2017 FIA European Truck Racing Championship title-winner Adam Lacko is set to race an all-new truck in the upcoming season.....
2017 FIA European Truck Racing Championship title-winner Adam Lacko is set to race an all-new truck in the upcoming season.
Lacko claimed his maiden truck racing crown in 2017 using a proven Freightliner built by Czech outfit Buggyra International Racing Systems which dates back to 2008.
During the off-season, the team has built an all-new unit for Lacko who will mount a title assault, trying to reclaim the crown from reigning champion and his arch-rival Jochen Hahn.
“We’ve built a completely new truck,” said Lacko. “It’s the same design as previously but everything is new. We’ve collected 10 years of data and information and used that with this project.
“With the old truck we were on the limit in every area and now we’re trying to do what we think is best and we hope that it’s going to turn out well.
“The Most test [April 16-17] will be the first time that I’ll drive the truck and that’s why I’m a bit nervous,” Lacko admitted.
Health issue compromised 2018 Campaign
A health issue made Lacko undergo surgery on the eve of the 2018 season. According to Lacko this had an impact on his performance last season.
“I’m not very disappointed because at the start of the season I had a big health problem and I had complications,” explains the Czech, who finished the year second in the standings, 121 points shy of Hahn, despite experiencing complications following an appendix surgery.
“Over the first three or four weekends it was very bad, so I’m happy that I finished second."
Lacko though recognised Hahn’s exceptional performance over the course of the 2018 season which saw the German swoop to take his fifth crown.
“Jochen had an excellent season last year. He was very fast and I think nobody stood a chance against him," admitted Lacko.
The Czech ace though is hungry for more success and promises to do his best from the off.
“This season we must try our maximum from the start," he says.
“It’s very hard to say [who’s favourite] because everybody is very fast and everybody is preparing at their best, so it’s difficult to say who’s going to be the toughest [opponent].
“We would like to be fighting for top positions again but we have to wait and see. Last season there was a lot of good drivers out there,” he summarised.