We look ahead to the final races in the 2019 FIA ETRC season at Jarama....
The 2019 FIA European Truck Racing Championship comes to a close at Circuito Jarama in Madrid this weekend with a grand finale of more spectacular truck racing action expected to see out the campaign.
After Jochen Hahn took a remarkable sixth FIA ETRC title at Le Mans last weekend, the gloves will be off for four major battles set across Saturday and Sunday.
Hahn will be looking to add to his 12 wins this season and maintain the remarkable statistic of winning at least one races in each event in 2019. Last time out at Le Mans saw his streak of two wins at each event (bar the cancelled Sunday races at Most) end when four drivers shared the spoils.
Looking to also seal more victories in Spain will be local hero Antonio Albacete who leads the chase for the vice-champion status this season.
The Truck Sport Lutz Bernau driver has claimed two wins this season so far and will be ultra-motivated to send his home fans in to raptures.
Adam Lacko is chasing Albacete in the quest for the runners-up position and will be ensuring his Buggyra Racing Freightliner will be in contention for more wins in Spain.
Albacete and Lacko are separated by just two points in the quest for vice-champion status with 60 to play for in Spain.
Just behind the top three in the points standings and also with all to play for are Steffi Halm [Team Schwabentruck IVECO), Sascha Lenz (SLTrucksport30) and Norbert Kiss (Team Tankpool24 Racing).
The trio are separated by 32 points heading in to the final weekend, with Halm the strong favourite to take her best finishing position since 2017 when she took fourth position.
There will be several other drivers to watch at Jarama, especially a trio of German drivers who have all tasted race win successes in 2019.
Rene Reinert (Reinert Racing IVECO), Sascha Lenz (SL Trucksport30) and Andre Kursim (Don’t Touch Racing IVECO) will all be eager to add to their tallies. The latter two German racers scored a win apiece in France last weekend and appear to be in rich veins of form.
Antony Janiec (Lion Truck Racing) returns to FIA ETRC action in Jarama this weekend, while Jose Rodrigues will be performing close to his home country of Portugal and aiming to have as competitive a race as last season when he led one of the races briefly.
GRAMMER Title Fight Goes Down to the Wire
While the overall title was settled in Jochen Hahn’s favour at Le Mans Bugatti a week ago, the GRAMMER TRUCK CUP could hardly be tighter heading in to the final four races.
All eyes will be on leader Oly Janes and his challengers James Anderson and Luis Recuenco who are all separated by 41 points.
Janes heads Anderson by 35 meaning that a strong score in the first race of the weekend would put him in prime position to become only the second ever GRAMMER TRUCK CUP champion.
In what will be a fascinating story, three generations of the Rodrigues clan will all race together in Spain, as Eduardo Rodrigues joins both his regular drivers, son Jose, and grandson Jose-Eduardo on the track with their three Reboconort MAN’s.
Erwin Kleinnagelvoort is again entered in his EK Race Scania as he looks to break on to the podium for the first time in 2019.
Fabio Citignola will complete his rookie season at Jarama and it has been one full of promise for the 21 year-old Tankpool24 Racing driver. Several podium positions and a win in the final race at Nurburgring have been the highlights in a solid learning season for the German.
Dominique Orsini is also entered in his home run Mercedes-Benz truck and arrives at Jarama after scoring points last weekend in Le Mans.
The Saturday races are scheduled to begin at 15.35 and 17.35 local time on Saturday, while the Sunday races will kick-off at 12.50 and 14.50.
Entry List HERE
Timetable HERE
Official Spotters Guide HERE
