front once again and was rewarded with his first-ever top-5 overall finish and a breakthrough victory in the Master Trophy – a double milestone for the British driver. Schaak matched his career-best result with a strong run to sixth place, wrapping up an impressive NASCAR GP UK weekend. The German also claimed second in the Master Trophy and bonus points for most positions gained, having led the early laps on Saturday. Richard rounded out the Master Trophy podium in seventh overall, edging out Tavartkiladze in a tight fight for class honors.
Barnes, a former multi-time overall Rookie Trophy winner, marked his return to NASCAR in Europe in style by scoring his first-ever top-10 finish with a solid run to ninth. The British driver also secured second place in the Legend Trophy standings. Thomas Dombrowski completed the top-10 despite being caught up in a collision involving Beers and Valentino Gambarotto. Sven van Laere brought home the final spot on the Legend Trophy podium in 13th, while Happinessa once again topped the Lady Trophy classification with a 15th-place finish.
De Groot capped off his strongest weekend yet as a NASCAR Euro Series gladiator by holding firm at the top of the OPEN championship standings. With 199 points to his name, the Legend Trophy leader sits seven points clear of Doubek and Schober, who are tied for second overall. Dombrowski’s steady run keeps the Frenchman on top of the Master Trophy ranks and fourth in the overall standings, just 11 points off the lead. Krasonis rounds out the top-5 with 183 points. Happinessa sits 17th overall and now leads the Lady Trophy with 108 points.
The NASCAR Euro Series will fire back up after the summer break with the NASCAR GP Czech Republic at Autodrom Most on August 30-31. But don’t think the action stops there – there’s plenty of news coming your way in the meantime. PRO championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli has earned an invite to represent the NASCAR Euro Series in the NASCAR Canada Series at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, and more stories are sure to drop during the break. Stay locked in on nascar.eu and follow the official series channels for all the latest updates from Europe’s premier stock car series.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
