SpeedHouse Racing brought three cars to Italy for the second round of the 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season at the Autodromo di Vallelunga. Team owner Lucas Lasserre and former EuroNASCAR 2 champion Ulysse Delsaux reinforced their roles as title contenders in EuroNASCAR PRO, while Davide Dallara made his comeback to the series, highlighted by a podium finish in the Challenger Trophy. Florian Richard joined the battle for the Rookie Trophy win in EuroNASCAR 2, while Arianna Casoli enjoyed an exciting home race with two Lady Trophy victories.
EuroNASCAR PRO
In Free Practice, all the drivers took the opportunity to set up their cars for the four-kilometer road course at Campagnano di Roma, which is considered a challenge for the drivers due to its fast but also technical character. In EuroNASCAR PRO, Delsaux and Lasserre made it into Superpole, while Dallara had to settle for 15th on the grid in his NWES comeback. Lasserre qualified sixth, just ahead of his teammate Delsaux in seventh. In the first of two races, Lasserre managed to finish in the top-5, thus scoring important points for his title chase. Delsaux and Dallara both encountered problems and finished 21st and 22nd respectively. On Sunday, all the EuroNASCAR PRO SpeedHouse drivers were fighting for top positions: Delsaux finished a solid eighth, while Dallara took third place on the Challenger Trophy podium. Lasserre retired from a promising position on lap 15 with gearbox problems. Despite some issues, the overall pace of all three PRO drivers was encouraging for the upcoming race weekends in Europe’s official NASCAR series.
#33 Lucas Lasserre : Positions : 5th & 24th – Overall : 7th – Points : 111
« It was a strong weekend as we had the pace to fight for top positions. The first race was really good. I had a good start and a good restart. Unfortunately I got a penalty, but I’ll talk to the race director at Brands Hatch to see what we’re allowed to do on track and what not. In the second race we had technical problems, but I was fourth when I retired. This proves that we’re in the game and have the pace to fight for the title. »
#14 Ulysse Delsaux : Positions : 21st & 8th – Overall : 8th – Points : 107
« I’m very happy with my pace. The team did a great job and helped me get into Superpole with a third place in Q1. Despite the problems in the first race I was able to score important points on Sunday. Now I’m getting ready for Brands Hatch. Thanks to all my mechanics, partners and team members at SpeedHouse Racing. See you in Great Britain! »
#64 Davide Dallara : Positions : 22nd & 15th – Overall : 27th – Points : 37
« This weekend was a rollercoaster of emotions! After not racing for two years, it was great to see old friends and rivals. I paid for my absence, but in the end the result was satisfactory. I had more than one collision in the first race. I cannot thank SpeedHouse Racing enough for the great car they have given me. I will work hard to make my full-time comeback with them in 2025. We can do great things together, I’m sure! »
EuroNASCAR 2
Richard and Casoli took on the competition in EuroNASCAR 2 and both enjoyed the unique Italian venue. Richard, a top contender for the Rookie Trophy, finished twelfth in Qualifying while Casoli had to start the race from 24th. On Saturday, Richard fought for victory in the Rookie Trophy race, but had to settle for seventh overall, just behind his rival Julien Rehberg. Casoli moved up to 19th and took her third consecutive Lady Trophy win. On Sunday, Richard was again among the top contenders in the Rookie Trophy class, finishing third in the special classification and ninth overall. Casoli had a strong home race, with the Reggio Emilia pilot finishing 16th overall and first in the Lady Trophy. Richard is now level on points with Rehberg in the Rookie Trophy standings and will do his best to take over the lead at Brands Hatch.
#33 Florian Richard : Positions : 7th & 9th – Overall : 6th – Points : 106
« Thanks to the SpeedHouse Racing team for a great job. Without the mechanics and engineers nobody would be able to have such a great weekend. I had a great time driving this weekend. The first race was incredible but I made a few mistakes. The second race was perfect and we proved that hard work always pays off. We will have to work even harder to stay at the front and have a shot at the Rookie Trophy! »
#14 Arianna Casoli : Positions : 19th & 16th – Overall : 20th – Ladey Trophy : 1st – Points : 78
« The American Festival of Rome at Vallelunga was my home race and therefore a special event for me. Thanks to the whole team and the mechanics who gave me a perfect car. That’s why I’m gaining confidence from race to race. Thanks also to Lucas for mentoring me and helping me to improve my performance. The fans, the track and the series have worked hard to make this a great show here in Italy. It was nice to experience such a warm welcome from the fans in the paddock and garages. It was a pleasure to guide our team’s VIP guests and talk to them about my journey in motorsport as a woman. Thank you to all the staff, sponsors, friends and fans for making this event so special for me. »
Lucas Lasserre, Team Owner : « I am very happy with all the drivers and their performances. Florian did a great job in the first race with an amazing lap time and a strong fight. He finished in the top-10 and was twice on the podium for the Rookie Trophy. He’s now level on points with the class leader. Ulysse was unlucky this weekend, but he was faster than me. I will support him 100 percent and help him on his way to the top. Arianna made big improvements in race 2 and took two Lady Trophy wins. Davide made it onto the Challenger Trophy podium in his comeback, so it’s a strong way to come back. His pace was close to the top-10, so we had three cars capable of finishing in the top-10 in EuroNASCAR PRO. The mechanics did a great job, it would not have been possible without them. I’m proud of the whole team. »