Iveco truck racing kick-off in Ulm
29. April 2017Even if the changeable April weather proved a spoiler, the kick-off for the two Iveco teams that will compete in this year’s FIA European Truck Racing Championship – Schwabentruck and Hahn Racing – at Iveco Kunden Center (IKC) Ulm, the spanking new delivery centre at the Iveco-Magirus AG plant in Ulm, with 150 guests was a hearty success.
In the cosy insides of the IKC the drivers and the team „die Bullen von Iveco-Magirus“ were introduced. If you’re wondering what that is, it’s the German appellation – which we translate somewhat hyperbolically here as “the invincibles of Iveco-Magirus” – by which Gerd Körber (Team Schwabentruck) and reigning champ Jochen Hahn (Team Hahn Racing) will jointly compete for the team championship.
Their prospects are bright indeed, the two German pilots having won seven championships between them. Come to think of it, there never has been a partnership of drivers with such successful backgrounds in the FIA European Truck Racing Championship as this.
But Jochen Hahn was quick to downplay any exuberant expectations, pointing out that past achievements really count for nothing when, as he put it, the cards are shuffled anew each year.
Moreover, he insisted, we mustn’t forget that both race trucks are brand-new builds from the ground up, and as such aren’t immune to teething problems – even if the shakedowns in Most a little over a week ago went off without incident.
Regardless of Jochen’s admonitions, the mood in the IKC was upbeat, to which the location of the event contributed in no small measure. The IKC is primarily designed for the handover of new trucks and buses to customers and to facilitate technical advisory for sales prospects on vehicle configurations. Here new owners and drivers are schooled in the specific features of their vehicles before they get to try them out for themselves on the roads of the sprawling estate.
The massive foyer is ideal for training exercises and PR activities of all kinds, big or small – but there are also several smaller breakout areas with every type of presentation equipment you might need, and these digs were put to extensive use on kick-off day.
Impressions:
