European driver Frédéric Gabillon, championship leader, confirmed his participation in Tours (France). The Oval World Challenge race on Sunday, July 1 marked the end of the regular NASCAR Whelen ELITE 1 Series season and determined which fortunate European NASCAR driver will be Jean-Francois Dumoulin’s teammate in the No. 07 Spectra Premium racecar in the upcoming Grand-Prix de Trois-Rivières (GP3R) Aug. 10-12.
“We are looking forward to welcoming Frédéric at Trois-Rivières. On this iconic track, Spectra Premium began its partnership and launched its motorsports program with Jean-François Dumoulin and Dumoulin Compétition in 2016,” said Jason Best, senior vice president, aftermarket, Spectra Premium Industries. “Since then, we forged ahead and expanded our motorsports program, which led to this innovative driver exchange. It will be thrilling to see both Spectra Premium cars race side-by-side at the GP3R.”
For his first Canadian NASCAR experience, Gabillon will race in a No. 07 Spectra Premium Dodge Challenger prepared by the Dumoulin Competition team specifically for the event and also featuring a Spectra Premium high-performance radiator. In 2014, Gabillon had competed on the Watkins Glen, New York, track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
“It is going to be a fantastic, busy summer! Racing at the GP3R is a great opportunity and I am really grateful to the entire NASCAR Whelen Euro Series organization, to Spectra Premium and to the Dumoulin Competition team for this amazing chance. I definitely want to enjoy the experience while representing the Euro NASCAR series at my best. It will be really hard to compete at the highest level in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series in Canada, but it will be a new experience and I’m really looking forward to it,” said Gabillon. “I will definitely watch as many races as possible to prepare and I will work on the simulator to get to know the track. I know it is a pretty technical street circuit and any information I can get before landing in Canada will surely help.”
In October, Spectra Premium Ambassador Dumoulin will compete alongside Gabillon in a No. 04 racecar with the Spectra Premium livery during the NASCAR Whelen Euro ELITE 1 Finals on the mythical Zolder track in Belgium.
“We are very pleased to welcome Frédéric Gabillon at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières and to prepare his car. The European experience will be an opportunity for us to race on a new track and to showcase the Spectra Premium brand to all race teams on location,” said Dumoulin.
This exchange program gives both drivers the opportunity to race in new countries for the first time. Spectra Premium made this driver exchange possible; the Canadian manufacturer has developed high-performance radiators for several stockcar series and recently launched its automotive parts for the European market.
The GP3R NASCAR Pinty’s series race will air live on television starting at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 12 and on the web on fanchoice.tv.
