Professional racer Alex Kapadia will make his first ever start in a NASCAR Stock car this weekend as he joins the Mishumotors team at Brands Hatch for the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, part of the American Speedfest meeting on June 10-11.
Alex will be driving one of a pair of Chevrolet stock cars owned by team owner Mirco Schultis in a field that includes ex NASCAR Champion Bobby Labonte. Alex will take part in the Elite One division for professional drivers in a pair of 30 lap races around Brands Hatch’s Indy circuit which, with a newer 30 car field should see plenty of action:
“I’m really excited about it and can’t thank Mirco enough for the opportunity. This its something completely different from the endurance racing with light, high downforce cars that I am most used to but I can’t wait to get out there.
“I raced for Mirco in his Mercedes AMG SLS GT3 at Bathurst last year and so when he called me and said he had a couple of NASCARs and would I drive one for him I was keen to give it a go. The cars look like good fun to drive and Speedfest looks like a huge event too.”
Mirco Schultis: “I was extremely impressed by Alex’s pace at Bathurst so I was keen to get him into one of our NASCARs for the weekend.”
The cars used in the Series are c.450 bhp V8 powered cars with a variety of US car body styles, Alex will be driving an ex Race of Champions Chevrolet SS, numbered #70 with the team’s second #33 Mavi Jeans backed car set to be driven by Brazilian ex IndyCar driver Bruno Junqueira, returning to the scene of a second place finish when he raced a Champ car at Brands Hatch in 2003.
The race meeting will see the same cars used by two gentleman drivers in the pair of Elite 2 races during the weekend, Alex sharing ‘his’ car with the team owner and Bruno sharing the other car with Roger Bromiley.
2012 FIA WEC class winning team boss Peter Baron of Starworks will engineer both cars, Starworks having engineered Mirco Schultis during his time in LMPC Oreca in the IMSA Series in the US.