Friday in Jarama

02. October 2015Jarama - Even if it was bitingly cold overnight with a starry sky (Circuito del Jarama lies 700 metres above mean sea level), the radiant warmth of the rising sun quickly brought temperatures up to the customary (for Spain) 25°C.
But opinions remain divided over whether they will stay this way on both days of the 9th round of the European Truck Racing Championship in Madrid. Many expect Saturday to be like today, but there could be some rain Sunday.
What everybody was talking about today wasn’t the weather, however, but the appearance yesterday of Spanish Formula 1 racer Carlos Sainz Jr. One of Sainz’s primary sponsors is the Spanish petroleum company Cepsa, which is also thrice European truck race champion Antonio Albacete’s long-time title sponsor - and, moreover, of the Jarama event.
Which explains why the Toro Rosso youngster got to take Albacete’s MAN for a spin for a promo shot by Spanish television. His few laps out are expected to be splashed across screens here today in a magazine on the local channel, the whole exercise designed to fuel spectator interest.
In recent years home hero Albacete has always come here to race as a leading contender for the championship; this time he’s out of the running in fifth place overall. Not only the title; even the two remaining runner-up honours are beyond his reach. But that won’t make any difference to the Spanish fans, who will continue to solidly support “their” Antonio.
Be that as it may, the deftly executed Sainz show was excellent PR for the FIA ETRC.
Today, on the other hand, was more like a rest day - the holiday atmosphere was pervasive. Most of the teams had arrived yesterday and already set up their tents, or went about doing so at leisure throughout today.

Impressions: