Friday, 29.03.2024 | Deutsch | English
Sunday in Misano Part 3 – Lacko wins second race on the trot

Sunday in Misano Part 3 – Lacko wins second race on the trot

28. May 2017Misano - The weather was more conducive to lazing on the beach than sweltering in the steel shell that is a race truck cabin. But Jochen Hahn was only too willing to oblige the 40,000 spectators, even if it meant stewing in his Iveco at the head of the start grid and then sweating it out in the crucible of the race.
But as the trucks lined up in formation that position remained vacant. Technical problems with the Iveco that couldn’t be solved in time ruled the four-times champion out of the reckoning. Instead, the grid formation now seemed to favour Gerd Körber, the other „Bulle von Iveco Magirus“ who, it was assumed, starting at the front of the line of trucks further from the pit wall with a straight run to the inside of the first corner, could easily spring into the gap at the rolling start and seize the lead forthwith.
But Robineau, who had the front row to himself, had other ideas. It was the Frenchman who took the lead, followed by Körber and Lenz. The young German was reckoned to have the best podium prospects in such a scenario, but these went up in a cloud of dust just halfway into the first lap. Lenz’s MAN was rear-ended and spun around to face the onrushing traffic.
Thankfully no harm resulted, and the MAN privateer was able to take up the chase once the entire field had thundered past. The top priority now was to score for the team classification.
At the front, meanwhile, Robineau’s lead didn’t last much longer than a lap. Körber first grabbed it from him, and then he was handed down the order by Kiss, Lacko, Halm und Albacete in quick succession, all on Lap 2.
A couple of laps later Körber was forced to bury any hopes of a victory. After a showdown in the Tramonto, the 180° hairpin, in which the German vet not only lost his lead but also picked up a puncture, Lacko suddenly found himself in the lead and wasted no time sprinting away from the pack led by Halm. Kiss was beginning to loom ever larger in the MAN pilotess’s rear-view mirrors, and her attention was consequently more focused on what he might be up to next than on the road ahead. Körber had dropped to 5th behind Albacete, and eventually had to let even Robineau overtake.
Lacko hurtled on towards his second win of the day, while Halm valiantly defended her second place against Kiss’s attacks till the very finish, the two crossing the line a heart-stopping half-second apart.
Six tenths of a second later Albacete thundered home in hot pursuit, followed at some remove by Robineau and Körber.
On the final lap the Iveco came close to being whacked by the second tankpool24 Mercedes driven by André Kursim. The young German didn’t have too much luck today; the left flank of his truck was badly damaged in a collision in Race 3, came loose from its primary fasteners, and flapped about in the curves, clipping a few track markers and earning the hapless Mercedes driver not one but two drive through penalties, which dumped him out of the points altogether.
In this, the final race, his driver’s-side door flew open without warning in the very first right-hand bend, but then slammed shut again on its own. Following the momentary scare, Kursim set about to challenge a hamstrung Körber for 6th place, with José Rodrigues in his draft. But after all he’d gone through, tankpool24 was more than satisfied with his 7th-place finish.
Lenz was 9th, followed by his Portuguese MAN colleague Eduardo Rodrigues.
Robineau once again stood atop the Promoter’s Cup podium, with Kursim second and José Rodrigues third.
Tankpool24 (Kiss / Kursim was the top-scoring team, ahead of Buggyra Racing 1969 (Lacko / Draganovic) and Reinert Adventure (Halm / Lenz).
Lacko has now taken the lead in the overall standings with 92 points followed by Halm, who remains second (80), Hahn (72), Albacete (60), Kiss (56), Körber (47), and Lenz (46).

Impressions:

Sunday in Misano Part 3 – Lacko wins second race on the trot
Sunday in Misano Part 3 – Lacko wins second race on the trot
Sunday in Misano Part 3 – Lacko wins second race on the trot
Sunday in Misano Part 3 – Lacko wins second race on the trot
Sunday in Misano Part 3 – Lacko wins second race on the trot