Zolder – Preliminary Report

15. September 2011In Zolder champions have been chosen, but in Zolder championship dreams have been shattered, too, and particularly Jochen Hahn, who currently leads the championship, can tell you a thing or two about it. It was not all that long ago that the German MAN pilot, who at that time was still behind the wheel of a Mercedes truck, led the championship by a very comfortable margin when he came to Belgium – but then was forced to retire time and again. At the end of the season he eventually had to settle for third position. This year the Swabian will hit the home stretch of the truck racing season sitting 78 points clear of his nearest rival in the championship so that more than a few of his fans and opponents already see the man from Swabia as the new champion. Hahn himself is a bit more reserved, although he cannot deny anymore that he is the best bet for the title. “But”, as the MAN pilot points out “it’s still possible for any of my opponents to collect 180 points. If I don’t get any points two or three times, be it that I meet with an accident or have to retire because of a mechanical problem, my advantage will soon be reduced to zilch. We have seen that several times in the past.”
After all, there are no less than six pilots who – in theory – can still nurture the hope of winning the championship. However, the Spanish title holder Antonio Albacete (MAN), the two Czech drivers Adam Lacko (Renault) and David Vrsecky (Freightliner), the two Renault pilots Markus Oestreich (GER) and Markus Bösiger (SUI), as well as the German pilot Uwe Nittel (MAN) assess their prospects realistically. Hahn does not have to win a race anymore, he won’t have to take any risks; all he has to do is finish a race within the points. That’s why his chasers do not really believe that they will have the chance to challenge Hahn for the title. But all six pilots are more or less hopeful that they will succeed in joining Hahn on the podium for the FIA victory ceremony in Le Mans.
Particularly the three MKR pilots Lacko, Oestreich and Bösiger are back in the ascendant since the round in Most. And also their opponents were highly impressed by the terrific triple triumph of the MKR Renault Team in the first race on Sunday. And what’s more, both Bösiger and Oestreich have very pleasant associations with Zolder. Last year they outdistanced all their opponents in the final race – although in the pouring rain. And, not least of all, the two Renault pilots have set a high goal for themselves, they want to defend their team championship title. But currently the team championship is led by Team Cepsa Truck Sport Lutz Bernau (Albacete/ Nittel) with 510 points. However, with a tally of 478 points the two former European champions follow close behind, so that this championship really is still wide open.
But the event in Zolder is also the ‘home’ round for one of the midfielders, the Belgian pilot Jean-Pierre Blaise. The entrepreneur from Malmedy switched over from MAN to Renault this season, and the change turned out to be more complex for the team than anticipated. They are not yet back to their former condition. But the performance in Most, where Blaise missed a position within the points by a mere 5 seconds, will certainly cause the Belgian driver to cherish a hope that he may be able to add some more points to his current tally of 3.
And Blaise must again be prepared to deal with this season’s darling of the fans and the media, Stephanie Halm. The 27 year old German driver is the only lady among the 20 FIA pilots. True, her Mercedes Benz is in apparent good order and condition, but unfortunately its engine can’t (yet) hold a candle to the 1,100 or even more HP of the top pilots. However, whenever the dainty young woman with her long blond hair gets off her 5.5 ton RaceTruck, all professional as well as amateur photographers focus on her.
The field will be completed by five race-by-race pilots. One of them is “Mr. Truck Racing”, the multiple European Champion, Gerd Körber. The German pilot with his privately constructed Iveco has already collected 12 points and is looking forward to probably snatching away some more points from the one or other pilot of the pro-teams; not forgetting the Spanish pilot Javier Mariezcurrena: in Nogaro he taught the top pilots the meaning of fear, when in the last race he defended with ease his pole position – which had fallen to him because he finished in 8th in the previous race – and scored the first victory in his truck racing career. And then there is Sascha Lenz. In his Mercedes truck the young German wants to achieve what his father was denied in Most this season: to collect the first point. Because, contrary to Heinz-Werner, his son Sascha had already participated in one of the first five FIA rounds which means that – according to the FIA regulations – he would be entitled to collect points. And there is also a “brand-new” driver, the Hungarian Norbert Kiss. He substitutes for Zoltan Birnbauer and will be piloting the OXXO MAN. So far Kiss gathered his racing experiences in the touring car series; it remains to be seen how he will cope with the somewhat rougher driving style in truck racing.
Although the 8th round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship in Zolder is a real 2 day event, there was already on Wednesday evening a small convey of trucks and motor homes – led by TRO boss Fabien Calvet – waiting in front of the entrance gate which doesn’t open before 18:00 hours. It seems that the teams arrive more and more early, because also on the camping site located on the premises of the circuit the best places are already occupied.
By the way, in Zolder the TRO offers a special treat to the mechanics and pilots: full body massage in the “Wellmobil” of MSH Medical Service Höber from Adenau.

Impressions: