- Deodhar [Copyright: Advait Deodhar Media]

Advait Deodhar learns through debut Euro NASACR Elite 2 weekend at Brands Hatch

The Indian gets his first go in the Elite 2 category.

Darshan Chokhani posted in Motorsport India & World

3y ago

2.1K

After two rounds in the Elite Club in the 2018 Euro NASCAR Championship, Advait Deodhar got his first chance in the Elite 2 category with Austrian team Dexwet DF1 Racing in the #99 Chevrolet Camaro partnering with Clemens Sparowitz.

The Indian started Round 3 at Brands Hatch finishing 19th and 22nd in the two practice sessions on Friday where he showed an improvement of 0.813s from FP1 to FP2 to dip in the 50s bracket as the leaders.

He qualified 24th in a tight field with a further improvement clocking a 50.407s lap, but an electrical issue forced him to start from the back of the grid in Race 1. The Indian then fought back up to 18th by Lap 13 of the 30.

However, while tussling with Braxx Racing’s Pedro Bonnet (Ford Mustang), Deodhar suffered a puncture and was then handed a drive-through penalty as the stewards held him responsible for the incident.

As a result, he dropped four laps behind the leaders to finish 24th in the race won by Memphis Racing's Guillaume Deflandre (Chevrolet SS). There was one consolation for the Mumbaikar as he clocked his best time of the weekend at 50.329s in the race to start 16th in Race 2.

The second race on Sunday saw another battle where Deodhar was pushed onto the gravel trap by Alex Caffi Motorsport’s Carmen Boix (Ford Mustang) on Lap 11 when they jostled for 15th position. It was an unfortunate retirement for Deodhar.

“Not taking in the results, I would say it was quite an enriching experience to compete in these cars in the Elite 2 category," said Deodhar. “I can safely say that I can walk away from this weekend as a better driver. One thing I learned was that I needed to be more patient.

“I've got the speed and I was up there with the front guys in terms of pace by the end of the weekend. However, in the eagerness to prove myself I was a bit hot-headed and made some very risky maneuvers to move forward as quick as possible.

“As we can see through the results, that didn't bode well for Saturday and Sunday. I know that I need to turn down the aggression for the next round. But a big Thank You to Dexwet DF1 Racing for giving me a superb car.

"I won't be racing in France but am working towards getting behind the wheel again for the last two rounds in Hockenheim and Zolder," he added. As the Indian alluded to, he will not compete in the season's next round in France during the June 30 - July 1 weekend.

However, he is hoping to return in the next round at Hockenheim, Germnay during the September 15-16 weekend and at Zolder, Belgium during the October 20-21 weekend - whether in the Elite Club and or in the Elite 2 category.