Sunday at the Hungaroring Part 2 – Podium: Kiss, Hahn, Halm

06. September 2015Hungaroring - After the now routine ovation for Norbert Kiss on the formation lap, the first segment of Sunday’s first race lasted only a few laps.
The polesitter spearheaded the show – but naturally, – with Hahn, Reinert, the Buggyras, and Halm in tow, followed by the rest of the field.
At the entry to Turn 13, the penultimate curve before the finish straight, Reinert and Vršecký were side-by-side. The two trucks came together heavily in a cloud of smoke, the Buggyra was stripped of its side panel, and Reinert came to an abrupt halt in the runoff with a punctured left front tyre.
The German’s race was over. Or was it?
Two laps later the engine in Lacko’s Buggyra exploded, bringing out the red flags.
On the same lap Albacete had peeled into the pits with a steering problem. According to the regulations the trucks are subject to parc fermé following a stoppage, but in this case Albacete and Reinert were allowed to have their trucks repaired so they could rejoin the grid at the restart.
Kiss eased into the lead again and drove unchallenged to his second win of the weekend, ahead of an equally untroubled Hahn.
For several laps Steffi Halm and Vršecký were locked in a no-holds-barred battle for third, the German a safe second ahead when they crossed the finish line.
Reinert finished fifth some distance behind, ahead of Janiec, Lohr, and Albacete, which (should have) meant the Spaniard was on pole position for the concluding race.
Rehfeld and Vojtíšek kept trading places in ninth and 10th. Shortly before the finish the Czech’s MAN slammed into the rear of the Mercedes and lost its front bumper panel. Not long after Vojtíšek again hit the Mercedes, pitching Rehfeld off the track.
What many had evidently overlooked at the restart was the fact that Reinert was actually two laps down when the race had been stopped. It was only the first printed result that clarified matters - the drivers behind Reinert all moved up a place, and Lenz was now 10th.
But that wasn’t all.
Vojtíšek’s driving too was under the scanner. The Czech earned a 30 second penalty that dropped him to 11th. Kleinnagelvoort was now 10th, and Rehfeld had been handed his first pole.
Oxxo-Lion (Kiss / Janiec) was once again the winning team, ahead of Reinert Adventure (Hahn / Reinert) und Team Bernau-Albacete (Lohr / Albacete).

Impressions: