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Saturday in Valencia Part 1 – Hahn picks up first pole of the season

Saturday in Valencia Part 1 – Hahn picks up first pole of the season

25. April 2015Valencia - Even though gathering clouds dimmed much of the sun’s brightness, the temperature stubbornly held at around 20°C as the truck racers rolled out for the first free practice of the new season of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Most seemed to be taking things easy to begin with — most, that is, except defending champ Norbert Kiss (MAN), who evidently was on full power throughout. And so the Hungarian it was who topped the timesheets in both training sessions, by over 7/10ths quicker than his closest pursuer Adam Lacko (Buggyra Freightliner) in the latter session.
It was down to serious business in the qualifying, the top pilots lapping in dead earnest in the ensuing SuperPole. Kiss, who’d dipped within 2:02s in both practice sessions with a best lap of 2:01.301s, wasn’t able to reproduce that pace. Nor was Lacko, who also had gone under 2:02s.
Hahn, on the other hand, lapped consistently throughout, and his 2:02.752s proved to be the quickest lap in qualifying.
Most of the FIA racers returned to the pits after their first flying lap, confident of a top 10 slot that would guarantee them a go in the SuperPole. Tyre conservation was the name of the game.
Buggyra pilot David Vršecký (CZE) stayed out longer, having sat out the second free practice with problems on his truck. In the event, the Czech finished with the second-quickest time.
He was followed by MAN veteran Antonio Albacete (ESP), Kiss, Lacko, and an MAN phalanx with René Reinert, (GER), Anthony Janiec (FRA), Ellen Lohr (GER), and Eduardo Rodrigues (POR). The Scania of Erwin Kleinnagelvoort (NED) was the last to squeeze into the SuperPole.
Hahn really came into his own in the shootout, blazing to the top of the timesheet with an untouchable 2:02.122s in his very first flying lap. Kiss threw everything he had at his last lap, but the best the dogged Hungarian could manage was 13 thousandths of a second slower, good for second place on the grid.
The rest of the starting places were filled by Lacko, Vršecký, Albacete, Reinert, Lohr, Janiec, Kleinnagelvoort, and Rodrigues.

Impressions:

Saturday in Valencia Part 1 – Hahn picks up first pole of the season
Saturday in Valencia Part 1 – Hahn picks up first pole of the season