Kumpen and Longin aiming at victory

This weekend, the Nascar Whelen Euro Series will have its German premiere, with the fourth race of the season taking place at the Nürburgring. Anthony Kumpen and Bert Longin are heading to the Eifel with high expectations, their minds set on the first victory of the season.
Obviously the Nürburgring is not unfamiliar to Bert Longin and Anthony Kumpen. ‘You could consider this as our home race, yes’, says Kumpen with a grin. ‘Besides, this is where I started my racing career, by participating as a 16-yr old in the Formula Renault-championship. The fact that this is a new track in the Nascar Whelen Euro Series is in itself not a downside, since we can all start on the same basis.’
Furthermore, PK Carsport recently completed a successful testing series at the 3,629 km long stretch. ‘Yes, we really took it to the limits in that session’, explains Longin. ‘A perfect test, one could say. In terms of settings, we made huge progress on the cars, but I also have the pleasant feeling that we are heading for the Nürburgring as one solid team. We all want the same and we have the same vision. We’ve never been more ready for it!’
In short, both drivers aren’t exactly hiding their ambitions. ‘Winning’, they say unanimously when being asked what the highest achievable is. ‘We mostly feared the oval in Tours. With that race behind us, PK Carsport is still high up in the standings, both individually as well as the team’, indicates Kumpen, who’s second in the championship, at nine points from leader Vilarino. ‘It’s the perfect time to take a huge step towards the championship title.’
‘I wouldn’t mind moving up the standings’, Longin states, currently third. ‘Preferably two or three places this weekend. And we can’t do that by crossing the line in eight or ninth position. No, we must finish the race in front. And I’m convinced we have what it takes to achieve that.’
In Elite 2, Max Dumarey will be defending his leading position. His podium finish in Tours saw the man from the province of East Flanders increasing his lead on Frenchman Thomas Ferrando to eleven points.
Kumpen and Longin will certainly be motivated by the atmosphere on the Nürburgring. The organising crew is expecting no less than 200.000 spectators. ‘It’s always good fun to race in front of such a crowd’, Longin says smiling. ‘Those are the moments that you really want to stand out.’
For those who can’t make it to the Eifel this weekend, Livestream of the Nascar Whelen Euro Series races will be available on: http://www.fanschoice.tv/watch-live/nascar/euro