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Barcelona – Preliminary Report

Barcelona – Preliminary Report

07. May 2008While press agencies in Germany paint a doomsday scenario for Barcelona and the surrounding area for the next months – water shortage and a drought period, the weather services forecast partly heavy rain – with a 90 % chance of precipitation – and temperatures well below 20 °C (68 °F). Last year people who stayed home in Germany could lie stretched out in the sun, whereas the truck racers at the Circuit de Catalunya quivered with cold and sogginess – and this year it will possibly be the same.
The teams’ favourite pastime in the paddock is car washing. But now the issue is looming ahead that car washing, in addition to lawn sprinkling and filling of swimming pools, could be forbidden at short notice. But generally, in Spain the consumption of water is handled rather lavishly. The per-capita consumption is more than twice as much as in Germany; and when the rain is coming down in sheets, washing the trucks is futile, anyway.
Much more important for the truck racing community is the question whether Buggyra will again be that predominant at the start of this season. The tests in Nogaro gave reason to think so. But meanwhile the Bernau Team with their three trucks in Albacete as well as Jochen Hahn on his „private test track” – a small airport near his home – could certainly attain new perceptions which will enable them to keep up with Markus Bösiger and David Vrsecky. But should there really be heavy rain showers, the deck of cards would be reshuffled, anyway.
In 2008, too, there will again be a team championship, but unfortunately there are only three contenders left. Besides title holder Buggyra, the Renault Team with Frankie Vojtisek will again participate. There isn’t a Mercedes Team any longer, and Egon Allgäuer announced already last year that he won’t take part in 2008 because of the discrepancies with the points, wrong podium places at the award ceremonies and all the other annoyances. So the responsible people made every endeavour to have a third team sign. In the end Lutz Bernau – with Jean-Philipp Belloc as driver – and Jochen Hahn decided to participate in the team championship. This is the new Koller and Schwemmer Team with MAN RaceTrucks.
The FIA races in Spain are also part of the Spanish Championship which means that there will again be a lot of additional Spanish and French pilots registered for the races, including Jennifer Janiec who is, at present, the only lady in a RaceTruck cockpit.