Grand Prix Camions d’Albi Day 2 – Robineau defends his title, Janiec his dominance

23. October 2016Albi - This relatively quiet tourist town in the south of France might take its fabulous weather and cloudless skies for granted, but it has never seen an invasion of this magnitude. On the second day of the Grand Prix Camions d’Albi the crowds just kept pouring in –there were 16,000 spectators in all.
All defending champ Thomas Robineau (MAN) needed to retake the title was one point, even if Lionel Montagne should win both races. For the Renault pilot to be crowned, on the other hand, not only would Robineau have to fail to score in both races, but there was Anthony Janiec to beat as well. This year MAN’s French lion was a full-season participant in the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, and only raced in the French series in Le Castellet. With no points from the three weekends he was absent from, he’s completely out of contention here. But when Janiec climbs into his cockpit, he’s got just one thing in his sights, and that is the top step of the winner’s podium.
In Le Castellet he’d swept all four races; that was his declared goal for Albi too. With his two wins yesterday the stage was set.
Warm-up began very early in the morning, before sunrise. Surprisingly, it was Portuguese José Rodrigues who set the top time, and none of the top three. The track temperature was far from ideal, and it was, after all, only warm-up. In the end Janiec came close, very close – just two thousandths off.
There was no reason to overrate the results. Qualifying would be much more indicative of performance potential in the race. In the event, Robineau set a time on his first hot lap that nobody else could match. After a couple of cooling-off laps he peeled back into pit lane, while the rest struggled in vain to put together a lap even halfway as quick as the MAN pilot’s.
At the very last moment Janiec recorded his quickest lap, but that too was a good six-tenths slower. Montagne qualified 4th behind Rodrigues, with a time around 1.8 seconds off his polesitting rival’s.
Robineau started the race in relaxed fashion. As in yesterday’s first race, for which he also was in pole, Robineau concentrated on avoiding precarious situations – all he needed to retain the title was a single point. And so, under furious onslaught from Janiec, he gave way on the second lap. No big deal, really, considering his actual competitor was further behind. And Montagne had to win by any means to keep his dying flicker of hope alive.
Janiec took his third victory of the weekend completely unchallenged, Robineau following a deliberately safe distance behind. Montagne now seemed content with a third-place finish, more focused on his rear-view mirror than on catching up with Robineau ahead. That’s because he had Rodrigues in his draft, and the Portuguese, with a deficit of seven points, clearly fancied his prospects of finishing runner-up in the championship.
The quartet of frontrunners crossed the line in formation.
Janiec was one big step closer to achieving his goal of winning all four races.
Robineau could pop the cork already now that he’d secured the championship. Montagne was set on second place, even if Rodrigues was determined to make the most of his outside chance of disputing his Renault rival’s claim. But for that, the Portuguese would have to win the last race and Montagne fail to score.
José Sousa was on pole with Renault colleague Jean-Claude Labadie in the second Lion truck alongside. Labadie took the early lead, followed inveterately by Janiec, who’d rocketed up from 6th, Montagne, Rodrigues, and Robineau. Sousa was now down in 6th.
The trucks proceeded to lap in rather relaxed formation, till Robineau decided to move up on Rodrigues towards mid-race. One lap later Janiec “cracked” his teammate Labadie, and Robineau used the momentum he’d gathered to snap 3rd from Montagne.
It took just one more lap till Labadie had been overtaken by his three pursuers, and so the top four drivers that have set the pace this entire weekend were once again closing up. The quartet pulled away rapidly from the rest of the field, without getting in one another’s way – the race had been run, and the title and the finishing order decided.
For Janiec it was mission accomplished; behind him, it was the top three in the French championship –Robineau, Montagne, and Rodrigues.

Impressions: