Hendriks Motorsport-Momo to enter EuroNASCAR Esports Series with five drivers
Dutch team from Maasbree is set to appear with all three of its NWES-cars at the start of new virtual EuroNASCAR championship.
Last week NASCAR Whelen Euro Series President – CEO Jérôme Galpin announced the new EuroNASCAR Esports Series. Dutch Nascar Fans will present the teams from the Low Lands in the run-up to the first event of this virtual championship on April 21 with the first one being the 2019 championship winning team: Hendriks Motorsport-Momo.
Normally it would be very busy in the workshop of the team from Maasbree, but now it is mainly calm. “Usually we would now be busy preparing the cars for the opening weekend in Valencia”, says team manager Roy Hendriks. “Unfortunately, the season has been postponed until further notice and we are now busy arranging everything for the new Esports Series”. The team takes this championship seriously as well, which is evident from the number of drivers who will participate in the EuroNASCAR Esports Series. “If we compete in something, we also want to win”, Hendriks continues. “All but one of the drivers who will also race for our team in NWES in 2020, will get in their Playseat to compete for the title online.”
Because in EuroNASCAR a car is shared by two drivers, one EuroNASCAR PRO and one EuroNASCAR 2 driver, the decision was made to add the number 1 to the second car for this championship. This means the championship winning car, known for its Dutch tricolor, is in the field twice: one with #50 and the other with #150.
Last year’s championship winning car, the #50 Ford Mustang, will also be driven by reigning NWES champion Loris Hezemans in the Esports Series. “Obviously we all would rather see motorsport return to the track as soon as possible”, says Hezemans. “But in these difficult times, we will make sure to still create excitement with the EuroNASCAR Esports Series. This new championship will undoubtedly bring excitement and close door-to-door racing to the fans!”
Name: Loris Hezemans
Nationality: Dutch
Age: 22
Car: #50 Ford Mustang
Personal sponsors: R1 Indoor Karting, Momo, Rzoil, Bramatex
Young German Tobias Dauenhauer will take the seat in the #150 Ford Mustang of the Hendriks Motorsport team. The newcomer is very much looking forward to the opening event, which will be run on the Road Course of Daytona International Speedway. “I think it’s great that the EuroNASCAR Esports Series has been established and I’m looking forward to the upcoming sim races”, said the 22-year-old German. “Of course I rather drive laps in a real NASCAR car on a race track, but unfortunately that is not possible given the current situation. Therefore the Esports Series is ideal to offer drivers, and especially sponsors and fans as well, motorsport. I look forward to this new challenge in the coming weeks, but I’m all the more looking forward to going back into a race car in the real world!”
Name: Tobias Dauenhauer
Nationality: German
Age: 22
Car: #150 Ford Mustang
Personal sponsors: RZ Oil Deutschland
The third driver to participate on behalf of the Hendriks Motorsport team is Swiss Giorgio Maggi. Last year’s EuroNASCAR 2 runner-up will be piloting the new third car this season, the #18 Ford Mustang. “It’s nice to get back behind the wheel, but not in the way we thought we would a couple of months ago. It is what it is however”, says Maggi. “At the moment we have to make the most of it and I’m happy with this solution EuroNASCAR offers us and the fans. The NASCAR cars and tracks on which we will be racing are a real challenge and they’re not as easy as you might think. With five Hendriks Motorsport-Momo drivers we’re all busy practicing and looking for every percentage we can improve on. The goal remains the same for me and that is winning.”
Name: Giorgio Maggi
Nationality: Swiss
Age: 22
Car: #18 Ford Mustang
Personal sponsor: Lucerne Watch
With the same paint scheme, however with #118 on his Ford Mustang, Vittorio Ghirelli is the Dutch squad’s fourth driver. The Italian, who ended up third in the EuroNASCAR 2 standings last year, is also looking forward to his virtual racing debut. “I’ve watched the Esports platform develop over the years and always thought about trying it out! I do expect the competition and level to be very high, so I could use a few extra hours of training to be completely ready for it on April 21.”
Name: Vittorio Ghirelli
Nationality: Italian
Age: 25
Car: #118 Ford Mustang
Personal sponsor: infitto.eu
The last driver to participate for the team has a very special story. Normally Jeffrey Roeffen is the crew chief of the #7 Ford Mustang, but in the Esports Series he will get behind the wheel himself. “I think the ESeries is a fantastic idea”, says Roeffen. “The great thing about the ESeries is that we drive with a fixed setup, which means all drivers race with the same setup, so it really comes down to the driver. It’s also a great opportunity for me personally to show everyone what I can do behind the wheel. It might be virtual, but it’s still racing.”
The 19-year-old Dutchman from Venlo already took part in a virtual race last week and worked his way up to the top five. Unfortunately, a crash late in the race caused him to drop out of the top ten. “We’re currently training very hard on the sim as a team and expect to have a good chance at a couple of top five results. I want to thank Hendriks Motorsport-Momo, EuroNASCAR and Martin Doubek for this opportunity!”
Name: Jeffrey Roeffen
Nationality: Dutch
Age: 19
Car: #307 Ford Mustang
Personal sponsors: Beasy, Sasa K9 Security, Hendriks Motorsport, Steakhouse The Longhorn, Autoxross, MediaVisible, Camping Californië, Orion
The first EuroNASCAR Esports Series event will take place on Tuesday April 21 at 8:00PM CET with live streams on the Dutch Nascar Fans LIVE Facebook page and the EuroNASCAR YouTube channel.
