Saturday at the Red Bull Ring – Part 1

06. July 2013Spielberg - Even if it’s not (yet) bright and clear like the forecasts predicted for the fourth round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship on the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, the temperature was at least above 25°C in the morning. Spaniard Antonio Albacete (MAN) once again asserted his championship ambitions in the warm-up, even though no real conclusions can be drawn in this session as to the actual strengths of individual competitors. There’s usually more indication in the timed practice that follows, though even here the top drivers hold back — the name of the game is to just make it into the top 10 for the SuperPole.
In the event, the two MAN pilots Norbert Kiss (HUN) and Markus Oestreich (GER), the Czech David Vršecký (Buggyra Freightliner), Albacete, the two MKR Renault drivers Markus Bösiger (SUI) and Adam Lacko (CZE), and the MAN drivers Jochen Hahn (GER), Benedek Major (HUN), Mika Mäkinen (FIN), and René Reinert (GER) all made it into that list.
The varied approaches to this session reflected in the number of laps each competitor laid down. While Kiss, Oestreich, Albacete, and Hahn were content with three, of which only the second was really fast, the others lapped the Red Bull Ring up to 12 times. For the top drivers it was more about conserving their tyres once they felt sure of being among the 10 qualifiers for the SuperPole. And these “tyre-conservers” were also the quickest in the SuperPole that followed, Albacete taking pole with 1:05.309s. Kiss was second, a mere seven-hundredths off the Spaniard’s pace. They were followed by Hahn, Oestreich, Bösiger, Vršecký, Lacko, Mäkinen, Major, and Reinert.

Supported by Meritor Translation: Eliot Lobo

Impressions: