New truck, same ambition for ‘fighter’ Albacete in Goodyear FIA ETRC
Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship stalwart Antonio Albacete is planning to fight when he embarks on his 28th season in the series.
Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship stalwart Antonio Albacete is planning to fight when he embarks on his 28th season in the series.
The two-time overall champion has a newly built race truck from long-term team T Sport Bernau for 2026. Combined with his determination to remain at the front in the Goodyear FIA ETRC, the Spaniard will once again be one to watch when battle commences at Misano World Circuit in Italy from 30-31 May.
“I’m proud to continue racing with T Sport Bernau in 2026,” the effervescent 61-year-old said. “A lot of effort has gone into developing the new truck over the winter, and I’m excited to get behind the wheel and see what we can achieve together. Our goal is to fight for strong results and enjoy the racing with this great team.”
Albacete made his FIA ETRC debut in 1997 and won the first of his two overall titles to date in 2006, adding further silverware to his haul in 2010. It’s a championship he can’t stay away from, while the on-track battles for position are something he relishes.
“We try to take as much points as we can and, if we do that, we will be in the top,” Albacete said. “I know it's going to be difficult to fight for the championship, because Norbert [Kiss] is still very strong. But I would like to try to make some races with Jochen [Hahn], with Sascha [Lenz], with Steffi [Halm]. Everybody goes for the maximum and with Jochen we did quite a lot of fights.”
Albacete added “The racing is always spectacular, you can see a lot of races in the same weekend, you can see good fights and, this year, we will still give a very good show. There are a lot of drivers that the races will be very, very close. The whole atmosphere, not just the races, but in the paddock, is fantastic for the fans. The sport is very touchable for the fans, the fans can get close. They can meet the drivers, they can make photos, get autographs.”
T Sport Bernau hoping winter work pays off
T Sport Bernau spent the winter building up a brand-new truck for Antonio Albacete in readiness for the 2026 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. The UK-based team has “focused heavily on technical development”.
Its pre-season communication added: “the project represents a major investment of time, effort and engineering expertise, with the goal of creating a truck capable of competing for top results throughout the championship. The team’s previous race truck will continue its competitive life in the series, as it will now be driven by Bradley Smith, who will compete in the Chrome and Young Driver categories of the European championship.
“T Sport Bernau will continue its collaboration with a strong network of partners. PE Automotive is celebrating its 10-year partnership with T Sport Bernau in 2026, marking a decade of strong support through parts supply and technical expertise for the team. PE + Monark, BPW, Truckfit and Masteroil have extended their commitments with new agreements over the next two to three years. VARTA Automotive has been a strong partner of T Sport Bernau since 2022, supporting the team with advanced performance batteries and technical expertise. Additional partners supporting the team include Teng Tools, Nissens, Speedline Truck, Dometic, GYS, Trux, Motordrive Seats, Briarwood and the team’s German technical partner, Workshop Lunau”.
A joint statement from Team Managers Timothy Frost and Melanie Derflinger read: “We are very excited to begin the 2026 season. Our goal is to compete at the front, give our best and enjoy what we do together as a team. Everyone involved works incredibly hard to make this project possible, and we are confident that we have the right people, driver and equipment to achieve strong results.”
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
