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Truck Grand Prix Preliminary Report

Truck Grand Prix Preliminary Report

27. June 2018Nürburgring - The Truck Grand Prix on the Nürburgring, in its 33rd iteration this year, has long been the climactic event of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship. This time too it is expected to draw many more than 100,000 fans to the Eifel. The weather forecasters all concur that there’ll be clear skies, so you can be sure the attendance will be significantly higher even than that.
But it’s not only the stands and the freely accessible paddock that will be chockablock – there’s going to be quite a bit of traffic on the track as well. We have 22 entries, 13 of those MANs. Iveco comes in with four trucks, there are two Mercedes-Benz, two Freightliners, and one Scania.
Iveco pilot Jochen Hahn is the clear favourite of the German fans. Things have gone overwhelmingly in the quadruple champion’s favour so far this season, and the bantam from Altensteig is perched on a comfortable cushion atop the standings. But Hahn’s personal record at the Nürburgring is chequered, his performance here setting off sky-high jubilation in some years and deathly despair in others. For this reason the TGP isn’t going to be a walk in the park for the German, even though he’s enjoyed the best start to a season any driver could hope for.
The local fans will also be placing their bets on his Iveco teammate, (joint-)second-placed Steffi Halm. Homeboy Sascha Lenz too is fresh off the best start in his four seasons in the ETRC. He and MAN colleague René Reinert are second in the team standings behind the Iveco duo of Hahn and Halm.
Germans make up almost a third of the field for the FIA races, seven to be exact. André Kursim is driving an Iveco this season; his cockpit in the tankpool24 Mercedes is now occupied by Steffen Faas, and – don’t forget – there’s also “Mr Truckracing” Gerd Körber. The seniormost German truck racer hung up his racing gloves at the end of last season and handed his Iveco race truck over to Steffi Halm, but he will be back here – as in Misano – as a guest driver with Schwabentruck Racing.
The 15 non-German racers will also be chasing points in earnest, chief among them Hungarian Mercedes pilot Norbert Kiss (the twice-champ shares second place in the championship with Halm) and defending champion Adam Lacko. The Czech Buggyra pilot has not had a good start to his season, but then the remaining title hopefuls have also all had bad races, among them thrice champ Antonio Albacete (ESP) in his MAN.
The schedule again includes the four races for the Mittelrhein Cup, for which another 20 trucks are registered. The paddock is packed to capacity.
But the TGP isn’t only a motorsport event; it’s also a must-visit trade show for anyone that has anything to do with the commercial vehicle industry.
And then there’s the music festival in the Müllenbachschleife, the fireworks spectacular on Saturday evening, and numerous other attractions with which the exhibitors will keep their visitors entertained. Truck racing at the Nürburgring equals an XXL motorsport experience for every age group. The splendid weather is the icing on the cake, so to speak, and a visit with the family is possibly the best way you could spend your weekend.
But you’ll need to take a few precautions nevertheless. Long-time visitors to the Ring know just how treacherous the sun can be. You may not feel it because of the constant breezes, but the radiation can get pretty intense given the circuit’s elevation and the crystal-clear air in the Eifel. A sunscreen with the highest SPF is an absolute must.

Impressions:

Truck Grand Prix Preliminary Report
Truck Grand Prix Preliminary Report
Truck Grand Prix Preliminary Report