ALL NEWs FROM 2021!
Justin Kunz storms at the EuroNascar - run
at the Autodrom Most into the Top 5
21/09/01
The German drove to fourth place in a strong second race on one of his favorite tracks.
The NASCAR GP of the Czech Republic was a real rollercoaster ride of emotions for Justin Kunz: The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series made a guest appearance at the technically demanding 4.1 - kilometer Autodrom Most and the weather gods had the action firmly in their hands. The race driver from Appenweier drove to a strong fourth place in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship on Sunday in the dry, but had previously suffered a setback on Saturday.
But what had happened? First, the DF1 Racing Tiger went into two 30-minute practice sessions on Friday to find the right setup for his 400-horsepower Chevrolet Camaro. The Autodrom Most suits the NASCAR veteran, who likes to refer to the circuit not far from the German border as his "favorite track." In the first practice session, the track gradually dried out, which is why Kunz did not drive permanently at the limit in order to spare the rain tires. After a few good runs, the result was a solid seventh place in the end.
"The car felt good," was Kunz's conclusion after the first free practice session. In the second session, Kunz even set the fourth fastest time, confirming the trend that the track suits him and that DF1 Racing has found good settings for the Autodrom Most. "The tires were already pretty worn, so I couldn't do any better, but I was very happy with fourth place," explained the 24-year-old, who had thus laid a good foundation for qualifying on Saturday.
As a reminder, in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series two drivers share one car in two different championships. Before Kunz's qualifying session, his teammate Nicolo Rocca was chasing times in the PRO category, but the Italian returned to the pits with a broken differential. This meant that the German's qualifying session was also on the line. However, the DF1 team did a great job, which is why Kunz was able to burn a fast lap into the asphalt in the final phase of qualifying.
DF1 Racing crew does a great job
"I have to send a huge thank you to my crew, who did a really great job to give me a fast lap in qualifying," said Kunz, who still set the ninth fastest time on a drying track - although the tires were not yet at ideal temperature. "I'd like to know how it would have gone if I'd known the track conditions and been able to get the tires up to temperature, because I'm sure there would have been a lot more in it."
On Saturday, the team went into the first race of the weekend with a solid starting position. The weather gods continued to play their games with the teams, as on the one hand blue patches appeared in the sky, while on the other it was drizzling. DF1 Racing waited until the last second and sent Kunz to the grid on rain tires due to the increasing rain. On the outlap, however, the German already noticed that there was a lack of engine power. With the power deficit Kunz had no chance to fight back at the start and in addition there was a collision with his DF1 teammate Gil Linster.
"All in all, that was a very unfortunate situation," Kunz said. "I then pitted because of the engine problems and the crash, because it no longer made sense to continue. I also wanted to prevent an engine failure this way, however, the mechanics once again managed to find a solution quickly, which is why I went back on track to set a fast lap for the starting grid of the second race. I even pitted again to change to slicks because the track was quite dry. But two corners were unfortunately still too wet, which is why the poker didn't work out."
Kunz strikes back in the second race
That's why Kunz started from 10th place in the second race, but he was quickly involved in another minor scuffle - but this time with a better outcome: while Paolo Valeri and Naveh Talor spun, Kunz got away with minor front-end damage. The racer from Appenweier took over fourth position ahead of Linster to secure a strong top-5 result.
"I really gave it my all to finish on the podium, but the damage to the front unfortunately put a spanner in the works," said the 24-year-old. "Due to the lack of aerodynamics, I simply had less grip on the front axle than usual. That's why I simply had to let off the gas more in some corners. I would have loved to be on the podium, but despite the damage I was just as fast as the third-placed driver, who had a healed car - a good sign that we have the pace. I scored important points for the championship, that's all that counts."
After a varied and exciting race weekend, which marked the halfway point of the 2021 NWES season, Kunz is in tenth place in the overall EuroNASCAR 2 standings. He is currently just 61 points short of first place and, as the two worst results are dropped after the fifth event - i.e. before the finale - Kunz still has every chance of getting involved in the title fight. Next stop is the Automotordrom Grobnik in Croatia on September 18 and 19. The track is similar to the flow of the Autodrom Most and is therefore also one of Kunz's favorites.
Copyright © 2021 Justin Kunz, All rights reserved.
Justin Kunz after EuroNASCAR race in England:
"Podium won't be long in coming".
The
German scored two top-10 and one top-5 result at Brands Hatch in the UK
21/07/15
The American SpeedFest on the Indy layout of the Brands Hatch Circuit in Great Britain is the most popular race weekend in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. Normally, up to 60,000 spectators visit the track, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, only 4,000 fans were allowed per day. In the middle of it all was Justin Kunz, who has already contested ten races on the 1.94-kilometer track. Together with DF1 Racing, the 24-year-old was aiming for a podium result.
