October 24, 2020 - After Croatia was named the host of the 2021 World Rally Championship less than a month ago, more great news follows from the world of auto racing... NASCAR is coming to Croatia!
Index.hr reports that Croatia and Automotodrom Grobnik will host one of the most prestigious automotive competitions in Europe, NASCAR GP, on November 14 and 15, 2020.
Namely, due to the epidemiological situation and restrictions caused by COVID-19, Croatia will replace the third race of the NWES championship, which was to be held on the same date in the Czech Republic.
"In such a challenging and uncertain situation, we must be responsible and give priority to security. It is sad to postpone the Czech Republic for 2021, but at the moment, this is the best decision for everyone. We are happy to develop a new event in Croatia with very motivated partners from Automotodrom Grobnik," said NWES President Jerome Galpin after visiting the Grobnik runway.
"The Croatian coast is beautiful at this time of year. Rijeka is a perfect location, and the Grobnik runway is fast, technically demanding, and fascinating! We are enthusiastic that we can offer NWES drivers and teams a new challenge and look forward to the first Croatian NASCAR GP Croatia."
"Automotodrom Grobnik can't imagine a better end to the season. This is certainly the first step towards more attractive and numerous racing competitions for the audience. This is proof that NWES President Jerome Galpin has recognized all the improvements we have made on the track and the entire facility in recent years. One of our goals is to support the Croatian Automobile and Karting Association (HAKS) and its president Davorin Štetner, believing that collaboration is inevitable for the future of motorsport and drivers so that they can compete in higher-ranking competitions. All this makes us happy despite this challenging year and gives us the right to believe that next year will bring some new sports challenges," said the member of the Management Board of Automotodrom Grobnik Robert Žiković.
"We closely monitored the situation with COVID-19 and, at a crucial moment, managed to ensure the arrival of the spectacular NASCAR for the first time in Croatia! I thank Automotodrom Grobnik and Robert Žiković for the excellent cooperation, and I look forward to strengthening auto racing competitions in Croatia!" said HAKS President Davorin Štetner.
The first NASCAR Croatia will be broadcast live on EuroNESCAR social networks and Motosport.tv and Kreator TV on November 14 and 15, 2020.
Jacques Villeneuve, a Canadian sports car driver, winner of the 500 miles of Indianapolis, and the 1995 Cart-Champcar Championship, will also drive on the Grobnik runway. He was also a Formula 1 world champion with Williams Renault (1997).
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