Following yesterday’s Elite 2 race at the German Grand Prix circuit of Hockenheim, the first of the two races in the double-point semi-finals in the 2019 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, saw Hugo De Sadeleer, not only having his first race with Racing Engineering but also his first Euro NASCAR race, finish a very impressive third. For today’s 16-lap race Hugo was starting from fourth on the grid with Myatt Snyder, who finished yesterday ninth, from eleventh, the positions determined by the driver’s fastest lap yesterday.

Hugo made another of his great starts to gain a place into the first corner but he was coming under heavy pressure from Brigatti but the two leaders were not pulling away from the Racing Engineering car. Hugo was driving carefully as he was still getting used to driving the Mustang with a heavy fuel load and preserving his General Tires. A safety Car period on lap four saw the cars close again which was hard on Hugo who had opened out a gap to Brigatti and as racing resumed on lap seven Hugo ran wide into one of the corners losing two places but the Safety Car was out again as three cars made contact so the cars were repositioned according to the lap before returning the Swiss driver to third. There were just four laps remaining as the Safety Car left the track and Hugo was flying, taking second place into the first corner, and he was trying hard to pass Sorensen for the lead but he had to settle for a fantastic second place just three tenths away from the winner.

Myatt held onto eleventh at the start but he lost a place on lap two to lie twelfth as he started lap three but he was soon gaining places and as the Safety Car came out he was up to tenth. It was Myatt’s turn to make a great start after the Safety Car period moving up to sixth as he caught the cars ahead napping but the second Safety Car period meant he had to drop back to tenth undoing all his great work. This time he was only able to gain one place to ninth on the restart but he was caught in traffic dropping to twelfth with three laps to go. On the following lap he regained a place but the laps ran out and he had to settle for tenth.

Yesterday’s Elite 1 race had been disappointing for Racing Engineering’s two drivers Ander Vilariño and Romain Iannetta with both men forced to retire with mechanical problems and they were starting today’s twenty lap race from fourteenth and thirteenth although two non-starters promoted them to twelfth and eleventh respectively and they were looking to gain as many places as possible. Both Ander and Romain had a clean start and were able to hold onto their grid position, but they quickly made up positions to lie seventh and eighth with Romain leading Ander as they started lap 2. The two Racing Engineering cars quickly pulled away from Graff in ninth and were closing on Ercoli and the retirement of Day moved the pair up to sixth and seventh. On lap five the two men were now on the back of the five cars fighting for the lead and Romain was moving from side to side as he tried to pass Ercoli and Ander was right on his teammate’s rear bumper.

On lap eight Gabillion had dropped back to fifth and as he ran wide into the final corner both Romain and Ander were ahead and once again the French and Spanish duo were chasing Ercoli and looking for a podium place. The third placed car of Ferrando was clearly holding up Ercoli and the two Racing Engineering drivers but he wasn’t making any mistakes making overtaking opportunities hard to find and Gabillion was right behind Ander. On lap thirteen both Romain and Ander passed Fernando into the first corner putting them into fourth and fifth respectively, but a Safety Car period closed the cars up again. The cars were racing again on lap seventeen but Ander had to drop back to seventh behind Ferrando and Gabillion as, once again, the cars had to return to their positions a lap before the Safety Car was deployed. Romain kept his fourth place but Ander was the victim of contact between other cars that forced him wide dropping hm right down the field to a very unhappy nineteenth. Romain was doing everything possible to pass Ercoli but with only three laps left he had to settle for fourth just over a second behind the race winner at the flag while Ander recovered to fifteenth.

On balance a good weekend for the Racing Engineering team with Hugo starring with a third on Saturday and a second today while Romain did very well to move up eleventh to fourth and Ander would have been right with him if he had not been impeded by other cars. The final race weekend of the 2019 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will be at Zolder in two weeks’ time.

Team Comments:

Ines Koschutnig - Chief Executive Officer: "We struggled a bit to find the fastest set up at the beginning of the weekend, but the two podium finishes of Hugo De Sadeleer in Elite 2 proved that we were continuously improving and had a really fast car on track in the Sunday races. It’s a shame that Myatt’s Sunday race was spoilt by another car hitting him when he was fighting for a top 4 finish. In today’s Elite 1 race, Romain was able to show how fast and stable our car was when he finished in P4. Ander was supposed to finish at least right behind him, being stuck to the rear bumper of his teammate’s car during the entire race. However, at the restart a decision from race control regarding the starting order the driver and team are not able to understand destroyed Ander’s race, who was caught up in traffic and dropped back. This is especially bitter as already his qualifying was seriously affected by a timing mistake outside the team’s and driver’s control."

Ander Vilariño: "I am devastated on how the weekend has gone. We were supposed to be in Superpole, but a timing mistake disallowed this. Today’s race was OK, we passed a lot of cars and while I was in P5, there was a caution period and the safety car deployed. I was sent further back than I was actually in the race order the lap before. At the restart I was suffering from a racing incident that happened at a place I was not supposed to be at this moment. I was sent to the back of the field and my race was over there. It’s a real shame when you have a car to fight for a top position and something like this destroys your race."

Romain Iannetta: "We started 13th and the car was quick, especially from the middle of the race on. I was fighting for positions all race long, but it’s not an easy track for overtaking. I was in an intense battle for a podium finish during the last laps, but just couldn’t find the gap to pass for third. Overall it was a good race. ."

Myatt Snider: "The Racing Engineering guys really busted their tails last night and they brought a great race car for me this morning for the second round at Hockenheim. Unfortunately, we have nothing to show for it. I had passed up to 6th on a re-start in one lap, however, it got called back for reasons unknown. And then the next re-start afterwards, I got hit wheel to wheel by another driver who didn’t give enough room, and it put me back to 12th with very few laps to go. It’s a pity that we had such a fast Ford Performance Racing Engineering Mustang and were not able to show it."

Hugo De Sadeleer: "Second podium finish this weekend is not bad at all. The car was even better than yesterday, and in the closing stages of the race we were clearly quickest and fighting for the win. Unfortunately, some yellow flags came out and prevented us from overtaking. Overall, I had a very exciting first encounter with the NWES and, again, thank Racing Engineering for this great car and experience in this championship."