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ETRC - Title judgement day draws nearer as large grid heads to Jarama

27.09.16

Hahn and Lacko to battle for glory in the penultimate FIA European Truck Racing Championship weekend (30 September – 2 October) at Jarama, Spain

FIA, Motorsport, Mobility, Road Safety, F1, WRC, WEC, WTCC, World RX

With just two rounds to go in the FIA European Truck Racing Championship the stakes could not be higher for title protagonists Jochen Hahn and Adam Lacko. 35 points separate them and with 120 still available it is all still to play for in the 2016 FIA Drivers Championship battle.

At the Circuito Jarama, near Madrid this weekend the two will go head-to-head once again after a rollercoaster season which has seen them taking it in turns to top the standings Jochen Hahn, even by his standards of excellence has had a stellar season. The German triple champion has already scored ten victories; at least one per race weekend and a double victory strike in the last three rounds at Hungaroring, Most and Zolder.

Czech ace Adam Lacko has had an excellent season too with a triple win at the Misano round in May and then at least one win at every round since. But with Hahn’s better points scoring in the last event at Zolder bringing a 22-point swing in the German’s favour, could a crucial title winning gap have been secured by Hahn in Belgium last time out?

One thing is for sure, Buggyra International Racing System driver Lacko will be going all out to score maximum points in Spain, a track where he scored a win and two further podium positions in 2015.

Title battle interlopers could prove decisive in Spain
Threats to Lacko and Hahn’s dominance of the podium this year have come from a trio of quality FIA ETRC drivers who have all shown their skill at winning races this season.

René Reinert, Norbert Kiss and Steffi Halm have all proved their winning mettle by standing on the top step of the podium in 2016. All three are inthe running for third place in the standings with Reinert currently best of the rest after re-claiming the position at Zolder with a 28-point haul.

Steffi Halm scored her best cumulative total of 38 points at Zolder, including another two appearances on the podium for a a pair of third places in her Reinert prepared MAN truck.

Norbert Kiss, fresh from demo driving a Mercedes-Benz DTM car at the Hungaroring last weekend, is just two points away from Reinert’s third position and will be targeting another race win to add to his Nogaro success back in June.

Also don’t discount truck racing firebrand Anthony Janiec in his Lion Truck Racing MAN. After taking a healthy 28 points in Belgium, the Frenchman is still in touch with the battle for third in the standings.

Other drivers who showed well last time out at Zolder include Sascha Lenz who took his second podium in as many races, and also Gerd Körber who is in battle with fellow German Lenz for seventh position in the points table.

Plenty for home fans to cheer
No less than eight Iberian race by race entries join the familiar season entrants at Jarama this weekend.

A remarkable three generations of Rodriguez racers will take part in a truck race for the first time on the International stage. Joining the accustomed FIA ETRC racer Eduardo Rodriguez will be his son and grandson – Jose-Fernando and Jose-Eduardo. They will all race together in a unique family squad which is sure to be a memorable occasion for Portuguese motorsport.

Heading the Spanish ranks will be Pedro Garcia (IVECO), Alberto Vila (Mercedes-Benz), David Marco (MAN), Orlando Rodriguez (Mercedes-Benz) and Enrique Vila. All five drivers competed in the Jarama race last season with Garcia scoring the best results with a pair of 13th places.

The large crowd will be cheering on all five of the home racers who will be out to try and break in to the top ten in what looks likely to be the biggest grid of the season.

Click here for latest entry list

What happened last year?
Race 1 – Norbert Kiss
Race 2 – Adam Lacko
Race 3 – Norbert Kiss
Race 4 – Jochen Hahn

Let us entertain you……
An FIA ETRC event has trucking everything with a range of entertainment as well as being the place where truck racing and industry meets. You can watch these giants of motorsport race, then look around the stands of the top truck manufacturers and related industries.

Jarama will host an impressive display of decorated trucks with their stunning and imaginative artwork. Along with a parade of Harley Davidsons for petrol heads of all ages to enjoy.

The FIA ETRC Fan Village with championship partners, Good Year, UTA and Meritor provides a feast of information and entertainment including table football, slot car racing and driving simulator located in the heart of the paddock.

Of course the biggest attraction are the drivers themselves and fans will have the opportunity to meet their heroes at the driver autograph sessions and post-race conferences, all of which take place in the FIA ETRC Fan Village.

Click here for entertainments at Jarama
Click here for the Jarama Timetable
Click here for latest points standings

How to follow the Jarama weekend:

Simply click here to follow the Truck Tracker, Live streaming video, live timing and live text commentary from the Jarama races.