Preliminary Report Misano

22. May 2006It was a long time ago that there was a seven weeks break between two races - least of all right at the beginning of the season. Those who were not totally satisfied with the beginning of the racing season, had time enough to optimise this and that, and it can be expected that the leading teams will get even closer. From the year dot, Misano was always one of the most favourite race tracks for the truck racing teams, but especially for the ladies. And it's certainly not the circuit itself which makes the place at the Italian Adria so attractive, but the surroundings and the atmosphere. <br />
So, meanwhile it's a common practice on the Friday before the racing weekend to make a duty free shopping trip to San Marino, which is not so far away. And also Rimini which is only minutes away by car, has quite a lot to offer.<br />
The circuit itself, however, is rather simple. The entire race track is level with neither slopes nor descents. But while the long straits are easy on the engines, the almost 180 degree turns following the straits are really tricky. Here the oil pressure can sometimes sag rapidly, so that a smooth touch and a cautious handling of the throttle is vital for the pilots. But there is yet another problem here.<br />
The GPS used for monitoring the observance of the 160 km/h speed limit, which is meanwhile standard practice at truck racing, does not function properly here because of the military airport in the neighbourhood. As a consequence, in 2003 Daniel Seiler could establish the all-time 'world record' in Misano, when the GPS registered 1,500 km/h for the Swiss truck. From then on in Misano the speed was measured by radar instead of GPS. <br />
After all, these measurements year after year were only a farce. At the Truck Grand Prix at the Nürburgring a new digital box of Siemens VDO will be used for monitoring the speed. Representatives of Siemens VDO will come to Misano to introduce the new device. <br />
If the FIA decides to use the new digital box during the coming season, then in Misano no longer any pilot will be able to tell stories about speeding along the long straight at 170 km/h and being passed by other pilots right and left. <br />
In Misano only 18 out of the 25 FIA pilots will be at the start; certainly partly because of the FIA's unfortunate schedule. But this will not necessarily lessen the quality of the race, because from those who did not register, probably only Rodrigues senior and junior from Portugal would have been capable to score points. However, for all the teams it will be a very strenuous effort to rush through Italy, France and Spain - a distance of about 1,800 km – with their train of vehicles and equipment, to reach Albacete within 2 or 3 days.<br />
And there is another small drop of bitterness in consequence of a disadvantageous programme planning. The TV report on Eurosport will be broadcast very late - on the night from Tuesday (May 30) to Wednesday, at 0:30 hrs.