Misano Preview

The long wait is almost over!

The FIA European Truck Racing Championship for 2018 is ready to enter its most exciting and well-supported season for many years at Misano this weekend.

No less than four FIA ETRC champions go head-to-head and bumper-to-bumper in 2018 with each capable of winning races and mounting a shot at the title.

Reigning champion Adam Lacko will be eager to go back-to-back in his Buggyra International Racing System ‘FatFox’ Freightliner after taking a well-deserved first crown last season.

The Czech ace will again be watching over his shoulder though as fellow champions Jochen Hahn (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016), Norbert Kiss (2014, 2015) and Antonio Albacete (2005, 2006 and 2010) all gun for glory.

Hahn has further developed his Hahn Racing IVECO, while Kiss (Tankpool24 Racing) and Albacete (Trucksport Lutz Bernau) believe they can be right in the title mix by the end of the season.

The first round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship will get underway at 15.00 local time at the Petronas Urania Grand Prix Truck meeting this Saturday.

Challenging the Elite
The champions are sure have their collective mirrors full with a swarm of talent keen to mount a championship push after scoring wins in the last few seasons.

Chief among these will be Steffi Halm who has made the switch from Reinert Racing to Team Schwabentruck this season.

The German ace has enjoyed several successful seasons where she has shown she can be a consistent front runner and race winner after securing eight wins in the last three seasons.

Halm’s former teammate Rene Reinert makes a popular return for 2018 after completing a sabbatical last season.

Reinert will be re-united with his familiar blue No.77 truck and will be aiming to catch up on lost racing in Italy.

Two young German chargers who have shown they can also be a threat on their day are Sascha Lenz and Andre Kursim.

Lenz will be looking to capitalise on taking an impressive first pole position at Le Mans Bugatti last autumn to hunt down a first victory in his new SL Trucksport entry.

Like Halm, Kursim has switched teams over the winter and has hooked up with ambitious new team owner Sven Walter in the new Don’t Touch Racing IVECO.

Combative British racer Ryan Smith continues with a slightly revised operation in the OXXO Hungary Truck Racing Team outfit.

One of truck racing’s most committed characters, Smith will be going all out to add to his two FIA ETRC wins gained so far.

Jose Rodrigues was one of the finds of 2017 as he took a first overall victory at Red Bull Ring and in the inaugural Promoter’s Cup crown. The Portuguese proved to be a very clever racer and could be in line to add to his maiden win.

Rodrigues will start his 2018 campaign at a future event.

Cameo Performers in Italy 
Anthony Janiec makes a return to the FIA ETRC after scoring a double podium in a one-off appearance at Nürburgring last summer.

The French driver, who races the famous yellow Lion Truck Racing entry, will be joined for a race-by-race entry by Gerd Körber who announced his full-time retirement from competition last autumn.

Körber partners new recruit Steffi Halm at the Team Schwabentruck squad which races on IVECO’s home soil again this weekend.

The Brit Pack Arrives
As well as Ryan Smith, there will be five other British drivers racing regularly in the FIA ETRC in 2018.

Shane Brereton returns after making a major impact last season when he made several successful cameo performances including a breakthrough victory at Autodrom Most last September.

Oly Janes will partner reigning champion Adam Lacko at Buggyra International Racing System in his first season at FIA ETRC level.

From the south-west of the UK, Janes comes from fine trucking pedigree as father Geoff Janes is a well-known face from past truck racing exploits.

In what is the biggest UK contingent for many years, Terry Gibbon has committed to more European events with his well-drilled T Sport Racing squad and will appear later in the season.

More New Faces Emerge 
The two remaining British drivers on the grid will be Ray Coleman and Jamie Anderson.
Both have shown promise in their domestic truck racing series and will now be keen to fight for GRAMMER TRUCK CUP points and podiums on their European adventure.

Also making an FIA ETRC debut at Misano will be Luis Recuenco who will team up with countryman Antonio Albacete in the Trucksport Lutz Bernau team.

Recuenco has been a regular in the Spanish Seat Trophy series and has also shown skill in the Cross Country Rally scene.

While not an entirely new face, Steffen Faas will embark on his first full FIA ETRC season as team mate to Norbert Kiss at Tankpool24 Racing. The genial German got the truck racing bug last season after eye-catching performances at Nurburgring and Slovakia Ring.

Old Favourites Target GRAMMER TRUCK CUP Podiums
Some of the FIA ETRC’s most loyal entrants come back for more action in 2017 as Eduardo Rodrigues and Erwin Kleinnagelvoort return in their familiar entries

Both made podium appearances in last years’ Promoters Cup and both will be keen to taste more champagne this season with Rodrigues in Italy and Kleinnagelvoort waiting until Budapest to make his 2018 debut.

Thomas Robineau again makes the journey to Italy after his heroic performance last season when he and his team fought back from a clutch issue to score a famous win in Race Three.

Another popular name to come back to the grid for a full-time programme is Frankie Vojtisek.

The Czech driver has been a mainstay of top-line truck racing in Europe for over 30 years and as he showed at the Hungaroring in 2016 is still capable of fighting for the occasional top finish.

And, look out for the popular ‘Rainbow Warrior’ Scania of Frans Smit who will delight crowds with his garishly coloured truck as he makes a debut appearance in Italy.

GRAMMER TRUCK CUP is Born
Something new for 2018 is the GRAMMER TRUCK CUP which takes over from the popular Promoter’s Cup.

To find out more on the ‘race within a race’in the GRAMMER TRUCK CUP click HERE

See the Full Entry List for Misano HERE

Se the Weekend Timetable HERE
 
What Happened at Misano Last Year?
Race 1 Winner: Adam Lacko
Race 2 Winner: Adam Lacko
Race 3 Winner: Adam Lacko
Race 4 Winner: Norbert Kiss
 
Get to know the track with Norbi Kiss HERE

Follow the action with live timing and text commentary HERE