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Jarama – Preliminary Report

Jarama – Preliminary Report

27. September 2011For the first time in years Jarama does not play host to the final event, however, for Antonio Albacete the venue located a stone’s throw from the city of Madrid is still his home circuit, and currently the Madrilenian is on a roll, as was Albacete’s German MAN Jochen Hahn colleague in the previous races. At that time the man from Altensteig was seen as the new champion by everybody, and probably the Spanish pilot had already been putting his mind on how to defend his runner-up position against the chasing pack. But now, after the event in Zolder which turned out to be a disaster for Hahn, Albacete not only tasted blood, but is once again a serious front-runner as Hahn’s point advantage over the Spaniard was reduced to 27. On the other hand, Hahn has always achieved excellent results both in Jarama as well as Le Mans, this year’s venue for the final round – in marked contrast to Zolder, so that with his “points cushion” the Swabian is still the best bet for the title, but now the races will be a lot more exciting. Although there is still a slender chance for the MKR Renault pilots Adam Lacko (CZE), Markus Oestreich (GER) and Markus Bösiger (SUI) as well as the Czech driver David Vrsecky (Buggyra-Freightliner) of winning the title, it’s more likely that it will be a duel between Hahn and Albacete.
The points collected in the Jarama races also count towards the Spanish Championship which means that there will be a packed field. 30 trucks are registered altogether. True, there are certainly tracks that are narrower than the one in Jarama, but – to name but one example – at the Grand Prix race track Nürburgring, which is a lot more extensive in comparison, the number of RaceTrucks is limited to 26. For Stephanie Halm it will be the first time she has to compete in such a packed starter field. She will soon learn that also in mid-field the pilots fight with no holds barred. So far the young German driver has usually managed to bring her Mercedes truck home relatively unscathed.
1987 was the first year the Jarama circuit would host a truck race event on Spanish soil. This year it’s the 25th anniversary and there will be several guests of honour present who have put their marks on the Spanish event some way or other.
But besides the anniversary there is another topic people will probably be focussing on. Egon Allgäuer has declared his retirement from truck racing after the event in Le Mans, but everybody who knows the Austrian pilot well is aware that for years he has been toying with the idea of retiring from European truck racing. In a one-to-one talk several years ago, on the occasion of the final race of the season in Jarama, Allgäuer expressed his disappointment over the development in the FIA ETRC and the direction it had taken. Instead he referred to the truck racing scene in Brazil which he considered exemplary. In Europe many of the things the Austrian had been annoyed with do not exist anymore; however, frequently in recent years the former European champion was reported to plan the sale of his entire equipment. In Zolder rumour got abroad that he is currently conducting rather concrete sales negotiations, but there was no official statement about any details. Probably in Le Mans at the latest – when he retires after 12 years in the truck racing business – Allgäuer is going to tell the general public what will become of his “empire”.
Apart from that the truck racing weekend will certainly be all square again. In Jarama it’s all about truck racing only, there isn’t any supporting programme. The temperatures this weekend will be just under 30 °C (86 °F) with a clear sky most of the time – and the pilots and teams have the opportunity to gear themselves up for the final round in Le Mans which certainly will be pretty hectic compared to Jarama.

Impressions:

Jarama – Preliminary Report
Jarama – Preliminary Report
Jarama – Preliminary Report