Claudio Cappelli blitzed past his rivals when the rain came at Circuit Zolder to claim his first OPEN win since 2024 – Problems for Raphael Lessard gave Thomas Toffel the advantage heading to Sunday’s decider
- Claudio Cappelli was untouchable once the heavens opened in OPEN Final 1
- The Italian clinched the maximum points and the Legend Trophy crown with his first victory since 2024
- Thomas Toffel gained a significant advantage over Raphael Lessard in the title race with his runner-up finish
The first 2026 Finals race for the OPEN division at Circuit Zolder was one to remember! When the drivers took the green flag for the start, no one foresaw a sudden downpour that turned the race completely on its head. Claudio Cappelli, who started in tenth, was in his zone once the heavens opened. The Italian quickly found his way to the front and built an incredible advantage of eight seconds when he crossed the finish line in his #54 CAAL Racing Ford Mustang. It was more than just an epic drive, it was a total domination by the driver renowned for his beard.
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The rainfall arrived just as the race reached its second lap. The race was quickly suspended on the following lap to give all competitors a fair chance to switch their tires from the slick Hoosier rubber to the wet weathered treads during non-competitive pit stops. Cappelli bid his time once the race got underway again and was already up to third when another caution was called on lap 6. The next restart on lap 8 was when Cappelli made his move to the lead and from there, the Italian opened a lead that he would never relinquish.
His return to the Victory Lane was special in so many ways. Not only did Cappelli score his first win in the NASCAR Euro Series since 2024, fittingly also at Circuit Zolder, he also clinched the Legend Trophy crown as it is now impossible for his rivals to catch the 51-year old in the classification standings. To cap it all off, he also became the first driver since Lasse Soerensen in 2019 to claim the theoretical maximum points in a single race: Cappelli’s charge from tenth to fifth was enough for the Robbeco d’Oglio native to secure the bonus points for most positions gained.
“I was lucky,” said Cappelli, who also conducted the fans to sign the Italian national anthem in the podium ceremony. “I’ve had nothing to lose while the others are risking the championship. I was free in my mind and I tried to drive with my experience in the rain. When the rain arrived, I made a little bit of a mistake because I went off, but the rain came and this happened! I’m happy to win the Legend Trophy, but I’m sad that Melvin [de Groot] is not here to fight for the win. I’ve heard he had family matters to attend to, but this win is still special!”
Thomas Toffel finished in second once again, but this runner-up finish is unlike any other. With Raphael Lessard encountering technical problems, the Swiss successfully extended his overall lead from 12 points to 26 points. Lessard will start OPEN’s decider race on pole position courtesy of his fastest lap when the track was still dry, but he is now left trailing by 50 points and will require a miracle to have a shot at winning it all.
Gil Linster joined Cappelli and Toffel in the podium for the Luxembourger’s first top-3 finish since the UK round at Brands Hatch. Thomas Dombrowski’s fourth place finish made him Toffel’s new chaser while Vladimiros Tziortzis continued his consistency with a top-5 result. Martin Doubek came home sixth ahead of Jens Beeusaert, who survived the treacherous conditions to win the Master Trophy.
Beitske Visser showed her talents once the rain came. She came up from 16th – the result of a post-qualifying penalty for the #76 Team Bleekemolen squad – to eighth and challenged the leading drivers. The Dutch superstar therefore took the top prize in the Lady Trophy. Visser led Maxim van Laere and Florian Richard, who joined Beeusaert in the Master Trophy podium. Mariam Davitidze and Happinessa completed the Lady Trophy podium in 14th and 17th, while Michael Bleekemolen and Federico Monti rounded the Legend Trophy top-3 in 16th and 18th positions.
With 464 points to Dombrowski’s 438 points, Toffel will need to finish in the top-6 if he is to be crowned as the 2026 OPEN champion. It will not be an easy journey for the Swiss however: Linster is only 39 points adrift in third, while Cappelli’s win promoted the Italian up to fourth, just 42 points behind the THT by Race Art Technology driver. Tziortzis (-47) and Lessard (-50) are also still in the mathematical hunt for the OPEN crown.
The festivities in Circuit Zolder have brought so many surprises and there’s still more to come when the drivers reconvene on Sunday for the last set of races in the 2026 season. OPEN will determine their champions and Trophy winners first with their double points decider on 10:30 CEST with the elites in V8GP ending the year on a high note with their final round on 13:30 CEST. Get yourself tuned in to the action, because the NASCAR Euro Series Finals is giving you the most electrifying show in the world of motorsport!
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
