What the drivers said on Saturday at Circuito del Jarama

7 October 2018

Here's what the top drivers from Saturday's races had to say...

Race 1

1st Jochen Hahn – Team Hahn Racing | IVECO

“The only thing to say about this race is that it was perfect. I saw what’s going on behind me and I thought ‘what the f*** are they doing’?

"The new surface is perfect. It’s less bumpy, grippier. It’s true that it’s tyre-eating but it’s OK for a 12-lap race.”

2nd Antonio Albacete  Truck Sport Lutz Bernau | MAN

“I saw [Norbert] Kiss on the dust and I thought ‘OK, he’s not going to brake.’ There was no way. He hit me. I was on the grass and I thought that it should be a red flag because I was in a gravel trap.

"After that, I saw a big crash with Norbert but I don’t know what happened. We went through the first corner, I was on the inside, I was a little bit in front of him. He should have lifted because he was in a bad position.

"At the beginning, I thought that it’s over. But when the race was red-flagged I thought that I have another chance. I wasn’t worried about the truck because the crash was not so heavy. But I was worried about the rear tyres, because I got a kick from Norbert and I thought that  the rear tyre may be punctured.”

3rd Adam Lacko – Buggyra International Racing System | Freightliner

“The restart wasn’t good for me because after this crash I was second and after [the red flag] I was back to fourth. With four laps to go, I passed Sascha because he completely destroyed his front tyres. I think [the outcome] was good for us. I finished behind Antonio and I didn’t lose a lot of points.

"Antonio was on the inside of the fast right-hand corner and it’s impossible there to drive side by side because it’s too slippery. When you go side by side, the driver on the outside goes to the gravel every time. Then he [Kiss] started braking on the sand, which is not possible, and he pushed Antonio. After he tried to come back, he closed the door on me and pushed my front and he spun.”

Race 2

1st René Reinert – Reinert Racing | MAN

“Shane [Brereton] in front had a good start. I got a small hit at the third corner and I had problems to keep my truck on the track.

"Steffi [Halm] also had a bit of damage, I saw that in the mirror. I was later fighting with Shane and that allowed Steffi to come closer. He made a small mistake and that allowed me to go through. The rest was quite easy but I still had to remain focused. Some years ago I was leading by 7s, I made a mistake and lost the win.”

2nd Shane Brereton – TOR Truck Racing | MAN

“I’m over the moon. At Le Mans, I said it would be amazing to finish off the season with a podium. I went a little bit too aggressive with the set-up and I also made a tiny mistake. René had a good run on me and that was enough. Now I know what can be done with the set-up and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

3rd Steffi Halm – Team Schwabentruck | IVECO

“The start wasn’t perfect, we were side by side [with René] going through the first corner.

"And then René had a better exit and I lifted off a little bit to let him pass. Then we were stuck behind Shane. We were both a little bit faster and Rene got lucky because at one of the corners Shane had a problem with his front and went wide to reduce speed. In the end, I was stuck behind, unable to overtake. Third place is OK.”