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Start of the Final Stage

Start of the Final Stage

14. April 2010Six more weeks to go before the opening of the season in Misano, and bit by bit the teams ‘show their flags’. At the moment the MAN Test Days take place in Nogaro / Southern France. All the big MAN teams are present, as well as the new FIA Chief Technician, Ross Garrett. At the same time Renault MKR Technology, the new challenger of the seemingly overpowering MAN phalanx, is doing tests in Most / Czech Republic before presenting their new RaceTrucks to the public. One month ago Mario Kress and his troop tried to do some test in Nogaro, but – as we know – the weather gods did not play along. Under conditions of light snowfall they were not able to drive really fast. But that’s not a problem Jochen Hahn, Antonio Albacete and all the others will have to worry about, because the weather conditions are excellent; a cloudless sky and temperatures just below 20 °C (68 ° F).
While Albacete and his colleague from the Bernau Team, Chris Levett, rely on last year’s modified racers, Team Hahn-Racing built a totally new RaceTruck which already stood its acid test two weeks ago on their test track in the Alsace region. By the way, Levett and Albacete have swapped vehicles. The MAN truck with the flattened top is going to speed along the tracks in Bird’s blue, whereas Albacete will be piloting his ‘old’ racer – which by now has a flattened top, too.
At the presentation of the Renault Trucks in Most all the vehicles shown there will be entirely new. The futuristic-looking design of the RaceTrucks was completely created by Halle Du Design, a Renault-owned engineering office.
Until now – and also during the final tests a few days ago in Most – the MKR Renaults were only seen in their matt anthracite ‘camouflage’ paint. With their final colouring particularly the martial appearance of the huge front spoiler stands out even more. And the two pilots Markus Bösiger and Markus Oestreich – both of them belonging to the creme de la creme in truck racing – will spare no effort to ensure that the Renault trucks are not only the centre of attention because of their extraordinary appearance.
Regarding the third big car brand in the FIA ETRC, Buggyra Freightliner, the position of second pilot – besides title defender David Vrsecky – seems still to be vacant. Apparently the odds are in favour of Uwe Nittel, but also for the former runner-up in the World Rally Championship it will not be easy to raise the necessary financial means in order to pilot the Buggyra for the whole season. But possibly there will still be the one or other option for the German.
It seems that José Bermejo plans to change the brand. Under discussion were MAN RaceTrucks of Noël Crozier and Bird’s Motorsport. After the test days in Nogaro we will probably know more. But this would mean that in the coming season Bermejo’s Mercedes Axor will be piloted by another driver.