MAN Testing Days in Nogaro

29. March 2011It’s almost a tradition by now for most of the truck racing elite – and a must-go for the MAN teams – to meet for the first serious comparison tests around one month prior to the start of the season, and the meeting place is usually the Circuit Armagnac in Nogaro, as in the South of France the chances to have favourable weather and track conditions that early in the year are much better than, for instance, in Central Europe. But when the teams arrived yesterday torrential rain lashed down while several hundred kilometres further to the north people could enjoy splendid spring weather. This morning the sun broke through the clouds; however, this made the track even more treacherous. While large parts of the circuit had dried off completely, there were still some wet spots on several track sections.
The drivers - title defender Antonio Albacete (ESP) and his new Truck Sport Bernau team mate Uwe Nittel (GER); Jochen Hahn (GER) together with Mika Mäkinnen (FIN) and Zoltan Birnbauer (HUN) who both will be driving RaceTrucks made in Altensteig; Alex Lvov (RUS) and ETRC ex-champion Stuart Oliver (GBR) of Team Allgäuer; José Bermejo (ESP); the two pilots in the French Championship, Noël and Hervé Crozier (all of them MAN pilots) plus Jean-Loup Fournier with his Aravi Renault truck, made good use of their time in Nogaro to drive as many test kilometres as possible.