Thursday, 28.03.2024 | Deutsch | English
Thursday at the Nürburgring

Thursday at the Nürburgring

28. June 2018Nürburgring - An FIA European Truck Racing Championship weekend is normally a two- or three-day event. But the Truck Grand Prix’s traditionally very intensive schedule has necessitated the addition of an extra day. The teams, consequently, have to get to the Nürburgring much earlier. In fact, many had set up the frameworks of their tent workshops by Tuesday itself.
Today the trucks took their first laps out. Four hours of taxi rides for VIPs and the press were followed an hour of supplementary free practice. The teams used this opportunity to exhaustively test their setup options, and the pilots to finesse their individual race lines.
This year there’s no sign of the capricious Eifel weather – rain alternating with sun, – and the portents all point to glorious summer sunshine the entire weekend.
That being so, you might wonder how indicative today’s lap times really were. What’s evident, however, is just how closely the trucks in the leading group are matched.
Spaniard Antonio Albacete ended the day atop the timesheets, followed by his British MAN colleague Ryan Smith just one hundredth of a second down. Another MAN driven by localite Sascha Lenz was a further two hundredths off. Only eight tenths covered the top seven drivers.
There’s a heightened sense of anticipation about what qualifying and the Super Pole tomorrow will throw up.

Impressions:

Thursday at the Nürburgring
Thursday at the Nürburgring
Thursday at the Nürburgring