ALBACETE TAKES HOME VICTORY IN 2024 FINALE
A fantastic lights-to-flag victory gave the Spanish crowd something to cheer about, as their home hero Antonio Albacete ended his season with a race win.
Mark Taylor made an attempt on the veteran going into Turn 1, but Albacete had it covered as they navigated the first corner. After that, it was all about consistency, as he led all 12 laps to cross the chequered flag first.
Taylor took advantage of the limited overtaking opportunities at the Jarama Circuit, replicating his Race 2 performance. He held off a chasing pack, staying calm under pressure and not making any mistakes. Towards the end of the race, Taylor and fellow Chrome driver José Eduardo Rodrigues pulled away from the chasing Titans, battling among themselves to secure a final overall podium finish for the season.
Steffi Halm converted her reverse grid fourth position into a fourth-place finish after 12 laps, defending brilliantly against Jochen Hahn and Norbert Kiss. Both made great starts, as they usually do in reverse grid races, passing André Kursim before the first corner, but they were unable to get past Halm's flawless driving.
In his final race with Don’t Touch Racing, Kursim finished seventh, securing sixth in the overall standings.
Sascha Lenz ended the race P9 overall, behind third-place Chrome driver Steffen Faas, after going wide at the first corner. While attempting to pass Kursim, the two briefly came together, sending both off-track and through the gravel. Kursim’s off was less costly, but it relegated Lenz to the back of the grid.
Lenz fought his way back to P9 by the end of the race, making an excellent switchback on Luis Recuenco through the Turn 6/7 complex. Recuenco rounded out the overall point scorers with P10, fourth in Chrome.
It was an excellent day for Bradley Smith, who secured another class fifth-place finish, completing a trio of strong results on Sunday – Qualifying 2, Race 3, and Race 4. This being only his second day racing at Jarama, it was a fantastic showing, promising much for the young driver heading into next season.
After four races, it was Rodrigues who led the Young Drivers’ Award, with Smith in second.
Clemens Hecker, Jonathan André, Luke Garrett and Simon Faulkner completed the classified drivers. John Newell was the first to retire after going off at Turn 1, causing damage to his truck on the second lap. Craig Reid joined him in retirement after a similar incident on lap 9.
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