Martin Doubek tightened the gap between the major OPEN contenders with his sweep in the NASCAR GP UK – Thomas Toffel maintains a two point lead from Gil Linster heading in the regular season finale in the Czech Republic
- Martin Doubek returns to the Victory Lane with a double win at Brands Hatch
- Top contenders gained ground on Thomas Toffel after a tough round for the Swiss driver
- Claudio Cappelli, Sandro Tavartkiladze and Robin Bleekemolen shone in the Trophy battles
The outlook of the OPEN championship changed dramatically after Martin Doubek swept the two NASCAR GP UK races. Doubek was chasing his rivals after his struggles in Spain and France and the points haul gained from his victories at Brands Hatch was a game changer. Not only did it signal the former two-time OPEN champion’s return to the title fight, it also gave him the perfect momentum heading to his home NASCAR GP at Autodrom Most, where the Czech driver will have to drop his worst result of his regular season entering the double points Playoffs.
Thomas Toffel still holds the overall lead in the standings, but a retirement in Round 5 cost the Swiss driver precious points. Main challengers Gil Linster and Thomas Dombrowski used this opportunity to close their deficit on Toffel, leaving them only two and 13 points behind the driver of the #34 THT by Race Art Technology Chevrolet Camaro. For Dombrowski, the 2026 NASCAR GP UK was a remarkable turnaround: The Frenchman took his first career Stromwatches.com Pole Award.
Steady top-10 form by Claudio Cappelli allowed the Italian with the infamous beard to maintain his lead in the Legend Trophy. The driver of the #54 CAAL Racing Ford Mustang is also fourth overall, 22 points behind Toffel. Vladimiros Tziortzis sits in fifth place, just ahead of Cappelli’s closest Legend Trophy rival Melvin de Groot. The Italian and the Dutchman are continuing to trade wins in the special classification for drivers aged 45 and above, a trend that is expected to continue in the second half of the 2026 season.
Raphael Lessard, Maxim van Laere, Beitske Visser and Dominique Schaak completed the top-10 positions. Both Van Laere and Visser retained their leads in the Master Trophy and Lady Trophy, but their fellow contenders took a major step at the UK.
Sandro Tavartkiladze was the big winner of the Master Trophy, having claimed both wins in the battle for the aspiring drivers. The Georgian came agonizingly close to his first overall podium finish of 2026, but he was satisfied with his speed as it showed that he and Team Bleekemolen can fight for wins. Tavartkiladze was joined by new teammate Robin Bleekemolen, who grabbed the headlines with her drive at Brands Hatch. Acting as a substitute for her grandfather Michael, Robin Bleekemolen did a complete sweep in the Lady Trophy, validating the potential of the third generation driver from the famed Bleekemolen family.
With only 99 points separating the top-20 drivers in the overall standings, everything is still up to grabs for the OPEN contenders when they make their on-track return at the Czech Republic on 29-30 August. The combination of the 4.212 kilometer circuit’s mixed sectors and OPEN’s unpredictable is the perfect recipe for a must watch event. Don’t miss the action and search your local broadcasters at https://www.nascar.eu/watch/ to find out where you can watch the best spectacle in European motorsport!
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
