Vittorio Ghirelli and Thomas Krasonis led the combined 2025 NASCAR GP Germany practice sessions in PRO and OPEN – The Italian and the Greek started on the right foot for the double points Playoffs races
- Vittorio Ghirelli beat his main rival Gianmarco Ercoli in PRO practice
- Thomas Krasonis led with a narrow advantage in OPEN
- Practice shapes up the field for an important qualifying in Germany
Time has come for the competitors to maximize their performance in the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series Playoffs, starting with the practice sessions for the 2025 NASCAR GP Germany at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. Drivers and teams worked hard to gather all the data they could before the first Playoffs race on Saturday. After four timed sessions across PRO and OPEN, PK Carsport emerged as the team to beat with their drivers Vittorio Ghirelli and Thomas Krasonis leading the combined time sheets in the respective championships.
PRO: Championship leading duo at the front
Long-time rivals Vittorio Ghirelli and Gianmarco Ercoli entered the 2025 Playoffs level on points, meaning that whoever performs better in Germany will earn a substantial advantage towards the NASCAR Euro Series Finals at Circuit Zolder in Belgium. Both drivers made their winning intentions clear right from the start, each topping a practice session. In the end, reigning PRO Champion Ghirelli, behind the wheel of the #24 Chevrolet Camaro, had the final word by setting the fastest lap of 1:31.644 – 0.155 seconds quicker than Ercoli in the #11 Alumitec Racing Ford Mustang.
Paul Jouffreau took command of the Junior Trophy standings by finishing third in both sessions and in the combined results. The Frenchman edged out Bruno Mulders, who impressed with a quick adaptation to the track to place fourth overall. Liam Hezemans rounded out the top-5, which also secured him third in the Junior Trophy. Garrett Lowe narrowly missed out on a Junior Trophy top-3 with sixth overall, but the American is determined to make a statement in the home race for his Bremotion team.
Sebastiaan Bleekemolen continued his trademark consistency with a solid seventh-place finish. Fabrizio Armetta, Thomas Krasonis, and Martin Doubek completed the top-10. In the Challenger Trophy, Thomas Toffel set the pace in 14th overall, with Davit Kajaia and Claudio Cappelli giving chase from 17th and 20th place respectively.
The PRO Championship welcomed the addition of Canadian ace Raphael Lessard, who made the cross-Atlantic journey to compete thanks to the drivers exchange program sponsored by Rousseau Metal and Festidrag.tv. Lessard ended his first day in Europe in 15th overall driving the #75 Chevrolet Camaro fielded by CAAL Racing. 2022 PRO runner-up Alexander Graff also made his return for the first time since the 2022 Finals at Grobnik. Graff was 16th overall onboard the #47 Marko Stipp Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro.
OPEN: One tenth separated the top-3 drivers
Thomas Krasonis heads into the Playoffs as one of the top contenders for the OPEN title after a strong regular season. Fresh off his sweep in the Czech Republic, the Greek is chasing a third straight win and underlined his determination with PK Carsport by topping the practice charts in the #13 Chevrolet Camaro with a lap of 1:32.599.
Competition was fierce for Krasonis as his closest opponents were just a tenth behind him. Bruno Mulders kept up his strong momentum, finishing just 0.074 seconds behind in second and leading the Master Trophy classification for aspiring newcomers in the division. Two-time OPEN champion Martin Doubek was another three tenths back in third, keeping the Czech driver firmly in the hunt to become the first three-time champion in OPEN history.
Thomas Toffel delivered a strong drive in the #34 Race Art Technology Chevrolet Camaro and finished fourth overall, ahead of Thomas Dombrowski, who was second in the Master Trophy ranks. Gil Linster settled into sixth, while Brands Hatch winner Melvin de Groot once again asserted his authority in the Legend Trophy by finishing seventh. Patrick Schober, Valentino Gambarotto – who claimed third in the Master Trophy – and Sandro Tavartkiladze rounded out the top-10.
OPEN debutant Loris Cencetti impressed with eleventh place, while Lessard continued to build valuable experience with 13th overall. The Canadian edged Claudio Cappelli and Kenko Miura, who completed the Legend Trophy podium in 14th and 19th. Happinessa marked her maiden home appearance by leading the Lady Trophy with 21st overall.
The spotlight now shifts to Saturday’s qualifying, which will set the grid for the first Playoffs races. The PRO Championship goes green at 13:55 CEST, followed by OPEN at 16:55 CEST. Fans can catch all the action live on the official EuroNASCAR YouTube channel and TV partners around the globe, as the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series Playoffs promise non-stop excitement and drama.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
