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Adrien Paviot: Driving a NASCAR is like driving a classic racer – it’s hard work.

04.10.2018

Adrien, with your helmet designs and TV commentating, you’re usually associated with F1 and GT racing. What attracted you to NASCAR?

I’ve been a fan of NASCAR since I was a kid. It’s pure racing without any frills. The cars have no ABS or traction control and they belt around an oval course at over 200 km/h. Before commentating for F1, I was already commentating NASCAR races for a French television station.

 

Adrien, with your helmet designs and TV commentating, you’re usually associated with F1 and GT racing. What attracted you to NASCAR?

How did you get involved in NASCAR racing yourself?

I did a test in the US with an American team at Hickory Motor Speedway just because I wanted to find out what it was like to be behind the wheel, and because it’s such a different world to what we know here. Afterwards, I was contacted by Jerome Galpin, organiser of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, who invited me to race with them in Tours, which is my hometown. That was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I teamed up with the RDV Competition squad of Bobby Labonte and actually did pretty well, finishing with a podium spot in the rookie category. Last weekend, I had the chance to drive that car again for a few demo laps at Linas Montlhery, during Les Grandes Heures Des Automobiles.

 

How did you get involved in NASCAR racing yourself?

Which car do you race in Whelen Euro?

The exterior looks a bit like a Toyota but it’s actually a spec series because all the cars are exactly the same. They’re built on a tubular frame with a big V8 in the front, a classic manual gearbox in the middle, and no driver aids such as ABS or traction control. The body is produced from fibreglass. It drives more like a classic race car. You have to do everything yourself. It’s hard work but a lot of fun.

 

Which car do you race in Whelen Euro?

What’s the big difference between US NASCAR and Euro NASCAR?

Well, funny enough, everything is different. First off, the European NASCAR competition is based mainly on regular road courses with Tours being the only oval track in the championship, whereas in the USA, everything is based on oval courses. The cars look roughly the same but actually they couldn’t be more different. Our cars have tubular frames whereas the manufacturers in US built regular chassis. They’re much heavier but have 200 horsepower more than our cars (650bhp vs 450bhp).

 

What’s the big difference between US NASCAR and Euro NASCAR?

Any plans to get behind the wheel again in 2019?

Getting a seat in the US will be hard. It’s so tough to get traction in that world for a European racer. Currently, we’re looking into doing some more events in Whelen Euro and we’re in talks with the team. Because of my TV commitments, it would be impossible to do a full season but after trying an oval race, I’m curious to drive on a road course.

 

Any plans to get behind the wheel again in 2019?