Euro NASCAR: Maggi cleans up big 🎥

LATEST At the NASCAR GP Czech Republic, Giorgio Maggi managed a perfect weekend, extending his lead in the standings. Earlier, he received an exclusive invitation to the Festival of Speed at Goodwood. Saturday's highlights show first Hezemans' engine failure in the Elite1 race and then Maggi's winning drive with the same #50 Ford Mustang in Elite2. [...]

Editorial - July 3, 2019

Saturday's highlights first show Hezemans' engine failure in the Elite1 race and then Maggi's winning drive with the same #50 Ford Mustang in Elite2.

Unrivaled Swiss
At the Czech Motodrom in Most, Giorgio Maggi delivered a truly exceptional performance in Rounds 7 and 8 of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. With the #50 Ford Mustang of the Dutch Hendriks team, the young man from Nidwald was first fastest in the Elite2 for Pro-Am drivers in the second free practice session and third in qualifying.

In the Super Pole eliminations, he took the best grid position for the first race with an incredible lap time of 1'41.339 - which no one beat all weekend. Magic Maggi" also won the first race on Saturday with the fastest race lap.

"Magic Maggi" has already been on the podium five times in eight races in 2019, and was the winner for the second time in the Czech Republic (Photos: Wolfgang Koepp).

Motivating heat
The other day, he managed a second-place finish, again with the fastest race lap, to cap his most successful race weekend to date with the European NASCAR touring cars (unified chassis with 400-horsepower V8 engines and different silhouettes). In the Elite2 championship, he extended his lead over Italian Vittorio Ghirelli and Dane Lasse Sörensen, the winner of Race 2, with now six top-5 finishes!

Giorgio Maggi: "I think the temperatures (up to 40 degrees outside and up to 70 degrees inside the race cars, Red.) gave me a special boost. Everything was just right! The Hendriks team has done a fantastic job so far!"

Anxiety after an engine failure
On Saturday, the Swiss had to worry for a long time whether he could even take his chance in the first race. Maggi shares the #50 Ford Mustang with Loris Hezemans, who is one of the best in Elite1. In his race, the Dutchman led until four laps from the end, when his engine blew up.

The Ford Mustang of Hendriks Motorsport needed two engines at the Czech weekend. In return, there were victories from both drivers.

The Hendriks crew then had just under two hours to change the engine so that Hezemans' team partner could start in the Elite2 race. Until one minute before the pit lane closed, the Dutch squad actually managed to get the new engine running! A masterstroke by the team, for which their Swiss pilot subsequently thanked them with his second win of the season. Hezemans also recorded another success in Elite1 on Sunday.

Invitation to Goodwood
Before the next two NASCAR races take place on July 13 and 14 at the Dutch Venray Raceway near Venlo (NL) on the only oval race track, Giorgio Maggi will experience a special season highlight. The 21-year-old from central Switzerland received an invitation from Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond, to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the most exclusive motorsport event in the world. Maggi will be able to present the #50 Ford Mustang at race speed in front of an estimated 200,000 spectators.

Giorgio Maggi: "I've wanted to go there for many years to have a look. Now, of course, I'm very happy to be able to drive there myself and meet some of the world's greatest racing drivers and motorsport legends."