NASCAR Euro Series: Happinessa achieves season’s-best result, secures Lady Trophy victories
- LIAM REDFORD
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Happinessa secured Lady Trophy victories as she overcame challenging conditions in the NASCAR Euro Series at Brands Hatch, where the Bremotion driver bounced back from a high-speed crash in the previous round at Vallelunga to secure her first top-15 finish of the season.
Happinessa secured Lady Trophy victories as she overcame challenging conditions in the NASCAR Euro Series at Brands Hatch. The Bremotion driver bounced back from a high-speed crash in the previous round at Vallelunga to secure her first top-15 finish of the season.
Happinessa also experienced her first competitive wet weather running in race one as the German driver continues to progress in her debut season of racing.
Following a period of recovery and recuperation after a significant incident at Vallelunga, Happinessa returned to the NASCAR Euro Series at Brands Hatch. The German driver demonstrated great determination to come back to competitive action less than one month after this incident with the Bremotion team working hard to prepare her car. Despite being the shortest circuit on the NASCAR Euro Series schedule, the iconic Brands Hatch circuit was a challenging one to master with Happinessa keen to battle within the competitive midfield.
On-track action began on Friday with two free practice sessions for the drivers to familiarise themselves with the Brands Hatch Indy layout. Happinessa completed 14 laps in session one and set a quickest time of a 52.225 which placed her 17th overall. In session two, the German racer battled technical issues with the Bremotion team working hard to rectify these ahead of Saturday’s action.
Following overnight rain at Brands Hatch, the track was damp away from the racing line for Saturday morning’s qualifying session. Happinessa was caught out by these tricky conditions early in the session as she spun into the gravel trap at Paddock Hill bend. The Bremotion driver therefore ended qualifying in 21st position and was looking ahead to the two races which followed.
Race one of the weekend took place on Saturday afternoon with Happinessa lining up from 21st on the grid. The track was initially dry, before light rain started to fall as the drivers fired their engines. As the pace laps commenced, the rain intensified and a number of drivers headed for the pits to change onto the wet tyres.
Happinessa remained on the circuit and as a result, she was running in a career-high position of fifth prior to the green flag being displayed. Track conditions remained extremely wet as the race got underway and a number of cars began aquaplaning off the circuit. As a result, the race was red flagged after one lap with Happinessa doing a superb job to remain on track as she ran in ninth position.
Following a short delay while the rain eased, the cars returned to the circuit behind the safety car with Happinessa taking up her ninth position. The Bremotion driver then pitted prior to the green flag being displayed due to an issue with her wipers which made it unsafe for her to continue as the rain persisted at Brands Hatch.
Conditions remained extremely challenging throughout the race and Happinessa was able to rejoin the circuit with six laps remaining to gain valuable wet weather experience. Although she was unable to achieve the finish she had hoped due to the extended stay in the pits, Happinessa claimed the Lady Trophy victory.
For the second race of the weekend on Sunday afternoon, conditions had improved at Brands Hatch and the track was fully dry. Happinessa lined up from 22nd position on the grid and was immediately promoted to 19th with three drivers failing to take the start. As the green was flag was displayed, the Bremotion driver made an excellent getaway and gained four on-track positions to end lap one inside the top-15.
Happinessa was doing well in the initial stages to defend from Michael Bleekemolen, however the veteran racer moved ahead on lap three. A recovering Thomas Toffel also overtook the Bremotion driver on lap four, before Happinessa came under attack from Sven Van Laere. The German racer did a good job to defend her position, while also setting her fastest time of the entire event on lap five.
On laps seven and eight, technical issues for both Toffel and Claudio Remigio Cappelli elevated Happinessa back into the top-15 as she targeted her best overall finish to date. With both cars requiring retrieval on the exit of Druids, the race first entered a full course yellow period before the safety car was deployed.
The race resumed on lap 14 and after again defending well from Van Laere, the Belgian driver moved ahead on lap 16 with Mike Wise following him through. Happinessa was quick to reclaim the position from Wise, while a retirement for Bleekemolen saw the Bremotion racer enter the top-15 once again. As the race entered the closing stages, Happinessa did a nice job to manage faster traffic moving ahead as the leaders put the German driver one lap down.
Happinessa remained ahead of Wise and extended her margin to the American debutant with just two laps remaining. Fluid was then spilt on the track entering Paddock Hill bend and this led to a number of drivers leaving the track and hitting the barriers.
Fortunately, Happinessa remained on the circuit and the race was subsequently red flagged due to the slippery track conditions. Therefore, Happinessa was credited with her best result of the season in 15th, while also claiming the Lady Trophy for the second straight race.
Happinessa overcame adversity during the weekend to score her best result in the NASCAR Euro Series. The Bremotion driver showed good improvements as she tackled changeable track conditions at Brands Hatch. She will now be looking to build upon this progress when the championship returns to Autodrom Most in Czechia, following an extended summer break, on the weekend of August 30th/31st.
