The NASCAR GP France delivered thrilling races, not only among the frontrunners but also within the various OPEN trophies, attracting an audience of 50,800 fans
- Claudio Cappelli leads the Legend Trophy for driver aged 45 and more
- Maxim van Laere took the lead in the Master Trophy for exciting talents
- Beitske Visser conquered first place in the Lady Trophy for female drivers
The NASCAR Euro Series made a successful return to France for the first time since 2018, making its NASCAR GP debut at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. The event was a huge success, drawing 50,800 fans to the grandstands and rekindling the championship’s origins in the country. Two amazing races featured tremendous battles, not only among the frontrunners but also throughout the various OPEN trophy competitions, significantly shaking up the standings.
In the Legend Trophy, Claudio Cappelli is currently leading the standings over Melvin de Groot. Saturday’s race saw an intense battle between the two for the class win, fighting for every centimeter on the track. Ultimately, it was Dutch giant de Groot who prevailed, finishing seventh overall. Cappelli followed three seconds later in eighth place behind the Team Bleekemolen driver. Melvin de Groot claimed the trophy victory again on Sunday, finishing seventh overall. Despite Cappelli only managing tenth place, it was enough for the CAAL Racing driver to hold onto the class lead, although the gap has now narrowed to just three points.
Maxim van Laere secured the lead in the Master Trophy, thanks to consistent performance with a tenth and ninth-place overall finish. Although he finished second in the class in both races, the Belgian scored vital points for his Trophy aspirations. The Master Trophy wins for the round went to Florian Richard and Jens Beeusaert, the latter making his OPEN debut in France. Van Laere, driving the Speedhouse car, now tops the special classification in the OPEN category, sitting eighth overall. He is followed by Dominique Schaak in 11th overall, who is 18 points behind. Richard trailed the German by just one point in 12th.
Beitske Visser seized the Lady Trophy lead after two impressive races at Le Castellet. Despite a pit lane start in the first race, she claimed class victories in both and showed what she’s capable of with a sixth place finish on Sunday, only seven seconds away from the overall victory. The class victories rocketed the Rehberg + Bremotion Racing driver to ninth in the overall standings. She now leads the classification ahead of Happinessa and Mariam Davitidze.
The next NASCAR Euro Series event is scheduled for June 6-7 at the Indy Circuit of Brands Hatch in the UK. The 1.944 kilometer circuit has created plenty of exciting action since its first introduction in 2011 and for 2026, there are two OPEN races that will deliver on the spectacle.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
