Presentation of the MKR Renault Team in Most

06. April 2011Most - At the circuit in Most / Czech Republic – in a particularly friendly atmosphere – Renault Trucks and MKR-MarioKressRacing- presented today their plans for the coming FIA European Truck Racing season. No less amicable – and, above all, highly optimistic – were the answers to the questions from the numerous media representatives. Characteristic for the great optimism of the whole team was the answer the 2007 Champion, Markus Bösiger (SUI), gave when asked what he expected of the 2011 racing year, “…the important thing is that in the end the champion’s first name is Markus, no matter whether Oese or Boese,” and, after a short side glance, laughingly finished his sentence, “or Adam”, because besides the two regular drivers, Bösiger and Markus Oestreich (GER), there will be yet another MKR pilot this year, the Czech pilot Adam Lacko.
And also Renault Trucks President Stefano Chmielewski was entirely pleased with the racing team and with truck racing per se. As he already did at the IAA in Hanover last year, he again took up the cudgels for the truck racers. He stated that for their involvement in truck racing Renault spent about a third of the amount they had to pay for a single presentation at the IAA; at the different circuits people were eagerly interested, a large number of potential customers could be reached, and the instrument “truck racing” played a very special part in retaining customers. And, with a twinkle in his eye, Chmielewski added that he believed in the ancient Roman principle, bread and games.
Alex Mortalli, Meritor’s Vice-President of the commercial vehicle division, is also highly positive about his company’s commitment to truck racing. For him it is ideally suited as a test market, and the experience gathered there flows almost entirely into the manufacturing of series products.
Kress, with his 8 championship titles by far the most successful RaceTruck constructer, described how intensively the MKR Team had been working on the further development of their Renault RaceTrucks during the winter break. But he also said that he was sure that their opponents – especially MAN, their strongest rival in the last season – didn’t sit back and took things easy.
Prior to this he had already disclosed in a private conversation that, during the two test days at the beginning of the week, his trucks had clocked much faster times compared to last year. Meanwhile they also manufacture the race truck engines in his repair shop in Roudnice / Czech Republic under his own direction. For the engine development they have got their own test bench in the MKR halls. More than two thirds of the costs for this test bench – and the RaceTruck constructer and team boss puts emphasis on the fact – were paid by himself, the rest was contributed by Renault. As a result the development work itself has become much more effective now. And, what’s more, he is now a lot more flexible in effectuating his ideas.
In order to push the further development of the RaceTrucks and to be able to spot any inconsistencies easier and quicker during the test days, the three pilots drove also the respective trucks of their two team colleagues. And during a brainstorming following thereafter there had been an extensive exchange of experiences which – as team members related – turned out to be very conducive.
Moreover, in the coming season there will be two MKR Teams participating in the FIA European Truck Racing Team Championship – one is called the senior and the other the junior team. The two pilots named Markus, in their capacity of title defender, are going to form the “actual” MKR Team. Lacko and the French pilot of the Renault Team 14, Anthony Janiec, will form the junior team, MKR Team 14. By the way, the official name – according to Meritor Marketing Director Malte Raddatz – is MeritorKressRenault Team 14.