Saturday in Zolder Part 2 - Hahn a clear winner

20. September 2014Zolder - As the truck racers prepared for the first race, it felt like high summer with the mercury pushing 25°. The action on the track was overheated right from the start — in the very first curve, several trucks from midfield piled up. When the dust had settled, Dutchman Erwin Kleinnagelvoort’s Scania was found stranded in the gravel trap, right in the safety zone. The race director had no choice but to stop the race abruptly — a bit too abruptly for Major, it turned out. The youngster, out of sight of the red flags, had no idea the race was being interrupted till he came up at full tempo upon the slowing field ahead of him. To avoid smashing into the tail end of the queue, he swerved onto the green shoulder, losing control momentarily and hitting the wall.
The collateral damage included the Portuguese José Teodosio (Renault) and MAN pilot Frankie Vojtíšek (CZE), both of whom had to pack it in.
After a 40 minute delay it was go once more.
Hahn streaked into the lead, putting some distance between himself and Vršecký. Albacete, meanwhile, had overtaken Kiss and it looked like the podium was decided after only two laps. Soon enough, though, Kiss had leapfrogged back, and when Vršecký was forced to make a visit to the pits because of unspecified technical problems the Hungarian was handed second.
But Hahn was far enough ahead not to worry, and drove to a flawless victory. Albacete finished third behind Kiss, and was followed by Lacko, Bösiger, and Reinert. Behind them it was a battle for the front row of the second race, in which the first eight finishers start in reverse order. The Portuguese José Rodrigues (Renault) took the flag in seventh, followed in eighth by MAN driver Steffi Halm, who thus secured pole for herself. The last two finishers in the points were Frenchman Jérémy Robineau and Antony Janiec (both MAN).
André Kursim (GER) narrowly missed out on his first FIA point — running in 10th shortly before the flag, it looked like he was going to make it in his tankpool24 Mercedes before he was unceremoniously dumped out at the close by Janiec.
Reinert Adventure (Hahn / Reinert) was the top-scoring team ahead of Truck Sport Bernau (Albacete / Bösiger) and OXXO Racing (Kiss / Major).

Impressions: