ALAIN LORD MOUNIR REACTS TO DANGEROUS CONTACT AT VALLELUNGA
Following Sunday’s second NASCAR Euro OPEN race at Vallelunga, Alumitec Racing Team Principal / CEO Alain Lord Mounir addressed the dangerous contact between Thomas Toffel and Raphaël Lessard.
What was your reaction when you saw the contact?
First and foremost, I was relieved that Raphaël was able to maintain control of the car and that the incident did not have more serious consequences. At that speed, an aggressive move can quickly become extremely dangerous not only for the drivers involved, but also for the other competitors, officials and everyone around the circuit.
Do you believe the contact was intentional?
Only Thomas knows exactly what was going through his mind at that moment. I understand that, in the heat of competition, a driver can experience a fraction of a second of frustration or anger especially after losing two important races. Racing is emotional, and everyone wants to win, but you don’t win championships with these kinds of actions.
However, frustration can never justify using a race car to express anger. A race car is not a weapon. The moment emotion takes control of the driver, the consequences can become extremely serious.
What message would you like to send?
My message is simple: Don’t use your car as a weapon.
We all love hard racing. We want intensity, close battles and drivers who refuse to give up. That is part of motorsport, and it is what the fans come to see. But there must always be a clear line between competitive racing and dangerous aggression.
I do not believe our sport or its fans needs that kind of behaviour. NASCAR Euro should represent courage, talent, respect and professionalism. Drivers are role models, especially for the young fans watching them from the grandstands and at home.
Are you calling for sanctions?
It is the responsibility of the officials to review the footage, examine the data and determine what happened. I respect that process, and I will not prejudge their decision.
What matters to me is that the safety of every driver remains the priority. We can disagree, protest a decision or fight for a championship, but we must never allow anger to compromise another competitor’s safety.
Raphaël raced with determination and professionalism throughout the weekend. He answered on the track, where racing disputes should always be settled: through speed, discipline and results.
The entire team is preparing for the 2026 season finale at Zolder. Raphaël and the whole team have one clear goal and one main focus: winning the championship.
The dangerous contact between Thomas Toffel’s No. 34 car and Raphaël Lessard can be viewed on AR Racing TV:
