Friday, 29.03.2024 | Deutsch | English
Truck Grand Prix This And That

Truck Grand Prix This And That

08. July 2017For the 115,000 fans, as much as for the teams and drivers, the abrupt conclusion of the 32nd Truck Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, the 3rd round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, was a wholly unwelcome surprise. Many ascribed it to the continual rain, resulting in the treacherously slippery track surface. But it wasn’t the rain that was to blame for the TGP’s inglorious end, but a relatively insignificant injector defect that resulted in copious amounts of diesel being sprayed all around the track on the formation lap for the final race of the Mittelrhein Cup.
Many more than 100 track staff and marshals did all they could, using cleaning machines big and small, brooms, dustpans, and what have you, to remove the oil absorbent powder that had been spread all over the spill by the sackfuls – but the organisers, soon realising that it was going to take a long time to make the track safe again to race on, called off Sunday’s two final heats.
The cancellation of Race 4 was particularly galling for „Die Bullen von Iveco Magirus“, with both Gerd Körber and Jochen Hahn slated to start on the front row.
But it wasn’t only how the TGP ended that was so difficult to come to terms with; even the course of each of the races was surprising – most notably the performance of Czech Buggyra Freightliner pilot Adam Lacko. While most all of the race trucks found themselves – more or less repeatedly – off the track, the Freightliner seemed to run on rails.
Lacko has built out his lead in the championship to 46 points over MAN pilotess Steffi Halm (GER), and 47 over Jochen Hahn. But it was Hahn who, 11 years ago, despite a 38-points advantage over eventual champion Antonio Albacete (MAN) after four of eight rounds, ceded 93 points to the Spaniard over the next four. So to be clear: the championship is far from decided.
And even if the weather sometimes got us down, there was still plenty to rejoice over. Team Schwabentruck threw a “surprise” stand-up party for Gerd Körber in honour of his 30 years in the sport, a do that was attended by almost everyone in the paddock. And King of the Ring Heinz-Werner Lenz celebrated his 25th Truck Grand Prix, announcing his retirement from truck racing after 26 eventful years.
The commercial vehicle trade show in the industry park reported huge crowds of visitors even if there were fewer spectators overall at the Ring than last year. This wasn’t unique to the TGP; large public events all over Europe have seen drops in attendance. Some people simply want to avoid crowds; others aren’t willing to submit to layers of security checks at the entrances.
But the weather wasn’t done with its caprices.
An ironic aside: as the teams and the industry took down their marquees on Monday, the Nürburgring was bathed in radiant sunshine.

Impressions:

Truck Grand Prix This And That
Truck Grand Prix This And That
Truck Grand Prix This And That