Hendriks Motorsport has found another piece of the puzzle for the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season. NWES regular Gil Linster will team up with Liam Hezemans in the #50 Toyota Camry to compete in EuroNASCAR 2. The driver from Frisange in Luxembourg will be looking to challenge for the title and pave his way to become a EuroNASCAR champion in the 2023 season. As the successor to Hezemans, Linster has big shoes to fill as the Dutchman grabbed the title in the 2022 EuroNASCAR 2 championship.
Linster, who lives in the German state of Saarland, joined the series in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the pure V8 power of the EuroNASCAR cars. The 29-year-old has consistently competed for top-10 finishes and has also built a career in stock car racing in the United States of America. After making his full-time NWES comeback in 2022, Linster will compete for gold with Hendriks Motorsport, the Dutch powerhouse led by Roy Hendriks, in 2023.
“I’m competing with the best team in EuroNASCAR history and teaming up with Liam Hezemans, the reigning EuroNASCAR 2 champion, will bring out the best in me,” said Linster. “I know that his brother and two-time EuroNASCAR PRO Champion Loris Hezemans will be very supportive, so we are ready to maximize the results and improve each race. My goal is to win the championship, fight for wins and finish in the top-5 consistently. We are going for the title, nothing less! I want to thank Hendriks Motorsport and Toine Hezemans for the opportunity. Together we have all what it takes to get to the top.”
“The fans and the pure racing of EuroNASCAR are just fantastic,” continued the Frisange native, who’s living in Germany. “It’s the best series to compete in Europe and the festivals are just breathtaking. The style of how you drive these cars is old school and there is nothing like EuroNASCAR. The championship is unique and just amazing. I’m looking forward to being back on the grid and I hope to start off on the right foot at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. In ten years, I want to be the racing driver I would choose as my idol today!”
Starting his career in karting, Linster’s path led him to NASCAR early in his career. While competing in the USA, Linster even set a speed record among European drivers in a former NASCAR Cup Series car, and also gained valuable experience on short-track ovals. A sim racer and Mario Kart lover, Linster works hard in the gym to stay in perfect shape for the demanding races. He sees his strengths as minimizing mistakes during a race and bringing the car back to the pits without making any scratches. He has racing in his DNA as his father raced stock cars and a 1965 Ford Mustang in his racing career.
The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will kick off May 6-7 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. All qualifying and race events will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several television networks around the world. Linster will give his best with his new team from the Netherlands and fight for his first NWES victory.
Credits: Steven van Eckeren
Wil jij ons magazine ook lezen? Meld je dan aan via “bestellen” op onze website: www.start84.nl
