Only very few spectators can attend the American Festival at Circuit Zolder, but don’t worry: you can follow the five main races live on www.hbvl.be.
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Euro Nascar: racing the American way
Nascar is the most popular form of motorsport in America and the Euro Nascar is the European version of it. The stock cars all have the same tubular chassis with the same 5.7 V8 engine with over 400 hp. A bodywork is draped around it that makes the cars look like muscle cars like the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. The low techmachines are robustly built and can take some pushing and chafing as Nascar is a contact sport: rubbing is racing! Boarding is done through the window, just like in the States.
The highlights are former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve, who is still waiting for his first victory. Maybe he will be there in Zolder on the track where his father was killed? The Canadian will drive for his own team this year and comfortably led the previous race until he suffered a mechanical breakdown. Also look out for defending champion and leader Loris Hezemans, three-time champion Alon Day and the Belgians Marc Goossens and Stienes Longin, who both already won a Nascar race at Zolder.
- Saturday: 14:25 – 15:05 (18 rounds)
- Sunday: 4:20 PM – 5:00 PM (18 rounds)
Euro Nascar 2: more of the same
The second division of the European NASCAR with a mix of rookies and gentlemen drivers. To share the costs, the cars are the same as in the Pro class. Peltenaar Dylan Derdaele, for example, drives the # 98 Ford Mustang, which brings Marc Goossens to the Pros. Derdaele had bad luck in Vallelunga and will want to make up for it for his own people. Other fellow countrymen are Guillaume Dumarey, Simon Pilate and Pol Van Pollaert.
- Saturday: 5:10 PM – 5:40 PM (15 laps)
- Sunday: 11:20 – 11:55 (15 rounds)
Belcar: rehearsal for the 24 Hours
The Belcar is the Belgian championship in circuit racing, organized by Circuit Zolder and built around the 24 Hours of Zolder, the queens competition that takes place in November this year. It is an endurance championship in which two or more drivers share the same car. GTs, touring cars and prototypes drive together. The fastest cars nowadays are the prototypes of the French brand Norma, but they remain fragile and regularly fail. As a result, it was another GT that became champion last year: the Lamborghini of Dylan Derdaele and Nicholas Saelens.
The Belcar is in its third meeting of the season. In Zolder, Russell Racing’s Norma won. Two races were held in Assen and they were won by the Normas of Deldiche Racing (the Piessens-Verbergt copy) and again Russell. But over the three motos it is again Derdaele’s Lamborghini that shines in the lead. Besides professional and amateur pilots, you can always spot BVs in the Belcar. Both Tom Boonen and the brothers Koen and Kris Wauters have not had a good start to the season. Wondering if they can correct that and a race in 180 minutes. It is the longest race of the season after the 24 Hours.
The entire race will be live on hbvl.be with commentary from Guy Geurts, the regular speaker at Circuit Zolder.
- Sunday: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM (180 min)
Photo: JEFFREY GAENS
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