ETRC: gearing up for Zolder as Kiss closes on title
Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship returns after a week’s break, heading to Circuit Zolder for the sixth round of the season
Having dominated the season so far, Norbert Kiss sits atop the overall standings with 266 points and 14 victories from 20 races to his name.
The Hungarian, who has also taken every possible pole position this year, enjoys a healthy 78-point lead over second-placed Jochen Hahn and is well on track to secure his fifth career title.
Hahn, however, will be eager to close the gap to the championship leader this weekend. Sascha Lenz and Antonio Albacete will also be keen to have strong outings at the Belgian circuit, as only 24 points cover the trio in the battle for second overall.
Both Hahn and Lenz have a good track record at Zolder, with each taking a win on the first day of track action last time at the Belgian circuit in a weekend that saw four different winners from as many races.
Steffi Halm came close to taking her first win of the season last time out at Autodrom Most. She has found herself in good form over the last couple of events, achieving more frequent podium appearances and outperforming the likes of Jamie Anderson and André Kursi. She is now only three points off Kursim in the battle for sixth in the championship.
Anderson's performance this season has also been impressive, considering he missed the first four races at Misano due to the birth of his child. He currently is only 15 points down on Halm and 18 points down on Kursim.
The action at Zolder will kick off this Friday with two practice sessions, followed by one qualifying and two races scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday.