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Saturday in Zolder Part 1 – Pole for Adam Lacko

Saturday in Zolder Part 1 – Pole for Adam Lacko

16. September 2017Zolder - After the heavy rains of the last couple of days, this first race day of the 7th round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship in Zolder is clear and cool, the sun shining bright from an almost cloudless sky. The air was a bracing 8°C when the truck racers rolled out for the warm-up this morning, and the track was still a bit soggy. Buggyra pilot Adam Lacko (CZE) demonstrated yet again, as he did in the very wet practice yesterday evening, that he and his Freightliner are most at home in conditions like these. The Czech may have lapped around 3.5 seconds slower than his Iveco rival Jochen Hahn (GER) did in first free practice, but was still quickest by a good margin. Somewhat unexpectedly, going by his performances so far, teammate and compatriot David Vršecký recorded the next best time.
A few other surprise results kept all eyes glued to the timing monitor, although these were of no consequence for qualifying and the Super Pole.
Hungarian Norbert Kiss hadn’t driven a lap of note in his tankpool24 Mercedes in warm-up, but was now right atop the timesheet with a 1:59.111. Lacko, Hahn, and Steffi Halm (MAN) also managed 1:59’s. They were followed by a group consisting of the two Germans Sascha Lenz (MAN) and Gerd Körber (Iveco), Vršecký, and Spaniard Antonio Albacete (MAN) in the 2:00’s, all four within one tenth of a second apart.
Confident that their places in the Super Pole were secure, the tyre conservation imperative had them all trooping back up pit lane – all except Albacete, that is, who allowed himself the indulgence of one additional flying lap, duly inserting himself into the 1:59 club, right between Lacko and Hahn. Mercedes pilot André Kursim (GER) and Portuguese José Rodrigues (MAN) completed the Top 10.
After a five minute break these trucks spilled out again onto a track that by now had dried out considerably. Kiss’s first, a 1:57.664, was bettered almost immediately by Lacko in 1:57.534. Hahn was only two tenths slower, not quite a hundredth ahead of Albacete – very close indeed.
Following the cooling-off lap Kiss & Co were off again in search of incredible. Lacko managed a significantly better time, a 1:57.251. A couple of others improved their times too, but there was no change in the qualifying order.
Hahn and Albacete will start from the second row of the grid, followed by
Lenz and Vršecký, Halm and José Rodrigues, and Körber and Kursim.

Impressions:

Saturday in Zolder Part 1 – Pole for Adam Lacko
Saturday in Zolder Part 1 – Pole for Adam Lacko
Saturday in Zolder Part 1 – Pole for Adam Lacko