Final Spurt for Hahn-Racing

09. March 2010The construction of Jochen Hahn’s new MAN RaceTruck is progressing with great strides. The Swabians plan to have the first serious tests done on their ‘home track’ in the Alsace region by the end of March. The well-coordinated team around the pilot from Altensteig is awaiting this event eagerly, however calmly. Meanwhile the 2009 truck is up for sale. It would also be possible to trade this truck in for another – not quite state-of-the-art – MAN RaceTruck which could be used as PR truck for fairs and exhibitions. Or else the 2009 truck Hahn drove last year and ended the season 3rd overall in the European Truck Racing Championship could serve as a test vehicle; and they could also imagine renting the truck out to other pilots for individual events of the European Championship – such as the Truck Grand Prix at the Ring.
They will remain in good standing with the Hungarian Oxxo Team, and will support each other. At the moment several Oxxo technicians work in Hahn’s workshop, preparing Balazs Szobi’s RaceTruck for the coming season. And together with the Hungarian pilot Hahn will again compete for the team championship.
At the meeting in Paris at the end of February, Hahn-Racing was represented by team boss Conny Hahn and RaceTruck constructer Stefan Honens. The suggestion to have an invitation race in the Russian city Smolensk was well received by the Swabians – as this will open up new opportunities for the sponsors. On the other hand they are a bit sceptical about the plan to implement such an event already this year. To quote the Hahn team: The completion date for the circuit was scheduled for mid / end of July; the waiting period until August 8 – the planned date for the race – is rather short. And what’s more, the circuit has yet to undergo the technical acceptance by the FIA.
Actually, the teams would have to head off to Russia directly after the TGP at the Ring. The distance from the Eifel to the Polish border is more than 700 km, then another 700 km across Poland, 600 km across Belarus, and a drive of 100 km in Russia. And there will be two non-EU border crossings which, in all probability, will take quite some time until the red tape is processed. And furthermore, most of the time the road conditions will hardly be comparable to the ones the truck racers are used to when driving to the other race circuits. And the lump sum charges, which are currently under discussion, will hardly cover the actual expenses. And this would affect the teams living further to the west even more. And let’s not forget that this year the budgets are generally as tight as hardly ever before. End of quote.