Adam Lacko took victory after a dramatic and incident filled race two at the Hungaroring this afternoon.
Adam Lacko took victory after a dramatic and incident filled race two at the Hungaroring this afternoon.
The Buggyra International Racing System driver headed home title rival Jochen Hahn to claim his seventh win of the 2017 FIA European Truck Racing Championship campaign.
It was an eventful race with incident and action galore to thrill the large crowd who enjoyed hot sunshine and some incendiary bumper to bumper action.
The start of the 11-lap encounter featured some frantic action as front row starters David Vršecký and Gerd Körber went side-by-side in to the first two corners, but it was the Czech pole-sitter who emerged in the lead.
Körber was then hit by Vršecký’s Buggyra International Racing System teammate Adam Lacko at turn four and half spun but held on to third position. However, he was soon overtaken by Jochen Hahn who made a brilliant start in his Team Hahn Racing Iveco to run third.
Vrsecky led from Lacko but was soon demoted down to third place as Lacko and Hahn both found a way through. There was some contact between Vršecký and Hahn at the right-hand corner before the chicane as Hahn took the position.
Championship leader, Lacko, seemed to have the legs of his rival though and was able to stretch a small lead out, yet soon Hahn was fighting back and the gap at the chequered flag was a mere 0.602 seconds ahead.
The final rung of the podium saw an entertaining battle between Vršecký and Ryan Smith. The British racer applied massive pressure on the Czech driver as both raced with damaged trucks after early race contact.
The battle seemed to be resolved in Vršecký’s favour as they entered the last lap, but Smith made a surprise move at the final corner in a thrilling finale, taking the position by less than 0.05s to grab the final podium position.
Front row starter Körber dropped down the order in his Team Schwabentruck Iveco after an epic fight with Steffi Halm, Shane Brereton and Antonio Albacete. This saw a succession of exciting overtaking manoeuvres in the final stages of the race with the crowd roaring their approval from the packed grandstands.
Shane Brereton banished the disappointment of losing the Promoter’s Cup victory in race one with his first class win.
The British driver held off Steffi Halm for what was sixth place in an energetic fight. It was one which saw contact between the pair, but the Reinert Racing MAN driver slipped through at the penultimate corner and finished in fifth place. Antonio Albacete also took Brereton to claim sixth position in his Truck Sport Lutz Bernau MAN. This shunted the British driver down to seventh overall.
André Kursim took second in the Promoter’s Cup, while a delayed Sascha Lenz took the final point in 10th position in his SL Trucksport MAN.
Erwin Kleinnagelvoort took a fine third position in the Promoter’s Cup making it three different manufacturers on the podium with his familiar white Scania.
There was disappointment for race one winner Norbert Kiss who was forced to retire on lap three after being hit by Ryan Smith while trying to come through the pack.
In the Teams’ championship it was the Buggyra 1969 pairing of Adam Lacko and David Vršecký who scooped the win ahead of the Hahn/ Körber crewed Die Bullen von Iveco Magirus.
Tomorrow’s third and fourth races are scheduled for 13.05 and 16.00.
To follow the action live click HERE
For race result click HERE