Tobias Dauenhauer is one of the drivers that participated in the Drivers Recruitment Program of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in the winter break and left a lasting impression during the tests. In 2020 he is going to race the #50 of Hendriks Motorsport in the EuroNASCAR 2 division. In the ENES he is driving the #150.
Tobias Dauenhauer started his career in karting. After a total of 13 national titles, in 2017 he switched to car racing. Up to now he was mainly participating in endurance races. That’s where he got to know his new teammate Loris Hezemans and the EuroNASCAR. “In 2018 I was driving the 24h of Spa, together with Loris Hezemans. That’s where I met him, as well as his father Toine and Wolfgang Köpp. Last year Wolfgang and Toine invited me to the semi-final of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series at Hockenheim. Right from the beginning I liked the EuroNASCAR and the team Hendriks Motorsport and I was completely convinced. It’s just pure racing!”, the 22 year-old told in an interview with Threewide.
After his successful participation in the Drivers Recruitment Program he decided to race in the EuroNASCAR. “I’m totally convinced that the EuroNASCAR offers me a great future. I’ll have the chance to further develop myself as a driver and to be able at one point in the future to make a living out of it. That’s my goal. With Loris as a teammate and Hendriks Motorsport I found a great team and I’m convinced that we’ll be running up front!”
At the moment Dauenhauer is driving the Ford Mustang with #150 for Hendriks Motorsport in the ENES. At Watkins Glen he finished on P7 in his heat and was therefore directly qualified for the main race. Unfortunately his position on the grid was not the best and he was right in the centre of the action in the first lap. “Unfortunately I was involved in the big one right after the start. I was pushed into the other cars and had no chance to avoid contact.” Nevertheless he was able to gain about 10 positions and crossed the finish line on P12 after the first lap. Due to the damage to his Ford Mustang he wasn’t able to gain more positions. “I’m still satisfied with my race. I was experiencing problems with my steering wheel already in the practices and they continued during the race. From my point of view I achieved the best I could.”
After 2 races Tobias Dauenhauer is now 10th in points overall. So far he is happy with his season. “I just started with sim racing, so I’m happy with my results. I want to learn more and improve myself further on that virtual level. My goal for the EuroNASCAR Esports Series is to be competitive and fight for the victory.”
Like some of his colleagues, Dauenhauer had no experience in sim racing before the start of the ENES. “I just started a couple of weeks ago, basically when the EuroNASCAR Esports Series started. I think that in the beginning it is an advantage to know the tracks from real racing, as sim racing is really close to the real life. You can gain the missing tenths in the virtual world when you practice in the simulator”, Dauenhauer said.
Due to the problem with his steering wheel prior to the race at Watkins Glen, Dauenhauer wasn’t able to practice as much as he would have liked to. Nevertheless, for the next race in Zandvoort he is pretty confident. ” Unfortunately I lost a lot of practice time due to the issues with my steering wheel. I’m really looking forward to my new equipment, which should arrive soon. So I will be well prepared to give my best at Zandvoort.”
With the latest changes in the schedule of the EuroNASCAR Esports Series, the drivers will have more time to prepare for the races.
