European Truck Racing / Truck Race Information Service

Grand Prix Camions du Castellet – Day 1

14. May 2016Le Castellet - After the season-opening races of the Brazilian and British series and then the European Truck Racing Championship, it was time for the French truck racers to kick off their 2016 season on Pentecost weekend at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet on the Côte d’Azur in the south of France.
Under clear blue skies, the fans pouring into this, one of Europe’s prettiest racetracks, weren’t in the least bothered by the frequent gusts of wind.
We all know how easygoing the atmosphere is in the FIA European Truck Racing Championship; in the Coupe de France Camions that’s even more the case. Most of the teams here have been a part of the scene for as long as anybody can remember, and it’s here in France, where truck racing first took root in Europe, that the true spirit of the sport has lived on unbroken from its very beginnings. In fact the 24h Camions in Le Mans predates the Truck Grand Prix on the Nürburgring, the largest truck race event worldwide today. For many, just being here is everything.
Michel Basanelli, second runner-up in the 2005 FIA SuperRaceTruck Trophy, unfortunately hurt his hand while loading his new DAF race truck for its journey to Le Castellet. That meant there were only 18 racers, one of them female (Laurine Orsini in a Mercedes-Benz), at the start. The racing was clearly dominated by drivers with European Championship experience.
Anthony Janiec, the spearhead of the Lion Truck Racing Team who finished on the podium at the first round of the FIA ETRC in Spielberg, set the pace right from qualifying. His closest challenger was Lionel Montagne of the Aravi Racing Team, which has also been very active in the FIA ETRC in the past.
The first race, expectedly, went to Janiec, followed closely by Montagne. Last year’s Coupe de France champion Thomas Robineau, who also picked up FIA points in Spielberg two weeks ago, was third.
José Rodrigues of Team 14 had to make do with a thankless fourth place.
The second Lion truck driven by Jean-Claude Labadie came in fifth, ahead of VTR pilot José Teodosio, another FIA ETRC regular.
The top six finishers from the day’s first race start the second in reverse order, which meant Teodosio was now on pole. But that brought the French-resident Portuguese no luck. He dropped down the field right after the start and, five laps later, packed in.
Montagne was equally luckless. The Aravi pilot rocketed into a tyre barrier in the early stages, then dragged on in spectacular slowness all the way to the pit lane. Not long after, he was back on an equally spectacular chase, even setting the fastest lap of the race. But his best was only good enough for a 9th-place finish.
Rodrigues had taken the lead at the start. The Team 14 Renault driver appeared to be leaving the rest of the field way behind, but then Janiec decided he had to do something about it. The MAN pilot set off on a furious chase, and soon caught up, proceeding to lock with the Portuguese in direct combat. Between the two of them, however, they were able to increase the gap to the rest of the pack.
Midway through, the black Renault started to pull away from the yellow MAN and it appeared the race would eventually go Rodrigues’ way. But Janiec was just as quickly back on the Portuguese’s tail and three laps from the finish finally succeeded in overtaking.
Robineau was third again, followed this time by Labadie.
Teodosio’s compatriot and VTR teammate José Sousa was fifth, ahead of Volvo pilot Franck Conti of Team Truck Competition Spirit - both old acquaintances from the ETRC.