Goodyear FIA ETRC heads to Jarama for 2024 season finale
After months of intense racing, the 2024 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship season is coming to a close. Seventeen trucks will take to the Jarama Circuit in Madrid, ready to end the season on a high.
With both the Overall and Chrome champions already decided, the focus now shifts to the remaining competitors, where the final standings of 2024 will be determined. Jochen Hahn secured second place behind champion Norbert Kiss in Le Mans, but the fight for third remains fierce between Sascha Lenz and Antonio Albacete.
Lenz had a strong performance in Le Mans, securing two podium finishes out of four, which extended his third-place lead over Albacete. Now 23 points ahead, Albacete will need some luck on his side in the last four races to bridge that gap.
Steffi Halm is likely out of contention for third, trailing her fellow countryman by 53 points with only 60 points left to be scored. Fourth place, currently held by Albacete, is still within her reach. However, her primary concern will be outscoring André Kursim to hold on to her fifth-place position, as she currently leads him by just 17 points.
Kursim is gearing up for his final races with Don’t Touch Racing after announcing their split during the Le Mans weekend. Having raced with the Berlin-based team for seven years in his signature yellow truck, Kursim will be hoping for a strong farewell performance.
While Halm and Kursim are focused on their head-to-head battle, they’ll need to keep an eye on newly crowned Chrome champion, José Eduardo Rodrigues, who is still very much in the hunt for fifth place in the overall standings. Rodrigues trails Kursim by just two points, making it entirely possible for him to finish the season among the Titan drivers.
In the Chrome category, all eyes are on the fierce competition between Mark Taylor and Steffen Faas for second place. Faas started the season as Rodrigues’ closest challenger, but a few slow starts in the middle of the year have left him vulnerable to the competition. Taylor, on the other hand, had a slower start but has been gaining momentum in his Taylor Trucksport #81 MAN as the season progressed. The Brit currently holds a slim four-point lead and this battle is likely to go down to the wire.
John Newell is also in a strong position, as his fourth-place standing in Chrome is unlikely to change unless something drastic happens. He should be able to confirm his spot by the end of Race 1 in Jarama.
Meanwhile, Luis Recuenco and Clemens Hecker are locked in a close battle for sixth place in Chrome, with both drivers eyeing Lukas Hahn’s fifth place. Hahn won’t be racing this weekend, meaning his 29-point lead is within reach. It’s up to Recuenco and Hecker to score enough points to close the gap.
Four race-by-race entries will join the Goodyear FIA ETRC this weekend: Jonathan André, Bradley Smith, Simon Faulkner and Craig Reid. Smith, Faulkner and Reid have continued their participation following their entry into the Le Mans Bugatti races, while André returns to the championship for the first time since Nürburgring.
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