Liam Hezemans brought Rette Jones Racing their first NASCAR Euro Series win with a strong drive in Germany – The Dutchman leads Garrett Lowe and Paul Jouffreau at the end of a dramatic race
- Liam Hezemans delivers Rette Jones Racing’s first NASCAR Euro Series victory
- Garrett Lowe climbs on the podium for Bremotion in second position
- Paul Jouffreau completes the top-3 while championship leaders collide
The 2025 NASCAR Euro Series Playoffs roared to life with a bang at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. Liam Hezemans had downplayed his chances heading into Playoffs 01 of NASCAR GP Germany, but first-lap drama opened the door for the Dutchman to seize victory after 22 hard-fought laps. The 22-year-old delivered Rette Jones Racing’s maiden EuroNASCAR win and gained valuable ground in the first of four double-points races that will decide the PRO champion.
“Of course, this was a bit lucky, but to finish first, first you have to finish!” Hezemans said in Victory Lane. “We made some changes to the car and I think it’s now much better. It’s time to try and win again tomorrow. Big congrats to the Rette Jones and Hendriks Motorsport teams for the awesome job they do. My spotters told me to keep it cool and bring the car home. At the end I was pushing for the fastest lap, but the tires overheated and wore down. Still, starting second is good here – maybe even better – so we’ll see tomorrow.”
The opening lap produced fireworks. A chain reaction triggered by contact between title favorites Vittorio Ghirelli and Gianmarco Ercoli, followed by an unavoidable hit from Bruno Mulders, sent both into a spin. The incident inevitably involved other contenders including Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Martin Doubek, with Mulders and Alexander Graff forced to retire. Both Ghirelli and Ercoli staged impressive comebacks, salvaging critical points despite the chaos.
“It was a tricky Turn 1,” Ghirelli explained. “I got pushed from behind twice and had nowhere to go because Ercoli was holding strong on the outside. I lost the rear and we all crashed. Mulders hit me, then Doubek hit me – it was really a mess. Same as last year, drivers starting further back didn’t show much respect. Still, we managed to recover for points, which is the best we could do.”
“For sure it’s a really bad move,” Ercoli added. “It hurt my championship hopes and tomorrow won’t be easy. But I won’t give up until the very end.”
Starting sixth, Hezemans powered to the front and never looked back. He built a lead of nearly six seconds, managing his tires to perfection for Playoffs 02 on Sunday.
Garrett Lowe was another big winner, charging from twelfth to second at the flag in the #99 Bremotion Chevrolet Camaro. He battled hard with Paul Jouffreau throughout the 3.667-kilometer German circuit, with both rewarded by a podium finish. Together with Hezemans, they locked out the overall top-3 while also sweeping the Junior Trophy podium.
Thomas Toffel ran strongly inside the top group but late-race mistakes left him fourth. Still, the Swiss racer claimed the Challenger Trophy win for Race Art Technology, finishing just ahead of Claudio Cappelli, who rounded out the top-5. Raphael Lessard impressed in his debut under the driver exchange promoted by the NASCAR Euro Series, Rousseau Metal and Festidrag TV, bringing home sixth place.
Vladimiros Tziortzis earned the bonus points for most overtakes with a charge to seventh. Ghirelli crossed the line eighth but was later classified 13th after a post-race penalty for avoidable contact at the start added 20 seconds to his total race time. Despite that, he secured fourth on the grid for Sunday, three spots behind Jouffreau, who set the fastest lap. Thomas Krasonis, Ercoli and Davit Kajaia completed the top-10, with the Georgian also third in Challenger Trophy.
Giorgio Maggi and Martin Doubek also received post-race penalties. Maggi was initially tenth at the finish and dropped down to 16th. Doubek was classified in 18th place.
When the dust settled on the opening Playoffs race of the season, Ercoli held firm at the top of the provisional championship standings. With 310 points, the Italian leads Junior Trophy front-runner Jouffreau by just two markers. Ghirelli slipped to third, but remained only eight points adrift of the Alumitec Racing driver. Krasonis and Hezemans completed the top-5, sitting 17 and 29 points back respectively. Cappelli’s top-5 finish also kept him in control of the Challenger Trophy, holding a 14-point advantage over Kajaia.
What drama will unfold next at the NASCAR GP Germany? Don’t miss the action when the OPEN division hits the track for its first Playoffs race at 16:55 CEST – live on the official EuroNASCAR YouTube channel and international TV partners.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
