23/04/2026
Podium and retirement mark Timonen’s EuroNASCAR debut weekend
The EuroNASCAR debut of Henri Timonen delivered a mix of success and disappointment, as the Finnish driver secured a podium finish but also suffered a retirement during the opening weekend of the season. Competing in the OPEN class with the French Speedhouse team, Timonen finished 13th in Saturday’s race, which also earned him third place in the Master Trophy classification. Sunday’s race, however, ended prematurely due to a technical issue after just a couple of laps.
The race weekend began unusually early, with a pre-event test session already on Thursday. Official practice sessions followed on Friday, with qualifying and the first races taking place on Saturday. The Saturday schedule is particularly intense, featuring qualifying sessions and races for both the V8GP and OPEN classes.
Timonen was still finding his pace in qualifying, resulting in 21st position on the starting grid. The race itself got off to a dramatic start, with several cars eliminated in a collision already in the second corner. Timonen managed to avoid the incident and quickly gained several positions. As the race progressed, his pace improved steadily, allowing him to climb further up the order and eventually finish 13th.
Shortly after the race, Timonen received unexpected but welcome news — his result was enough to secure third place in the Master Trophy, a classification typically contested by C-graded and often rookie drivers.
Starting positions for Sunday’s race were determined by the fastest lap times set during Saturday’s race, placing Timonen in 16th on the grid. The second race of the weekend began more cleanly, with fewer incidents in the opening laps. Timonen showed strong pace early on, setting his fastest lap of the weekend during the opening laps.
Unfortunately, his race came to an early end when a driveshaft failure forced him to retire after just a couple of laps.
“The weekend started out a bit challenging, as I didn’t get any laps in on Thursday due to an engine change. That meant I only had Friday to get familiar with the car and the track,” Timonen explained.
“I’m not fully satisfied with my lap times, but they kept improving as I gained more laps. After a slightly difficult start, finishing 13th and taking third place in the Master Trophy on Saturday felt quite good.”
“On Sunday, technical issues struck early when a driveshaft broke on the second lap, which led to retirement. I believe I would have had a much better feel for the track if I had been able to complete the full race distance. Despite everything, the overall feeling is very positive, and the team did an excellent job. I also have to say that the series itself is very well organized.”
The season continues in Le Castellet at the Circuit Paul Ricard on May 23–24. Timonen heads into the next round with even greater determination.
“My goals are higher for Paul Ricard, and I hope to see clear progress by then. Now it’s time to put in serious work on the simulator and continue learning circuit racing,” Timonen said
📷 Nina Weinbrenner / EuroNASCAR
[Henri Timonen second from the right]
SpeedHouse | NASCAR Euro Series
