Lenz with Triple Pack at the Ring

16. July 2009Certainly many spectators at the Truck Grand Prix on the Ring will rub their eyes in disbelief, when suddenly a pack of three race trucks painted in the well-known Lenz Orange will appear out of the blue. Because this year not only Heinz-Werner Lenz, the “King of the Ring” and his son Sascha want to delight the many Lenz fans, but there will be a third driver joining the team – Uwe Nittel, the Rally World Vice-Champion of group N. He will be piloting the Iveco RaceTruck, and Sascha is going to drive the Mercedes do Brasil which was equipped with a new racing engine, while the boss himself – true to the motto “back to the roots” – will also drive a Mercedes RaceTruck.
When it became known that Steve Horne intended to retire from truck racing and the RaceTruck Jochen Hahn gained fourth place with in the 2007 European Championship was on the market in Great Britain, Lenz immediately contacted Horne and a few days later was already on the British Isles to have a look at the vehicle. Soon they came to an agreement and the German who owns a towing service in Plaidt sent one of his many transport vehicles to England to collect the Mercedes RaceTruck.
Soon the Mercedes shone in the special Lenz orange, and with some help from old friends he got the vehicle back in top condition. But now the Iveco truck Lenz piloted last year was sitting in the fitting shop of the enterprise in Plaidt and lacked a driver. However, the three-time European Champion is not only known for spectacular racing performances, but also for unusual PR campaigns. He put out feelers and so the Rhinelander and the Swabian, who runs the rally school “drift & drive” in Adelmannsfelden, got together, because Nittel has by all means attachments to trucks, albeit on another, more casual, basis. Long-time co-pilot and partner of the Swabian is Detlef Ruf, who owns a company that – together with Nittel’s rally school – offers off-road tours through the Arabian desert landscape. But Ruf is also Franz Echter’s co-pilot in the Dakar Rally for many years now. And this year MAN truck racing mechanic Artur Klein belonged to the team, too.
But Lenz’ appearance at the Ring will not be the only one this year. He also intends to participate in the final round in Jarama and has ambitious plans for the racing weekend in Zolder in mid-September. If the Rhinelander, who always sees the future optimistically, could put his plans into effect, this would be a big hit for the – especially German – PR perspective.