Reigning champion Norbert Kiss comes home to his adoring fans at Hungaroring this weekend and intends to give his army of supporters plenty to cheer
“It is now just two weeks until my home race at Hungaroring in the fifth round of the 2016 FIA European Truck Racing Championship (FIA ETRC) and I am really impatient for the weekend to arrive.
“Last season I won twice on my home soil on the way to the 2015 FIA ETRC title and it felt so good. The home Hungarian fans are really enthusiastic and give me a lot of support. It is a really special feeling and makes me feel quite humble.
“This season has seen a big change for me as I made the decision to change teams over the winter and start and a new and exciting project with the Tankpool24 Racing Mercedes-Benz team. In a very short space of time we have formed an incredibly strong bond and have already won a race and are lying fourth in the championship. To be honest this is much better than I thought possible at the start of the season because everything was so new that we had to do a tremendous amount of development work.
“We started with a new chassis package and steadily we got quicker and picked up a lot of points. At Nogaro in June I scored a pole position and a victory which was very satisfying. The team we have is fantastic and in Stefan Honens, who is the technical director, we have a very talented guy and probably the master of truck engineering in the whole paddock.
“Stefan and the team have worked flat out since January. I mean they have been working crazy hours to make sure the Tankpool24 Racing Mercedes-Benz truck is capable of being at the front. It hasn’t been easy, we have had some difficulties but when I joined the team in the winter I knew it was a long-term project and one that needed some time.
“I arrive at Hungaroring after a good weekend at Nürburgring last month where we scored another podium position. We are really fighting for these results as we continue to develop the Mercedes-Benz. The opposition is just as tough as ever, perhaps even tougher this year.
“Last season was great and I was able to win a record 19 races, so I was often ahead of the big battles. This year is different. This year I have a grandstand seat to watch the battle for the championship between Jochen Hahn and Adam Lacko who are separated by just one point at the head of the field. Realistically I am in the fight for third position this year, but I can promise you I will be battling hard for the wins in every race.
“The racing in 2016 has been intense and really entertaining for the fans to watch on TV. The FIA ETRC has new promoters this year and we are really seeing the benefits in organisation, but most importantly the coverage for the fans is really good now, especially with highlight programmes of each event and we have even had live coverage of all our races in Germany and it will be the same again for Hungary.
“Heading in to the Hunagroring weekend I feel confident that I can give the fans a good show. The circuit should be good for us and of course the support from the Hungarian fans gives me a few extra tenths of a second!
“I am super motivated to fight for the victories. For sure it will be harder than last year but I will have even more motivation in 2016 because I know we are not the favourites. We will earn the results the hard way and in some respects this is even more satisfying. What I can promise the fans is a lot of spectacular action and 100% commitment from me and the Tankpool24 Racing Mercedes-Benz team.
“So, I look forward to seeing you at the Hungaroring over the weekend of 27th and 28th August. Please come and say hi in the paddock. There is a nice Fan Village from the new promoters and the atmosphere will be really special. See you there.”
Regards
Norbi
To get tickets for the fifth round of the FIA ETRC please click here - http://kamionfesztival.hu/en/?page_id=16502
Or if you cannot make it to the track then follow the FIA ETRC at Hungaroring with the special ‘Race Centre Live’ with live TV coverage, text commentary, ‘truck tracker’ and timing here - http://www.fiaetrc.com/live