Thursday, 28.03.2024 | Deutsch | English

Albacete – This and That

12. June 2006This year we were spared the rather noisy performances of Spanish jet pilots and the copious water battles, as well. Here and there, however, last year's pugnacity was resurfacing. Particularly afflicted was Antonio Albacete. On Saturday evening, when he was on his way to have dinner in his Sunday best, he was, out of the blue, confronted with the contents of a 10-litre water bucket. But then the Spaniard didn't know yet that Sunday would even be a lot worse for him. <br />
That a protest against Albacete in Albacete because of his jostling would be successful was rather doubtful, cause there were even tougher actions at the Misano races; and then not the attackers got a warning about the misdeeds but the ones who were attacked. Possibly these decisions brought about the reactions of some of the pilots during the races in Albacete, trusting that they won't have to take any consequences. If, for example, Adam Lacko would have been warned by the stewards after his attacks in Misano, maybe he would have changed his behaviour a bit, and it would possibly haven't come to the rather unusual disqualification in Albacete. <br />
After all, the officials should think it over, whether it really makes sense to announce some drastic measures and then not to carry them through. We are referring to 'black smokers', as well as the permanent disagreements about which manoeuvres are allowed or not allowed at the rolling start; the latter being no point to discuss in Albacate, because the complete failure of the lights topped everything else. That the start got off so smoothly after all, was entirely due to the pilots. But the start should have been postponed or, at least, should have been stopped at once, the more so as Franck Conti, in the first lap of the qualifying race, spun off the circuit after emerging from the rather precarious left bend and got stuck in the gravel. <br />
The rather unpleasant incident that happened when Markus Oestreich tried to lap Roman Huertas revived the discussion about how much of a difference in speed of the trucks - in view of laptimes, not HP - can be tolerated. Most of the drivers think that here, too, the race committee should finally come to an agreement. <br />
Very lucky was Jochen Hahn in the race on Sunday. Driving on 3rd position, there was a substantial decrease of the truck's power during the final lap, and just when crossing the finishing line his engine gave up the ghost. As the Mercedes broke down far away from the pit lane, it took the Swabian quite a while to arrive for the podium. Meanwhile, despite the high temperatures, there was a rather frosty ceremony concerning the Copa Espana. The winner, Albacete, and Lacko, who was second, ignored each other completely. And they didn't even know yet, what was in store for them, and that - de jure - they had not even the right to stand there. <br />
At least, at the podium of the FIA Cup Race this time there were enough German flags. The previous day Oestreich, Hahn and Körber had to share one single flag, and it was evident that the organizers had not reckoned with a triple German victory. <br />
On Friday evening, however, there was a picture of harmony. For the first time after a long while all the pilots came together to take a group photograph - certainly a possibility to demonstrate the unity of the series to the outer world.