The Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship returns this weekend with the highlight of the calendar: the International ADAC Truck Grand Prix. The event will be boosted by the addition of the ADAC GT Masters and French Truck Racing Championship, promising three full days of action-packed track action.
Norbert Kiss will be looking for a repeat Poznań weekend to continue extending his championship lead over Jochen Hahn, Sascha Lenz and Antonio Albacete. It was a mixed weekend for Albacete in Poland, who saved the event by ending with an overall win in Race 4.
The Spaniard is now fourth in the championship standings, only two points off third-placed Lenz, 19 off of Jochen Hahn. Hahn too didn’t have the best weekend in Poznań, seeming to struggle with finding the optimum pace of his Iveco. Another weekend like this in Germany could see Albacete climb to second in the standings.
Jamie Anderson and Steffi Halm collected their first podiums of 2023 last time out, and will be hoping to add more silverware to their cupboards this weekend. The pair are in a battle for fourth in the championship with André Kursim, Halm just 19 points behind whilst Anderson trails by 33, having missed the first event of the season. Coming up to the halfway point, Anderson will need a great weekend to bring him back up to the points of his fellow Titan drivers.
THE PROMOTER’S CUP FIGHT CONTINUES
Promoter’s Cup still seems to belong to José Eduardo Rodrigues as we enter the fourth event of the year. The Portuguese driver has collected half of the available Promoter’s Cup class victories to have a 33-point lead over the rest of the Chrome field.
Lukas Hahn will be looking to continue his splendid form from TOR Poznań, where he took his second win overall, as well as three Promoter’s Cup victories.
Mark Taylor was on the class podium four times in the last round, closing in on Steffen Faas, who had a tough weekend. Faas holds a 20 point lead on Taylor, but if the Brit continues his performance from Poland this weekend and Faas struggles again, there could be a change in the order come Sunday evening.
John Newell has certainly positioned himself as one to watch, but needs to work through some issues with his MAN if he wants to keep the battle of the (rookie) Brits going this year.
Luis Recuenco and Clemens Hecker will be looking for improvements this weekend, with Hecker back on the grid after missing out on Sunday’s events last time out with a technical issue.
Erwin Kleinnagelvoort joins the field as a race-by-race entry at the Nürburgring. The Dutchman has been a regular on the grid since 2009. He comes fresh from competing in the Dutch Truck Racing Championship and will be looking to make his mark once again on the European scene.
With the return of Lukas Hahn to the grid, the battle for the Goodyear FIA ETRC Young Drivers Champion category rages on this weekend. Rodrigues is still leading going into the next four races, but it’s still all to play for not even being halfway through the season.
INDUSTRY AND FESTIVAL OFF THE TRACK
Off the track the Int. ADAC Truck Grand Prix promises some truly spectacular entertainment, that is completely unique to racing across the world.
The Goodyear FIA ETRC paddock turns into one of the biggest transport and commercial vehicle industry exhibitions in Germany and provides an excellent marketing and networking opportunity across the race weekend.
On Friday the ADAC Mittelrhein and TÜV Rheinland Truck Symposium is being held in the Bitburger Event-Center, raising awareness of the truck driver shortage and discussing sustainability topics such as e-mobility.
The Job Expo is focussed on connecting truck drivers and job seekers interested in logistics with potential employers.
The packed timetable also includes the traditional country festival with a variety of performing singers, different charity activities for the devastating floods in the Ahrtal, there is also a great kids zone, the traditional fireworks, the Trucker Camp and the famous Nürburgring Truck Corso.
