As the FIA European Truck Racing Championship (FIA ETRC) enjoys a long summer break having completed four of the nine round championship, now seems like the perfect opportunity for a mid-season review of the season entrant runners and riders.
As the FIA European Truck Racing Championship (FIA ETRC) enjoys a long summer break having completed four of the nine round championship, now seems like the perfect opportunity for a mid-season review of the season entrant runners and riders.
After 2015 saw the domination of Hungarian driver Norbert Kiss, 2016 has seen a much closer battle for the drivers’ championship; some fantastic battles up and down the field; the emergence of new talent and the odd bit off controversy.
For this season there are thirteen season entrants in the FIA ETRC, ranging in both age and experience and the championship grids have been bolstered with a number of race-by-race entrants making appearances at the four events we have had so far.
Our mid-season review is in reverse championship order and report one covers the lower order drivers:
Name: André Kursim (DEU)
Team: Tankpool 24 Racing team
Truck: Mercedes Benz
Place in championship: 19th (0 points)
Kursim may consider himself unlucky not to have any points on the board at this point in the season, as he was one of the drivers not making an appearance at Nogaro, when the small grids and a number of applied penalities meant that were some rather unexpected point scorers.
However, whilst it is true that his team have been unable to have his truck ready for the Spielberg and Nogaro rounds, the young German driver has had a big challenge on his hands since joining the championship last season.
Hopefully the opportunity to work alongside talented double champion, Norbert Kiss, will help Kursim to move up the running order as he continues the learning process in the fun but ferociously competitive world of the FIA ETRC.
Name: Eduardo Rodrigues (PRT)
Team: Reboconorte Racing Truck Team
Truck: MAN
Place in championship: 16th (8 points)
Kursim is one of the youngest competitors, but next up is Eduardo Rodrigues, who at 60years old, is the veteran of the championship.
Rodrigues was not even sure if he would be able to take part in the 2016 season as he is still recovering from injuries sustained in an accident last year. However, his love of truck racing and determination has seen him on the start grid of each of the 16 races so far and rather unexpectedly for everyone, he was at the front of two of them.
At Nogaro Rodrigues was in pole position for both reverse grid events, having finished in eighth spot in races one and three. However, there were 11 entrants in Nogaro and so the Portuguese driver still had to earn his two pole positions, although he took a realistic view of his chances.
Rodrigues may be found towards the back of the field, but there are still positions to be fought for, often with Dutch driver, Erwin Kleinnagelvoort.
A highlight for the season is likely to be at his closest to home event at Jarama in October, when three generations of the Rodrigues family could be competing if plans come to fruition.
Name: Erwin Kleinnagelvoort (NLD)
Team: EK Truck Race
Truck: Scania
Place in championship: 14th (14 points)
Undoubtedly the highlight for this quiet but racey Dutchman was winning the Stop/Go competition, which is a highly popular support event at the Nürburgring.
Whilst he tends to be towards the back of the field, Kleinnagelvoort has had a couple of fine points scoring finishes, including a best ever fourth place at Nogaro and whilst this was mostly down to penalities being applied to other drivers for speeding the fact remains that he did not overspeed and the team was celebrating on the Sunday evening in France.
Kleinnagelvoort will be targeting more points to add to his respectable 14 earned so far in 2016.
Name: Frantisek Vojtíšek (CZE)
Team: Czech Truck Racing Team
Truck: Scania
Place in championship: 13th (17 points)
Whilst the popular Czech driver’s season started well enough at the first two events in Spielberg and Misano, it has proven to be an unlucky 13th place in the championship so far.
Technical problems meant that he was unable to attend the Nogaro event and at the Nürburgring he was caught up in some of the number of incidents which took place meaning he only netted one point there.
Frankie will be hoping that the second half of the season sees his luck (and championship position), especially in front of his home crowd at Most.
Coming next week: the midfield runners in the 2016 FIA ETRC
A summary of the FIA ETRC season to date in numbers:
Race winners: 5 (Lacko, Hahn, Reinert, Halm and Kiss).
Pole sitters: 8 (race 1 or race 3 Hahn, Lacko, Kiss; reverse grids in races 3 or 4 T Robineau, Smith, S Lenz, Rodrigues; Forman)
Number of competiors: 23 (13 season entries & 10 drivers who have made race by race entries)
ETRC 2016 calendar dates:
|
30 April/1 May |
Austria |
Red Bull Ring |
|
28/29 May |
Italy |
Misano |
|
11/12 June |
France |
Nogaro |
|
2/3 July |
Germany |
Nürburgring |
|
27/28 August |
Hungary |
Hungaroring |
|
3/4 September |
Czech Republic |
Most |
|
17/18 September |
Belgium |
Zolder |
|
1/2 October |
Spain |
Jarama |
|
8/9 October |
France |
Le Mans |
FIA ETRC 2016 Season Entrants List:
|
Team |
Nat. Team |
Driver |
Nat. Driver |
No. |
Vehicle |
|
Tankpool 24 Racing |
DEU |
Norbert Kiss |
HUN |
1 |
MERCEDES-BENZ |
|
Jochen Hahn |
DEU |
Jochen Hahn |
DEU |
3 |
MAN |
|
Lion Truck Racing |
FRA |
Anthony Janiec |
FRA |
8 |
MAN |
|
Truck Sport Lutz Bernau |
DEU |
Ellen Lohr |
MCO |
10 |
MAN |
|
Eduardo Rodrigues |
PRT |
Eduardo Rodrigues |
PRT |
11 |
MAN |
|
Czech Truck Racing Team |
CZE |
Frantisek Vojtíšek |
CZE |
12 |
MAN |
|
Erwin Kleinnagelvoort |
NLD |
Erwin Kleinnagelvoort |
NLD |
15 |
SCANIA |
|
Tankpool 24 Racing |
DEU |
André Kurism |
DEU |
42 |
MERCEDES-BENZ |
|
Team Schwaben |
DEU |
Gerhard Körber |
DEU |
27 |
IVECO |
|
Sascha Lenz |
DEU |
Sascha Lenz |
DEU |
30 |
MAN |
|
Stephanie Halm |
DEU |
Stephanie Halm |
DEU |
44 |
MAN |
|
Buggyra International Racing System |
CZE |
Adam Lacko |
CZE |
55 |
FREIGHTLINER |
|
Reinert Racing |
DEU |
René Reinert |
DEU |
77 |
MAN |
|
Buggyra International Racing System |
CZE |
Jiří Forman |
CZE |
86 |
FREIGHTLINER |
FIA ETRC 2016 Team Championship Entrants List:
|
1 / 24 |
TANKPOOL 24 RACING |
MERCEDES BENZ |
NORBERT KISS / ANDRÉ KURSIM |
|
3 / 77 |
TEAM REINERT ADVENTURE |
MAN |
JOCHEN HAHN / RENÉ REINERT |
|
8 / 30 |
LION TRUCK RACING - LENZ |
MAN |
ANTHONY JANIEC / SASCHA LENZ |
|
10 / 44 |
WOW! WOMEN ON WHEELS |
MAN |
ELLEN LOHR / STEPHANIE HALM |
|
55 / 86 |
BUGGYRA RACING 1969 |
FREIGHTLINER |
ADAM LACKO / JIŘíÍI FORMAN |