The first round of the Euro NASCAR season was held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia on the 13th and 14th April in front of more than 20,000 fans.

This was Ben’s introduction to his team and to his car so there was a lot to learn. However the Mishumotors team were incredibly welcoming and supportive and helped Ben achieve a great deal in a very short space of time. This was also the chance to work much more closely with Lucas Lasserre who is a multiple championship winning driver and Ben’s team mate. Lucas was a great help to Ben and this is a relationship that is going to keep building throughout the season with, we all hope, exciting and winning potential.

The early practice sessions were difficult, but after a great deal of work put in by the team, the cars were soon handling and performing much better. Ben’s qualification was good and he was happy that he had quickly developed an understanding of the car.

The first race was incredibly exciting with Ben driving well and keeping his car out of trouble. A 13th on track was improved to an 11th after 2 cars were penalised after the safety car restart. Considering there were 29 starters and this was Ben’s first race, this was an incredible result and showed just what Ben is capable of.

The Sunday race also started well and Ben was moving through the field in a car that was going well and that he was increasingly happy with. A top 10 finish looked certain when his brakes failed at around 120mph. Ben managed to bring the car under control and he limped back to the pits although the rear brakes were on fire by the time he stopped. The mechanics put the fire out but unfortunately his race was over. A disappointing end but a really great weekend overall and lots of praise from the other drivers who were impressed with Ben’s car control and speed.

So on to Italy. But a great first race weekend with so much learned and clear potential for the rest of the season.