The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has announced a successful test of its 400-horsepower race car on an ice track in Val Thorens, France.
The test took place on March 26 with series president/CEO Jerome Galpin behind the wheel. The car was supplied by Team FJ.
According to the series’ release, the car - outfitted with studded tires - turned in quicker lap times than all specifically-designed rear wheel drive cars and close lap times compared to all-wheel drive ice-racing prototypes.
“That was super fun,” Galpin said in the release. “To be honest we didn’t expect this first test on ice to go so well. The EuroNASCAR car has a great balance, so it is very easy to swing around on the ice.
“It is probably among the most versatile race cars ever built, able to race on every track and every surface, in every condition. The level of performance is also pretty impressive. With only one day of testing, we were able to set one of the fastest times around the track for a rear-wheel drive car.”
Galpin added that the test will “open up new horizons and spark new ideas” for the Euro Series to try in the future.
“We have to see what’s the next step but for sure this was a very special day,” he said. “It doesn’t matter the surface you drive on, the shape of the track or the kind of driver you are: the pure racing character of the EuroNASCAR car is contagious and you will not want to stop driving it.”
The Euro Series season begins May 15-16 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. As of Wednesday, 26 cars are on the entry list for the weekend.
In recent years, drivers such as NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte and Xfinity Series driver Myatt Snider (son of NASCAR on NBC’s Marty Snider) have competed in the Euro Series.