By Wolfgang Monsehr, Staff Writer
HEUSDEN-ZOLDER, BELGIUM – Greek driver Thomas Krasonis was the winner of the first race heat on Saturday in the Open Category of the NASCAR Euroseries in Zolder.
But the win was given to Krasonis on a silver platter by Swiss driver Thomas Toffel. Toffel had started from pole but in Turn 1, he was risking too much and spun out. That put Krasonis then into the lead, which he would hold for the entire 60-kilometer race distance.
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Followed first by Bruno Mulders, Thomas Dombrowski, Gil Linster and Martin Doubek, Krasonis made no mistakes and was driving home a trouble-free start/finish-win.
After his spin, Thomas Toffel was driving then with a knife between his teeth but again he was overdriving and risking too much. Seven laps before the end of the race, Toffel spun again but this time with more serious consequences as he hit the barriers. The car was damaged on the right side and Toffel’s race was over.
Meanwhile, there were exciting duels between Czech driver Martin Doubek, Gil Linster, Thomas Dombrowski and Bruno Mulder.
Doubek was on the run to the front and each lap he overtook one of his rival competitors: First it was Linster in the Rette-Jones/Team Hendrik-Motorsports Ford Mustang, then he passed Frenchman Thomas Dombrowski and finally Bruno Mulders. Doubek went on to finish 2nd overall behind Krasonis.
Bruno Mulders managed to stay ahead of Dombrowski when Linster lost his 5th overall position, just two laps before the end of the race, to Ukrainian/Georgian driver, Sando Tavantkiladze.
The most entertaining fight was for 7th overall between the Dutchman, Melvin de Groot, and Italian driver Claudio-Remigio Cappelli, one of the funniest characters in the NASCAR Euroseries circus, who is a roofer in his main job when he is not racing.
Cappelli tried everything to take 7th away from de Groot but the Dutchman played it cool and was able to defend his position.
American driver Nick Strickler had a satisfying race with his Chevy Camaro of the British/Scottish LUX-Team when finishing 10th in the sandwich of Italian Valentino Gambarotto (9th) and German Dominique Schaak(11th).
The most unhappy person was Austrian driver Patrick Schober: who had to drive the Jouffreau car from the previous PRO-Race but sadly, the RDV Team Crew could not finish the necessary repair (after Paul Jouffreau’s accident with Bruno Mulders) in time. Schober was only able to race the last four laps of the race and finished 19th.