Today sees the unveiling of the 2016 FIA ETRC season entrants list. See who has committed to the full year of spectacular truck racing!
This year’s FIA European Truck Racing Championship (FIA ETRC) is assured to be a great vintage with healthy grids and exciting racing. When the deadline for entries closed at midnight a total of 14 drivers had submitted applications to be season entrants. With a variety of race-by-race competitors expected to bolster the grids, adding another layer of interest to one of motorsports most dynamic and exciting disciplines.
This morning the Federation Internationale I’ Automobile (FIA) confirmed the following full season entrants for the FIA ETRC Drivers’ Championship:
SEASON ENTRANTS.......
|
Tankpool 24 Racing |
DEU |
Norbert Kiss |
HUN |
1 |
MERCEDES-BENZ |
|
Jochen Hahn |
DEU |
Jochen Hahn |
DEU |
3 |
MAN |
|
Lion Truck Racing |
PRT |
Anthony Janiec* |
FRA |
8 |
MAN |
|
Truck Sport Lutz Bernau* |
DEU |
Ellen Lohr |
MCO |
10 |
MAN |
|
Eduardo Rodrigues |
PRT |
Eduardo Rodrigues |
PRT |
11 |
MAN |
|
Czech Truck Racing Team |
CZE |
Frantisek Vojtíšek |
CZE |
12 |
MAN |
|
Erwin Kleinnagelvoort |
NLD |
Erwin Kleinnagelvoort |
NLD |
15 |
SCANIA |
|
Tankpool24 Racing |
DEU |
André Kursim |
DEU |
24 |
MERCEDES-BENZ |
|
Team Schwabentruck |
DEU |
Gerhard Körber |
DEU |
27 |
IVECO |
|
Sascha Lenz* |
DEU |
Sascha Lenz* |
DEU |
30 |
MAN |
|
Stephanie Halm |
DEU |
Stephanie Halm |
DEU |
44 |
MAN |
|
Buggyra International Racing System |
CZE |
Adam Lacko |
CZE |
55 |
FREIGHTLINER |
|
Reinert Racing* |
DEU |
René Reinert* |
DEU |
77 |
MAN |
|
Buggyra International Racing System |
CZE |
Jiří Forman |
CZE |
86 |
FREIGHTLINER |
* - Subject to FIIA administrative approval
There are a number of familiar names, in familiar trucks and we can expect to see runners up in the 2015 championship, Adam Lacko (Buggyra) and Jochen Hahn (Team Hahn Racing) vying to take Norbert Kiss’ championship title in 2016.
The new face in the Drivers’ Championship is Jiří Forman, who joins the Buggyra team. He comes with a lot of motorsport experience, but truck racing is a new direction for the young Czech driver, who is going to tackle a steep learning curve this year.
There is no doubt that ‘Norbi’ Kiss has taken on quite a challenge for this season with a late move to TANKPOOL24 Racing, but make no mistake, this combination has great potential and it will be exciting to watch their progress through the season with the heavily revised Mercedes truck.
Frankie Truck Racing Team will race under a new name in 2016 – the Czech Truck Racing Team, Team Schwabentruck and Sasha Lenz (SL Racing) are also familiar name in the FIA ETRC paddock, but this year they have decided to take the plunge of being full season, rather than race-by-race entrants. This gives fans at all nine rounds of the championship the opportunity to see them competing on the track and the chance to get up close and personal to the drivers and their trucks.
The FIA ETRC has a proven track truck record in being an equal opportunities championship. This year we look forward to seeing the legendary Ellen Lohr targeting podiums and a welcome return to the highly competitive Steffi Halm.
Fans of the FIA ETRC will benefit from increased global coverage and exposure of the series this year. New Championship promotor, ETRA Promotion GmbH, has secured deals for 26 minute highlight programmes with broadcasters across six continents and over seventy countries, as well as live coverage of the Nürburgring and Hungaroring rounds of the championship.
Speaking on the announced of season entrants for the 2016 campaign, the ETRA’s Managing Director for Sporting and Legal affairs, Rolf Werner, said: “The revealing of our season entrants today details a strong and diverse spread of drivers, teams and truck manufacturers. The new dawn of FIA ETRC racing in 2016 will be reflected by new challenges for many of the teams and drivers. There will be many exciting times ahead and a lot for fans to look forward to as the season develops with even more race-by-race entrants joining the regular competitors.”
“At ETRA we are one cohesive team, but I must ensure that my colleague Christoph Gerlach, who is the Director of Events and Team Relations, takes deserved credit for his efforts in forming this grid,” continued Werner. “He has been instrumental in getting it together this season.”
The 2016 FIA ETRC kicks-off at Red Bull Ring, Spielberg over the weekend of April30/May 1.
Editor’s Notes
In addition to the seasonal entrants, each round can also expect a number of Race-by-Race competitors. These entries need to be received two weeks prior to each event. A full preview of the first round, with full entry list, will be distributed on Monday 25th April.
Lots more news regarding the entrants and interviews will be released on the countdown to the start of the season in four weeks’ time.
ETRC 2016 calendar dates:
|
30 April/1 May |
Austria |
Red Bull Ring |
|
28/29 May |
Italy |
Misano |
|
11/12 June |
France |
Nogaro |
|
2/3 July |
Germany |
Nürburgring |
|
27/28 August |
Hungary |
Hungaroring |
|
3/4 September |
Czech Republic |
Most |
|
17/18 September |
Belgium |
Zolder |
|
1/2 October |
Spain |
Jarama |
|
8/9 October |
France |
Le Mans |