Sunday in Misano Part 3 - Vršecký picks up first win for Buggyra

25. May 2014Misano - Nobody in the paddock, and none among the 38,000-plus spectators, would have begrudged Gerd Körber and his Schwabentruck team another podium finish — the prospects were rather good. On the all-German front row that included René Reinert, the Iveco pilot on pole had the better starting position. But his race ended before it had even begun. On the formation lap itself, as he led the field towards the startline, Körber suddenly became aware of a near-total loss of power. The experienced thrice-European champion decided then and there to peel off into the pits lest he be slammed around by the accelerating trucks behind him.
Just like Körber, Ellen Lohr too will have zero laps to her name in the final result, although she did take the start. The grande dame of truck racing was dogged by misfortune in Misano. To begin with, her MAN just wouldn’t run as a race truck should, and then, in this last race, she rammed heavily into Dominique Orsini’s (FRA) tankpool24 Mercedes after a problem with the brake. That was the end of the race for Lohr, but Orsini struggled along for one lap more before he too gave up. All the 17 trucks that remained from among the 20 starters finished the race, and not one was lapped. Nevertheless, there was any amount of plastic and almost certainly many bits of steel strewn around the track.
At first it looked like Reinert was going to lead all the way. The Lusatian was followed by a group in which Bösiger was followed by Vršecký, Albacete, Kiss, Lacko, and Hahn in stolid sequence. But the livin’ was easy, or so it seemed to Reinert, because none of those pursuers really harboured the best of intentions towards the others. Soon enough Albacete and Kiss tangled, tossing both of them back — Albacete to the rear of Reinert’s immediate pursuers and Kiss much further down the field.
But shortly before the finish came a last-gasp challenge to Reinert’s leadership from Bösiger. Neither MAN pilot came out the better in the ensuing skirmish, allowing Vršecký and Lacko, who’d been lurking in the background in their two Buggyras, to sweep past for an entirely unexpected one-two finish. Hahn too took advantage to slot in ahead of Bösiger and so came home in fourth place behind Reinert. Albacete, who’d fallen back, finished in sixth.
Crossing the line behind him was a small cluster led by Steffi Halm, the German having taught her male colleagues a master class in the art of overtaking. Starting from 10th on the grid, she dropped a few places to the rear of midfield, only to battle all the way back up to seventh. Portuguese José Teodosio (Renault), Jérémy Robineau (FRA) eventually followed her across the line, Kiss bringing up the rearward for the finishers in the points.
After the first race Hahn now leads the overall standings with 42 points, followed by Kiss (39), Albacete (33), Lacko (31), Bösiger (31), and Vršecký (30).
Buggyra (Vršecký / Lacko) was the first-placed team, followed by Team Reinert Adventure and Truck Sport Bernau.

Impressions: