Friday in Jarama

04. October 2019Jarama - For the third year in a row, Circuito del Jarama north of Madrid will host the final round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship. The weekend in Jarama has been a classic two-day event for as long as we can remember. The administrative check and scrutineering take place on Friday, but nothing else is scheduled. This year it’s been a rather solemn day, overshadowed by the death of Conni Hahn. His passing has deeply affected every member of the truck racing family. It’s not even a week since they were rejoicing with him, tears running down his cheeks at son Jochen’s unprecedented sixth title – and everybody obviously expected to be partying with Hahn Racing’s founder and boss at the FIA prizegiving Sunday evening.
The newly crowned record champion and his family have decided he will race come what may. In the circumstances it’s going to be anything but easy, but once in the cockpit his concentration will be entirely on the racing, Jochen insisted on his arrival here today.
For the first time the Spanish truck racers will not compete with the FIA pilots; their Campionato de España de Carreras de Camiones will have its own set of four races. Some will surely miss the incentive, as it were, of racing together with much faster competitors.
There are 18 entries for the ETRC races. In a repeat from last year, all three generations of the Rodrigues family from Portugal will be in the fray – Eduardo, son José, and grandson José Eduardo.
The titles have already been won and Jochen Hahn is, for a second year in succession, winner of both, the individual and team championships – the latter with Steffi Halm as „Die Bullen von Iveco Magirus“. But the fight for the positions below him will go down to the wire, the contenders are so close.
The weather for one will be dry, so no advantage for the rain specialists. An abundance of sunshine has been forecast, and temperatures are expected to touch 30°C. Circuito del Jarama, situated at a height of 700 metres above sea level, is a challenging layout with a number of steep gradients, extremely physically demanding not only on the pilots but also on the trucks and particularly on the engines. Be prepared for the odd surprise.