Jochen Hahn swept to the first FIA European Truck Racing Championship win of the season at Misano this afternoon
Jochen Hahn swept to the first FIA European Truck Racing Championship win of the season at Misano this afternoon.
The four-time FIA ETRC champion delighted the home contingent of IVECO fans with a hard-fought win to take the chequered ahead of Antonio Albacete’s Trucksport Lutz Bernau truck.
However, the Spaniard was penalised 10-seconds for overspeeding and slipped to third in the overall classification after his penalty was applied.
This ensured that Adam Lacko (Buggyra International Racing System) and Norbert Kiss (Tankpool24) rounded out the podium after they engaged in a race-long battle.
The first portion of Race One featured high drama, as Frankie Vojtisek was forced to pull off the track after a serious fire aboard his MAN on lap two. The Czech veteran vacated his truck immediately and the fire was quickly dealt with by the Italian marshals and the race was red flagged.
The re-start was given and reverted to the original grid positions with Hahn leading away once again from pole despite a spirited attempt by Albacete to try and get through.
Albacete ensured maximum pressure was applied on Hahn throughout the race which was held in challenging hot conditions for the field.
Hahn soaked up the pressure From Albacete before opening a slight gap to head the Spaniard home and collect the maximum 20-points.
Behind the front two the energetic battle for what was at the time the final position on the podium between Lacko, Kiss and Ryan Smith (OXXO Hungary Truck Racing Team) raged.
But it was reigning champion Lacko who took the position from Kiss, while Smith was issued with a pair of drive-through penalties for penalty-marker abuse. The Briton though did not serve them and was thus bumped down the order at the end of the race when his time was added to.
Team Schwabentruck’s new signing Halm and Lion Truck driver Anthony Janiec had both started from the pit lane after contact just before the red flag flew.
Halm drove a sensational first few laps after the re-start and was up to ninth position by lap three. She then took Robineau and Körber and was eventually classified in fourth place just ahead of teammate Körber to collect good accumulative points for the German team
Janiec followed Halm through the pack in the early exchanges and eventually finished in sixth.
Lenz took eighth and Smith was provisionally classified in 12th after his penalty was applied. This allowed Thomas Robineau to claim the final two points.
Jamie Anderson claimed the first ever GRAMMER TRUCK CUP after a faultless debut display in his Anderson Racing run MAN. The British driver headed home Thomas Robineau to take the top spot and a highly creditable eighth overall.
Robineau was on course to reprise his category win at Misano last season but lost out in the final stages with an overspeeding penalty and finished second in the GRAMMER TRUCK CUP classification.
Completing the GRAMMER TRUCK CUP podium was Steffen Faas in his Tankpool24 Racing Mercedes-Benz. The German also claimed 10th overall.
André Kursim came in a delayed 11th after early race contact and Ray Coleman was 13th on his FIA ETRC debut and fourth in the GRAMMER TRUCK CUP.
Eduardo Rodrigues was 14th and Frans Smit’s ‘Rainbow Warrior’ Scania was 15th.
Luis Recuenco was in line for third place in the GRAMMER TRUCK CUP but a series of penalty marker penalties shuffled him down to be the final classified finisher in 16th position.
Rene Reinert’s return to the FIA ETRC ended in disappointment when he was forced to park his familiar blue MAN on the first lap of the race.
Shane Brereton and Oly Janes joined Reinert and Vojtisek as retirees.
*post-race #3 Team Tankpool24 Racing Mercedes-Benz truck of Norbert Kiss was found underweight resulting in the entry being excluded from the results. 