On Friday, the two free practice sessions of the EuroNASCAR 2 championship got underway first. In 60 minutes divided into two 30-minute sessions, the focus was on optimizing the car settings and finding the pace for qualifying and the two races, which were on the agenda for Kunz this race weekend. The race driver from Appenweier likes the short but challenging track and had his sights firmly set on the top positions. On Friday, the results did not yet reflect the team's good work. Appearances were deceptive.
"I was really looking forward to the race weekend in England because it is one of the most beautiful events on the calendar," Kunz said. "Of course, I prepared for the event in the simulator, as I do for every race, and arrived full of anticipation. On Friday in practice we weren't so enthusiastic because the setup changes didn't really make a difference. But I have to add that we were on pretty used tires in practice, which is why the results were like that."
In qualifying, the race driver from Appenweier made the breakthrough because the vehicle settings worked really well with new tires and a different grip level. Accordingly, Kunz managed to really come up trumps in qualifying. Just a couple hours later, he started the first EuroNASCAR 2 race of the weekend.
"Then it all became more positive on Saturday morning in qualifying. We had a good sense with the setup after all, because we had a really strong car with new tires. Both Nicolo [Rocca, EuroNASCAR PRO] and I were then third on the grid. That pushed and really motivated us. After all, with this result the podium was the goal. The first race started well, too, because I stayed third after the start."
"Then came the safety car period and I made a wrong decision at the restart. I stayed on the inside in turn 2 instead of going on the outside. That was a bit of a mistake because I thought that no one would be able to overtake me if I closed the line on the inside. But then someone passed me on the outside and the situation was so stupid that I had to let two more drivers through. So I practically ruined the whole race for myself and in the end I only finished fifth. I was really pissed off because third place would certainly have been possible."
Although the result in the first race was a minor setback, Kunz collected important points in the fight for the championship win with fifth place. The 24-year-old already collected his second top-5 result in the 2021 NWES season after the season opener in Valencia. Kunz started the second race under more difficult conditions because the fastest race lap decides the starting grid for the second race. Due to the intense first race, the DF1 Racing driver was unable to set a clean lap.
"Due to the duels in the first race, my starting position for the second race was not really sparkling, because I could not burn a fast lap into the asphalt. I had to start ninth, which was not ideal. I was hoping for rain, because I am very strong in the wet and would have overtaken many opponents. It rained briefly before the start, but it was too dry for rain tires and then the sun came out again. On slicks I still managed to make up two positions and eventually finished seventh. It wasn't the race I had hoped for after the strong qualifying. The pace is there and I'm really looking forward to Most. Thanks to the strong work of the team, the first podium of the season won't be long in coming."
After the fourth of twelve races, Kunz is ninth in the overall standings with 111 points on his tally. Kunz is just 33 points behind his compatriot Tobias Dauenhauer, who is at the top of the standings. For Kunz, the dream of the NWES title is far from over and the first podium seems to be only a matter of time. The races at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic take place on August 28-29. The race was scheduled for June but has been postponed to late August.
Justin Kunz experiences a rollercoaster of emotions at the NWES opener in Valencia.
The German dropped out in the first race and stormed into the top 5 in the second race
"My season has been very successful and I'm absolutely happy with the results," Kunz says. "I finished third in the Junior Trophy and finished in the top 10 of the EuroNASCAR PRO Championship. It was my first full year in the top NASCAR Whelen Euro Series championship and the level is obviously much higher than in the EuroNASCAR 2 Series. You just have to look at the names that are racing in the PRO championship. That's why I'm very happy with the top-10 result. I thank my team DF1 Racing for the great work and my partners as well as fans for the support."
The end of the season marks the start of planning for 2021, with the coronavirus pandemic making it difficult for racers like Kunz to present new plans early on. The racer from Appenweier hopes to take the next important step in his motorsport career.
21/05/16
Justin Kunz competed in the 2020 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series for the first time as a full-time driver in the EuroNASCAR PRO Championship for professional racers. He shared the track with motorsport greats such as Jacques Villeneuve, Alon Day and Loris Hezemans. After ten races, the racer from Appenweier finished third in the Junior Trophy for drivers up to 25 years of age and in the top 10 overall.
The German finished four out of ten races within the top 10, meaning Kunz was busy collecting points for DF1 Racing in the number 99 Chevrolet Camaro. In Grobnik, Croatia, the 23-year-old made his breakthrough with sixth and eighth places. At Super Speedweek in Valencia, Spain, he added two more top-10 finishes.
In the Junior Trophy, Kunz landed on the podium a total of three times in 2020. With a total of 20 EuroNASCAR PRO races, 47 EuroNASCAR 2 races and one start in the American NASCAR Gander & RV Outdoors Truck Series, the German is one of the most experienced drivers in the European NASCAR world - even though he is only 23 years old.