Bruno Mulders was crowned as the inaugural overall winner of the Master Trophy – The 17-year-old Dutchman solidified his status as one of the most promising young drivers in NASCAR Euro Series
What a year that Bruno Mulders was having in 2025! The 17-year-old driver made his car racing debut as Team Bleekemolen’s rookie signing in the OPEN division and quickly established himself as a very fast learner. The Dutchman scored his first podium in just his second race and took a fantastic victory in Germany. The success story was completed in the NASCAR Euro Series Finals, where Mulders defeated other exciting prospects in Sandro Tavartkiladze and Thomas Dombrowski to clinch the overall Master Trophy victory. Here’s how Mulders became the inaugural winner of OPEN’s new special classification.
Valencia: The three-way battle is set
The Master Trophy was officially introduced in the 2025 NASCAR GP Spain at Valencia’s iconic Circuit Ricardo Tormo. It promised to feature exciting battles from rising stars of the OPEN division, and the battles in Spain did not disappoint. Dombrowski of PK Carsport was victorious on the opening day ahead of Tavartkiladze, who surprised the paddock with his speed and adaptation with the pure racing machines.
It took time for Mulders to learn, but he was unstoppable once he got the hang of things. Having finished twelfth overall and fifth in the Master Trophy on Saturday, the Dutchman bounced back on Sunday with a fantastic drive. Not only did Mulders take the Master Trophy win, he was also second overall, finishing just one second behind two-time OPEN champion Martin Doubek. Mulders therefore demonstrated his immense potential, but after Spain he was still third overall in the Master Trophy. Tavartkiladze and Dombrowski were ahead of Mulders, but only two points separated them after an exciting season opener.
Vallelunga and Brands Hatch: A rollercoaster journey
Mulders’ impressive performance continued in the next round at Italy. He and Dombrowski were engaged in a titanic duel for the Master Trophy victory in the first race. Both drivers battled hard and fair, and in the end, Mulders won by just three hundreds of a second. Unfortunately, Mulders cannot continue his streak on the second race: Contact with Claudio Cappelli sent the Dutchman down the running order, opening the path for Dombrowski to return to the top step of the podium. Tavartkiladze stayed consistent in his Team Georgia ride and stayed in the running with solid finishes.
The rollercoaster results for Mulders continued at Brands Hatch, the home of NASCAR GP UK. The 17-year-old was again victorious in the first race. He kept his car on the track in treacherous conditions and took advantage of British wildcard Matthew Ellis’ late spin to grab his third Master Trophy win, having also joined Team Bleekemolen teammate Melvin de Groot on the overall podium. A first lap incident in the second race limited Mulders’ points haul, allowing Ellis to strike back as he gained his first special classification victory in front of his home fans.
Most: Jordan O’Brien created a sensation
With Dombrowski and Tavartkiladze collecting important points in Italy and the UK, Mulders was trailing in points heading to his first visit to the Czech Republic. Autodrom Most threw another curveball for Mulders, who was involved in an accident in the closing stages of the first race. But he was not the main star that day: Jordan O’Brien secured a sensational Master Trophy win in his Club Competition machine. The American also came close to grabbing his maiden overall win, having crossed the finish line in first before a post-race penalty for restart infringement dropped him to second behind eventual OPEN champion Thomas Krasonis.
O’Brien was close to pulling off the sweep on Sunday, but a late spin gave the lead to Dombrowski. The Frenchman held on to his third Master Trophy win, with Mulders joining him and O’Brien in the podium positions. Dombrowski therefore led the overall classification entering the Playoffs, but Tavartkiladze and Mulders were only seven and 18 points behind, respectively, entering the Playoffs.
Oschersleben: Mulders rose to the occasion
With NASCAR GP Germany hosting the first of two double points rounds, it meant the stakes are higher and deficits can be closed more easily with a good result. Mulders understood this and put in the drive of his life on Saturday, holding off Krasonis’ pressure to bring the #72 Team Bleekemolen Toyota Camry to Victory Lane. The Dutchman therefore celebrated a double victory, but more importantly, with Dombrowski finishing seventh, Mulders had eliminated all of his deficit to Dombrowski and became joint leaders in the overall Master Trophy battle.
Mulders then took the overall lead with another inspiring race on Sunday. The 17-year-old is part of one of OPEN division’s greatest battles, where six drivers traded positions for lap after lap in the battle for victory. In the end, fifth position was enough to secure a Master Trophy sweep. With Dombrowski eighth, it meant that Mulders had a slim margin to the Frenchman and Tavartkiladze, who remained consistent in the background, heading to the Finals in Belgium.
Zolder: The victory is secured
Belgian NASCAR fans witnessed a thrilling decider for the Master Trophy in two dramatic races at Circuit Zolder. Mulders extended his advantage in the first race with his sixth special classification victory, defeating both Dombrowski and Tavartkiladze as they all fought for both the Master Trophy and overall win in the long-time home of the NASCAR Euro Series Finals. Mulders needed to finish ahead of both drivers to secure the overall win in the second Finals race, which he did. A fourth-place finish, just in front of Tavartkiladze, was enough for the 17-year-old to clinch the Master Trophy win.
Mulders will be honored alongside NASCAR Euro Series’ champions and other Trophy winners in the annual NASCAR Banquet at Charlotte, North Carolina, on 21 November. The future is bright for the Dutchman, and with a third place finish in the overall standings, the next step is going to be to fight for the overall championship in 2026.
