Nascar Whelen Euro Series – 1. Valencia: “Never before"

The first weekend of the Nascar Whelen Euro Series exceeded by far the expectations for PK Carsport. Following the Valencia Nascar Fest, Bert Longin and Anthony Kumpen share the lead in the preliminary driver ranking of the Elite 1-category. On top of that, the team is also leading the team championship and, last but not least, Neal Van Vaerenbergh took the victory in both races of the Elite 2-series. But above and beyond these wonderful results, Bert Longin and Anthony Kumpen were mostly impressed by the show and entertainment being organised as part of the Nascar Whelen Euro Series.

“I’ve never come across anything like this before", Bert Longin stated, his eyes still twinkling. The Leuven driver managed to seize the second and third spot in the two races of the Elite 1-series. “But those two podium finishes were only the icing on the cake", marks Longin. “I was blown away during the weekend in Valencia. The level of organisation of this championship was fantastic and the typical American atmosphere surrounding it just incredible. This really was setting an example on how a car racing event should be. To top it all off, the races, especially the ones in Elite 1, are from a high standard with some top names on the starting grid. The fact that I was having a blast behind the steering wheel of our Chevrolet SS was a nice bonus!"

Anthony Kumpen, third and fourth in the two Elite 1-races, was equally excited. “The ambiance around this Nascar Whelen Euro Series can be compared to the one of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There is just not enough time to see and experience it all. The organisers of this wonderful championship clearly made it one of their priorities to guarantee a show to be seen and lived!"

Obviously, the guys from PK Carsport were also pleased with the sportive results. “But we can’t start dreaming yet", says Anthony Kumpen, currently leading the Elite 1-ranking together with Bert Longin, thanks to bonus points. “Our good results should not hide the fact that this is a whole new challenge for us and that we still have a long way to go. Here in Valencia, we were lucky that some of the top favourites were less fortunate. If they can go flat out, then we just lack a bit of speed, as Ander Vilarino demonstrated in the second race. Repeating these results will be a challenge, but at least we have demonstrated to be competitive. But one thing is for sure: the season in the Nascar Whelen Euro Series is promising lots of fun!"