Adam Lacko bounced back following a difficult Saturday highlighted by a gearbox failure to take his first victory of the weekend at Zolder.
Adam Lacko bounced back following a difficult Saturday highlighted by a gearbox failure to take his first victory of the weekend at Zolder. The Buggyra International Racing System driver led lights-to-flag after he managed to keep Antonio Albacete at bay at the start of the race. Initially, it seemed that the Spaniard, in his Truck Sport Lutz Bernau-run MAN, would find himself on the inside line going into turn two, but he lost out to Jochen Hahn (Team Hahn Racing Iveco) and dropped to third.
From then on, Lacko had the situation under control, gradually extending his gap that at the end reached nearly four seconds. Hahn in second position had a lonely race, with Lacko beyond his reach and Albacete unable to challenge him, he focused on fending off fourth-placed Steffi Halm driving a Reinert Racing-entered MAN.
Albacete vs. Halm for third was the closest battle over the course of the race. The Reinert Racing driver at one point out-braked herself and was forced out on to the grass, but was soon back on the tail of three-time title winner. The experienced Spaniard managed to fend Halm off to take eventually third.
Yesterday’s race one winner, Norbert Kiss, in his Team Tankpool24 Racing Mercedes-Benz, was running a little bit further back in fifth place, but soon joined the party in what was a three-way battle for the last available podium spot. The order didn't change and Kiss crosses the line in fifth, having started sixth.
Sascha Lenz recorded yet another solid race to bring his SL Trucksport MAN home in sixth place. The German started from fifth but fell down to seventh on the opening lap. He later fought back to gain one position in favour of Freightliner driver David Vršecký.
André Kursim, who was propelled by taking his maiden FIA ETRC win yesterday, once again performed strongly. The young German, having started down in 12th (and fifth amongst Promoter’s Cup competitors) following a three-place grid penalty, made up places to take eighth overall and yet another victory in the cup, and all that in a bruised and battered truck missing significant parts of its bodywork.
Kursim’s main opponent in the Promoter’s Cup, José Rodrigues, finished one place further back (ninth overall), with Gerd Korber, who was starting from the back (having his qualifying time cancelled due to track limits), rounded up the top ten.
Another MAN racer, Frenchman Thomas Robineau, found himself leading the Promoter’s Cup, but he began to loose ground and eventually slipped down from a points positions and finished 11th overall (third in Promoter’s Cup).
Erwin Kleinnagelvoort (Scania) and Jose de Sousa (VTR Renault) took 12th and 13th respectively, with DAF racer Henry Tijhuis in 14th.
Jose Teodosio in the second of the VTR Renault trucks and youngster Jose Eduardo Rodrigues, who took over the second of the Reboconorte MANs from his grandfather Eduardo, failed to finish.
