As the third event of the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season draws closer, RDV Competition announced that Paul Jouffreau will make his EuroNASCAR PRO debut at Vallelunga in the #3 Ford Mustang.
Frederic Gabillon has decided to end his 2023 campaign, leaving the EuroNASCAR PRO cockpit to Jouffreau. The 47-year-old had planned to compete full-time this season, but owing to budget considerations, the Frenchman has elected to end his campaign early. He will still be involved in RDV Competition and support his young teammate, while Jouffreau will step up to EuroNASCAR PRO and pull double duties in the remainder of the season. The 19-year-old talent will take advantage of Gabillon’s experience and be coached by one of the finest NWES veterans of all-time.
Jouffreau made his EuroNASCAR 2 debut back in 2022, and made a visit to the podium at Vallelunga in his rookie season. During the off-season, he made the decision to join RDV Competition to chase the EuroNASCAR 2 title. The 19-year-old has achieved podium finishes in three of four races in 2023, and has a 100 per-cent top-5 record so far. Despite having ‘zero experience’ on a wet race track, Jouffreau collected his first lead laps at the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in race two of the weekend, but was beaten by EuroNASCAR 2 dominator Vladimiros Tziortzis. After four of twelve rounds in the 2023 NWES season, the youngster is only 25 points down on Tziortzis.
« It’s a bit strange to make the step to EuroNASCAR PRO that way, » said Jouffreau. « Fred is an amazing teammate and I learnt a lot from him and will continue learning from him in the future. He cannot continue, so I will do my best to fill those big footsteps. He’s a phenomenal mentor and I will make sure he will be proud of me. It’s sad for him, but now I cannot wait to get my EuroNASCAR PRO season started when we head towards Italy for the next NASCAR GP. »
RDV Competition will continue fielding the #3 Ford Mustang in both championships and with Jouffreau, the team not only has a EuroNASCAR 2 title contender but also a strong Junior Trophy driver in EuroNASCAR PRO. With the help of Gabillon, the 19-year-old is set to take the next step and bring the powerhouse led by team boss Franck Violas back to Victory Lane. With the maximum seat time, RDV Competition wants to optimize Jouffreau’s development to become a top driver in EuroNASCAR PRO in the future.
« We are very grateful to Frederic for his huge contribution to our effort and for being a great team player, » said Team Owner Franck Violas. « We will make the best out of this situation by anticipating Paul’s EuroNASCAR PRO debut. He will earn precious experience and we are sure he will benefit from it at all levels. »
The first time Jouffreau will be pulling double duty will be at the Autodromo di Vallelunga in Italy on July 8-9. All qualifying and race sessions will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several TV services from all around the world. All eyes will be on the 19-year-old Frenchman when he takes on the European NASCAR elite for the first time in his young racing career.
André Wiegold,