For the first time in an FIA Championship there was a female one-two in the final race of the final round of the 2016 FIA European Truck Racing Championship earlier this month.
For the first time in an FIA Championship there was a female one-two in the final race of the final round of the 2016 FIA European Truck Racing Championship earlier this month.
It was a fitting climax to what had already been a thrilling season of racing. The history makers were Steffi Halm, who already held the record for being the first ever woman to win an FIA European Truck Racing Championship race, which she accomplished at Hungaroring in 2015. Halm had a stellar 2016 with with four wins, including the victory at Le Mans, along with several podiums which took her to fourth overall in the FIA ETRC Drivers’ Championship. Halm was clearly delighted with the result:
“It was fantastic for me to win the last race of the 2016 season. But to finish 1 and 2 together with my WOW - Women On Wheels teammate Ellen, two girls in the first two positions and making history with that result is just incredible. All I can say about that is WOW!”
Ellen Lohr, already a motorsport legend, and the first (and only) woman to have won a DTM race, finished in second place, her best ever result in truck racing. She went one better than her third position at Misano back in 1997.
"I am so pleased to have actually been up on the podium for the first time in the championship and it was so good to be there with my fellow WOW Women on Wheels driver,” said Lohr. "What made it really special is the way in which we did it - this wasn't an inherited win because of retirements, we really had to fight and also we had a good battle between us which was hard but fair and I am sure the fans will have enjoyed it. What an historic result for us and for all women in motor racing - it feels very special.”
Halm and Lohr have entered the FIA ETRC Team Championship as the WOW Women on Wheels team and this one-two ensured they snatched third place in the championship. However, the fact that they are teammates did not stop them battling hard at Le Mans.
Lohr had started second on the grid, but leapt into the lead ahead of British driver Shane Brereton at the start. She soaked up the pressure put on her by Halm (who started fourth) and the top drivers in the championship including Jochen Hahn (2016 FIA ETRC Champion), Adam Lacko (runner up) and René Reinert (third place finisher), along with hard charging veteran Gerd Körber.
Halm was filling Lohr’s mirrors and with just two laps to go she found a way through with an impressive move in to the lead.
René Reinert joined the pair on the podium and the exultant scenes marked what was undoubtedly a great day for women in motorsport.
Georg Fuchs and Rolf Werner, Directors of series promotor European Truck Racing Association GmbH commented “We are delighted for Steffi and Ellen and congratulate them both on a fantastic drive in what was a very exciting climax to our first season as the championship promotors.
“The FIA ETRC is such an inclusive championship, with very experienced multi-champions such as Jochen Hahn, Norbert Kiss and Gerd Körber; our ‘Young Guns’ Sascha Lenz, Jiri Forman and André Kursim and of course two successful female racers in Steffi and Ellen.
“What it shows is that truck racing remains attractive to people with a wide variety of backgrounds in motorsport. It is something that we are keen to promote as truck driving as its role in society and in everyday life should be celebrated for the vital and rewarding career that it is, especially for the next generations.”
“We look forward to attracting more drivers to this vibrant and successful series over the coming seasons and broadening the reach of this already popular championship”
To read all about the race click HERE