Thursday, 28.03.2024 | Deutsch | English
Friday in Jarama

Friday in Jarama

01. October 2010Jarama - The organizer of the final round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship had informed all teams in advance about the general strike on Wednesday in Spain, so that several teams started out a bit ahead of schedule. But on the Spanish roads and motorways there wasn’t any travel chaos at all, whereas reportedly air traffic was severely restricted. Meanwhile all participants have arrived at the Circuito Jarama north of Madrid and they all enjoy the bright sunshine. Everybody is relaxed and easygoing and there is a touch of holiday idyll. But first and foremost it’s about truck racing. There is nobody who has any serious doubts about local hero Antonio Albacete winning the ETRC, so that his Cepsa MAN is already one of the most photographed objects – preferably together with Albacete’s privately owned classic Mini which naturally is also painted Cepsa red. Apart from that the focus is on the battle for the runner-up spot and the win of the team championship.
In both cases the margin is extremely narrow – a 1-point difference between the Swiss driver Markus Bösiger (MKR Renault) and MAN pilot Jochen Hahn (GER), and Team MKR Technology is only 7 points ahead of Team Truck Sport Bernau.
There will be a field of 30 starters whose capabilities vary widely with regard to the trucks as well as the pilots, which will pose a certain risk for the top pilots. On the narrow twisty track they often find themselves in highly precarious situations, particularly when lapping tail-enders. The audience will certainly love to watch these incidents – but the pilots will be less than thrilled.