Former Formula One driver, Formula E World Champion and U.S. NASCAR race winner Nelson Piquet Jr. wrote history at Autodromo di Vallelunga – The Brazilian beat Thomas Krasonis in a heated battle in Italy
- Nelson Piquet Jr. is a NASCAR Euro Series V8GP race winner
- The former Formula One driver and Formula E World Champion beat Thomas Krasonis at Vallelunga
- The Brazilian added a European NASCAR win to his victories in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts, NASCAR Craftsman Truck and ARCA Menards Series
Across a storied career that spanned from virtually every discipline in global motorsport, Nelson Piquet Jr. has collected wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series. Now, the Brazilian can add the NASCAR Euro Series V8GP winner’s trophy to his collection. The highly rated race car driver took the lead from Krasonis during the spectacular 18-lap Semi-Final 1 race at Autodromo di Vallelunga and held off his teammate Gianmarco Ercoli to deliver a 1-2 finish for the Alumitec Racing team.
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Piquet Jr. managed his car in the early stages of the race as he patiently waited for the Greek to make a mistake. That opportunity came on lap 8 when Krasonis missed a gear at the challenging Tornantino hairpin complex. The former Formula One driver and the inaugural Formula E World Champion wheeled his #48 Alumitec Racing Ford past the #13 PK Carsport Chevrolet and commanded his opposition whilst also surviving the grueling heat that turned the race into an eventful endurance.
The 41-year-old has notched his fifth career NASCAR victory today at Italy’s Autodromo di Vallelunga, driving the #48 Alumitec Racing Ford Mustang to victory in the NASCAR Euro Series. He previously scored four wins during a standout 2012 campaign: an NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at Road America, two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series triumphs at Michigan and Las Vegas, and an ARCA Menards Series East win at Bristol.
“It was very hot! I remember I told Ercoli that we were going to Rome in September and it’s not going to be so hot and he said: ‘Excuse me?’ It’s warmer than in Brazil! I wasn’t prepared for this heat, but it’s our first win in the NASCAR Euro Series. I’m really happy, I’ve been to America and won in Nationwide, Trucks, and K&N. I’ve won in most of the divisions and I’m happy to put this in my CV. Thanks to the team, I know it’s been a struggle this year but it’s starting to pay off today. We got a 1-2 today and we have three wins now in V8GP. Congratulations to everyone in the team for their hard work!”
Ercoli wasn’t just battling the heat on his way to runner-up finish. He is still nursing the thumb injury that he suffered from the regular season finale at the Czech Republic, but the passionate roar of the tifosi at his home NASCAR GP pushed the Roman native to make his hard fought charge. Thomas Krasonis collected both important points and also the Junior Trophy win with his podium finish at Italy. Thomas Toffel, who was penalized with a two-place grid penalty for a technical infringement after qualifying, came home fourth as the winner in the Challenger Trophy.
Fabrizio Armetta ran a fine home race and finished fifth ahead of Garrett Lowe, second amongst the youngsters in the Junior Trophy. Vittorio Ghirelli encountered difficulties and could only finish in seventh. Despite this, the Italian still extended his lead to Jordan O’Brien by four points as the American was only ninth under the checkered flag. Martin Doubek and Vladimiros Tziortzis completed the top-10 with their eighth and tenth place finishes.
Paul Jouffreau was classified 11th after he was penalized for contact with Ghirelli. The Frenchman therefore took third in the Junior Trophy. Davit Kajaia and Brad Ranson in 13th and 16th place rounded out the Challenger Trophy podium. The battle for the last podium position in the special classification for elite amateurs was close: Ranson was only 1.7 seconds ahead of Brenna Schubert, who signed a last-minute deal with Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport to race the #5 Ford Mustang at Vallelunga.
Provisionally, Ghirelli maintained a 28 point lead to O’Brien with Junior Trophy leader Lowe moving back up to third, 37 points behind the reigning two-time V8GP champion. Martin Doubek looks on from fourth while Piquet Jr. climbed four positions after scoring his first major silverware in the NASCAR Euro Series. Krasonis, Jouffreau, Ercoli, Tziortzis and Davidson completed the top-10. Logan Bearden’s absence from the NASCAR GP Italy allowed Kajaia to move up to the Challenger Trophy lead in 13th, but Toffel is only four points behind the Georgian ace.
The action on Saturday at the NASCAR GP Italy doesn’t stop just here. The OPEN competitors are gearing themselves up for an epic 15-lap race that will be written in their Semi-Finals 1 that will be broadcast live from 16:50 CEST. Make sure you check out https://www.nascar.eu/watch/ to find out where you can watch the door-to-door, fender banging racing from the Autodromo di Vallelunga!
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
