Sunday at the Red Bull Ring – Part 2

07. July 2013Spielberg - Sunday’s first race was a cause for heated tempers, not just amid the 25,000 spectators, particularly after it ended. Oestreich had capitalised on his pole position to take the lead, which he held till the flag. Albacete meanwhile had snatched second position from Kiss in the first bend, but then had the Hungarian permanently cleave to his bumper. Not even a second separated the leading trio throughout the race, and the smallest error would have meant an instant loss of position. But Kiss could find no way to get the wily veteran to move over, despite forcefully and repeatedly running into Albacete’s rear. Lurking not far behind was Hahn, hoping for a collision that would knock at least one of the competitors ahead of him off the track — but that never came. So that’s the way the first four places were decided.
Further back, Bösiger, Vršecký, and Lacko were engaged in a spirited skirmish for fifth. For a brief while Bösiger’s truck gave off traces of smoke, apparently from a panel that was rubbing on a rear tyre. It was only a matter of time, or so it seemed, that Vršecký would ease past the MKR Renault driver. But then the problem disappeared just as quickly as his disappointed pursuers first noticed it, and Bösiger was able to zip ahead, leaving the two Czechs to battle it out between themselves till Vršecký finally let his compatriot past two laps before the finish. Blaise meanwhile defended his eighth place with all his might — after all, it was not only worth three points but would also put him in pole position for the day’s second race. Behind him a quintet followed in search of the leavings, and it was Mäkinen and Major that took the final two points finishes.
What followed was an interminable discussion over the results, during which the race commission declined to give the media even a provisional list. That led everyone to believe that something really serious was afoot, and that the actual results of the race would be overturned. But what eventually emerged was that Vršecký and Lacko would have to pay monetary penalties for “dangerous driving”. Moreover, the Buggyra pilot would be placed under special observation, not only for the last race at Spielberg but also for the entire event at the Nürburgring next week and the one at Smolensk to follow.
But that seemed to have little effect on Vršecký in the final race — he shot past Blaise into the lead before the first bend, followed by Bösiger. Blaise then had Kiss hang onto his rear bumper for a few laps before the Hungarian made his move in the fifth lap, followed a few laps later by Albacete, leaving the Belgian now to fend off an attack from Hahn. Again and again Blaise deftly defended his position when it looked like Hahn would overtake, but the European champion finally made it past him in his green-and-white MAN, even as he noticed that Mäkinen had stolen up behind him. Blaise finally crossed the flag in sixth only half a second ahead of the Finn, who was followed by Frenchman Anthony Janiec (Renault), MAN pilot Stephanie Halm (GER), and the Austrian race-by-race pilot Markus Altenstrasser in an Iveco.
In the mean time it was hotting up at the head of the field. Kiss rammed Bösiger’s Renault repeatedly before he was able to push past the Swiss in the 14th lap, followed a little later by Albacete. The Spaniard too had borne the brunt of the Hungarian’s aggressive driving — at the end his right rear wheel was badly battered. At the finish, Bösiger had to content himself with a thankless fourth place, ahead of Hahn.
After the podium celebration for the drivers and teams, there was another ceremony for the drivers that are part of the TRO Sponsors Challenge, which includes all drivers who finished the last season out of the top 10. Here, Blaise was first, ahead of Halm and Altenstrasser.
For a change, no long discussions followed the race. But the final evaluation of the speed control system resulted in a couple of sharp, clear decisions. Janiec and Halm were shut out of the ranking because of three overspeed events each. This promoted Altenstrasser to eighth, and allowed the two MAN pilots Benedek Major (HUN) and Frankie Vojtíšek (CZE) into the points.
At 166 points, Albacete’s lead over Hahn in the overall ranking is now 11; these two are followed by Oestreich (131), Kiss (123), Vršecký (116), and Lacko (91).
Truck Sport Lutz Bernau (Albacete / Oestreich) topped the team ranking in Sunday’s first race, followed by Oxxo Energy Truck Race Team (Kiss / Major) and MKR Technology (Lacko / Bösiger). In the second race, Oxxo took top spot ahead of Castrol Team Hahn Racing (Hahn / Mäkinen) and Team Blaise Janiec (Janiec / Blaise).

Supported by Meritor Translation: Eliot Lobo

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