Before the official season opener in Spain on April 12 and 13, the NASCAR Euro Series teams and drivers had one more chance to test their vehicles during the Prologue at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia on April 10. The new Samsonas 5-speed sequential gearbox, which debuted for the 2025 season, was given to a number of drivers for the first time. Because of the shifter and extra gear, drivers who enjoy the car’s balance have embraced the change. The testing sessions’ quickest lap was recorded by the #30 Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang. The drivers who took part in the official Prologue have responded as follows.
For the 2025 season premiere, teams entered 24 vehicles in three different divisions: Rookie Challenge, OPEN, and PRO. Driving the #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro, reigning PRO champion Vittorio Ghirelli got off to a strong start. “Everything went smoothly, and we made some adjustments to the car,” the Italian stated. “To improve things, we’re experimenting with a few things. The gearbox is enjoyable and well-maintained. All we want to do is go for it! Gianmarco Ercoli, Ghirelli’s fiercest competitor, had a strong run in his #11 Alumitec Ford. “The new gearbox makes a big difference, and the feeling is good.” We began preparing for optimal performance. The new gearbox allows you to focus more intently on your driving technique.
You can really attack in the car and have much more control over the gear shifts. Another candidate for the RDV Competition title, Paul Jouffreau, agreed with Ercoli. The Frenchman remarked, “It was nice and I tried the new gearbox, it was really fun.” You have to shift gears a lot because the car now has a more athletic balance. It’s an incredible sensation for a driver. Our attention will now be directed toward setup optimization. For the first time since taking home the title in October 2024, reigning OPEN champion Martin Doubek drove the #7 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang. “It was good,” the Czech stated. I like using the new gearbox, even though it was my first time using it. Naturally, we are still working on improving the setup for the race weekend.” Bremotion’s Dominique Schaak took his seat in the #99 Chevrolet.
“The fact that the season is finally beginning makes me very delighted. We had to get rid of the dust because the winter was so lengthy. I love the track here, and the new gearbox is a lot of fun, but we think that an almost six-month layoff is a long time. Following his initial laps in the #34 Chevrolet, which he tested at Circuit Ricardo Tormo during the winter, Thomas Toffel of M Racing remarked, “Nothing special.” “We experimented with making the car faster. I feel terrific right now. Valentino Gambarotto, a rookie who finished his first laps alongside Ercoli, relished the 4.005-kilometer course. “It was fantastic! I felt a positive vibe in the car and I adore the course. We were outside on used tires and we are working on the front brakes of the car to improve the balance. Hopefully we can improve our lap times over the course of the race weekend.”
With a time of 1:40.947, the #30 Ford Mustang driven by Rette Jones Racing was the fastest vehicle in the prologue, followed by the #64 Mustang driven by Speedhouse. The third-place Ford from RDV Competition placed third overall after the two 1.5-hour sessions on Thursday. Because teams and drivers utilized the official Prologue as a shakedown to get acquainted to the new transmission and test various scenarios for the race weekend, lap times might not be representative. The used tire sets were also utilized by a lot of drivers. Three Rookie Challenge sessions and four Free Practice sessions for the PRO and OPEN classes—two in each category—mark the formal start of the 2025 season on Friday. Four races and qualifying will take place on Saturday and Sunday, April 12–13 and will be streamed live on the EuroNASCAR YouTube channel.
