Raceway Venray 28-10-2023
After visiting quite a few different circuits this year, the last weekend of October was finally over: Raceway Venray. Oval racing is primarily seen in the USA, of course, but here in the Netherlands we have our own Half Mile, including a smaller indoor track.
In the US, the NASCAR Cup Series is the most-watched racing sport. The cars in the V8 Oval Series are most comparable to it. As the name suggests, they are equipped with a V8 and are stock cars with the silhouette of a road car. Despite the fact that, due mainly to Dutch noise restrictions, they make less noise than the 40 NASCAR cars I experienced in Richmond in 2016 , they still reached around 200 km/h in the half-mile. There was plenty of competition, but in the end, multiple champion Barry Maessen was the fastest in all three heats on Saturday in his Chevrolet Camaro.
The other classes started on the smaller oval in the inner courtyard. There was the Stockcar F2 for juniors and the larger Stockcar F1s. The beauty of these stock cars is that you really see the drivers working hard to get them through the corner, often without any jostling or pushing. Maybe that's why I had specks of rubber on my face when I got home...
The National Hotrods also competed on the small oval. These are rugged-looking silhouette models with plenty of power and matching wings. The field wasn't large, but there was certainly competition.
The biggest race on the program revolved around the World Saloon Stock car. A large field of stripped-down road cars equipped with steel frames and crash boxes to withstand and dish out a few knocks. It was certainly a spectacle. Contact was not a problem, with cars regularly hitting the wall or each other. Eventually, a red flag was even raised because about eight cars had stopped along the track. And even I found myself stepping back several times when a car directly hit my photo hole in the wall.
As you'll see in the album, quite a lot happened. Ultimately, it was Nick Antwerp who deservedly enjoyed a champagne shower.
It was a pleasure to photograph this branch of motorsport. Be sure to check out the album below for more action. Interested in photos from this event? Contact me.
