Sebastiaan Bleekemolen is in the middle of a spectacular comeback to the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2021. After struggling in his 2019 debut season, his pace is matching the one of the top title contenders. The Dutchman scored two podium finishes so far and sits in fifth in the overall standings. The 42-year-old is only 37 points shy of Loris Hezemans, who’s leading the classification after four races at Valencia and Brands Hatch.
Figuring out the brakes of the 400 hp EuroNASCAR beasts was the breakthrough for the Dutch team and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen is hungry for more. Before Most, he collected three top-5 finishes in four races and proved that the #69 Ford Mustang is capable of scoring top results in the EuroNASCAR PRO Championship.
“Yes, it’s two in a row now,” said a happy Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, who also found another important ingredient for his success. “And this at age 42 with all the young boys around me! I think one of the keys is my fitness. I’m training a lot and participated the week before Zolder in Ironman Barcelona, doing a full distance triathlon.” Remember: Team Bleekemolen skipped the 2020 season due to the Coronavirus pandemic and did not contest a single race.
“But, yes, I’m happy with the team, the car, happy to race again. I think we have a good combination of everything. I know Autodrom Most quite well because I drove there a couple of times with the Renault Clio and most of the times I was quite successful. In 2019, I scored my best NASCAR result back then with a fifth place, so I have good memories. Autodrom Most ranks high among my favourite tracks in the NWES calendar, so I have a lot of confidence!”
While Sebastiaan Bleekemolen is looking for another podium result in the Czech Republic, his father Michael Bleekemolen is fighting for glory in the EuroNASCAR 2 Legend Trophy for drivers aged 40 and more. The 71-year-old former Formula One driver lays in sixth in the special classification’s standings and is eager to reduce the gap to Marko Stipp Motorsport’s Yevgen Sokolovskiy, who’s topping the Legend Trophy charts in eleventh overall.
The NASCAR GP Czech Republic takes place on August 28-29 at the famous and challenging Autodrom Most. Qualifying and all EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 races will be broadcasted live on EuroNASCAR’s social media platforms – YouTube, Facebook, Twitch – as well as on Motorsport.tv.
PROFILES: SEBASTIAAN BLEEKEMOLEN / TEAM BLEEKEMOLEN
All photos by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Stephane Azemard
