Thursday, 28.03.2024 | Deutsch | English
Saturday in Misano - Hahn and Kiss kick off the season with wins

Saturday in Misano - Hahn and Kiss kick off the season with wins

21. May 2023Misano - Jochen Hahn and Norbert Kiss made it clear that they are the top contenders for the 2023 FIA European Truck Racing Championship, with dominant wins on Day 1 of the season-opener in Misano.
The consequences of the catastrophic flooding in the region cast a long shadow over their jubilation, though, because there were (and will be) no podium celebrations but, instead, a minute of silence in memory of those who’d lost their lives.
Saturday was somewhat rainy still. At the start of Race 1, polesitter Kiss planted himself in front of Hahn at the head of the field. But the Hungarian’s lead was short-lived – his Big Red Balu came crawling to a halt trackside, laid low by an electronic fault just a few corners down the road.
For most of the race thereafter it looked like an Iveco one-two, till Steffi Halm’s Schwabentruck was also struck down by turbo failure.
On a drying track it was Antonio Albacete and André Kursim who took the two remaining podium places, followed by Rodrigues, Lenz, Faas, André, Newell, Hecker, and Recuenco.
Following a technical problem in qualifying that kept him out of the Super Pole, Sascha Lenz scythed his way up the field from P11 to P5.
Shortly before Race 2 there was a heavy shower over Misano World Circuit, and race control ordained a yellow-flag start. As soon as the green flag was waved at the start of the second lap Kiss began to climb up the order and was soon in direct pursuit of leader Lenz, who’d fought his way up there himself. The German held his own till mid-race, but no further.
Behind him, tankpool24 compatriot Steffen Faas was comfortably ensconced in P3, or looked like he was. But by the end of the race he’d been caught and passed by both Hahn and Albacete.
There were any number of time penalties handed out, but the only driver whose position actually changed was Jochen Hahn. The Iveco pilot dropped from P3 to P5, promoting Albacete to the podium. Faas was fourth and Kursim sixth, followed by Rodrigues, André, Taylor, and Recuenco.