Race preview: Goodyear FIA ETRC aces go for glory as Misano opens 2026 title chase
The race to win the 2026 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship is go in Italy next week (30-31 May) when Misano World Circuit hosts the start of the 20th full season since the current format was introduced.
The race to win the 2026 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship is go in Italy next week (30-31 May) when Misano World Circuit hosts the start of the 20th full season since the current format was introduced.
Combining the excitement of truck racing with entertainment, sustainability and technical innovation, the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship is heavy metal motor sport at its very best, a truly unique spectacle and the pinnacle of global truck competition.
Sixteen drivers are preparing to assemble for the season opener, the first of seven events on the 2026 schedule. Featuring four races, live global broadcasting, exhibitions, displays and packed grandstands, the appeal of the Goodyear FIA ETRC is huge.
With the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) assuming full control of the series, the Goodyear FIA ETRC enters an exciting new era in 2026. As well as continuing to oversee the Goodyear FIA ETRC’s sporting and technical regulations, the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide is taking a more hands-on approach in running the championship.
Areas such as strategic partnerships, calendar development, circuit relations, competitor engagement and paddock operations are all being managed directly by the FIA, part of efforts to strengthen the championship’s long-term growth by covering areas from sporting level to media exposure and sustainability.
Sustainability at its heart in Goodyear FIA ETRC
Back in 2021, the Goodyear FIA ETRC became the first FIA-sanctioned motor sport series to switch to fully sustainable biofuel through a partnership with TotalEnergies, which continues in 2026.
All FIA ETRC drivers use Goodyear tyres incorporating 60 per cent sustainable materials, a five per cent increase compared to 2025, achieved through the use of carefully selected ingredients, such as silica produced from waste rice husk ash and carbon black sourced from alternative feedstocks. Goodyear retreads its racing tyres into standard truck tyres, thereby avoiding the practice of disposing of racing tyres.
Italian manufacturer IVECO, which introduced its electric S-eWay as the official Goodyear FIA ETRC pace truck in 2025, also remains a key partner.
Super 16 assemble for Goodyear FIA ETRC season kick-off
Sixteen competitors from France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Portugal and Spain will contest the 2026 Goodyear FIA ETRC season opener at Misano. Of those 14 are all-season racers, while a further two drivers will compete on a race-by-race basis. Trucks powered by four different manufacturers will be on track.
Heading the chase for Goodyear FIA ETRC glory is reigning champion Norbert Kiss, who is bidding for a record-extending eighth title in 2026. The Hungarian will line up for Révész Racing and carry the #1 on the side of his MAN.
Germany’s Jochen Hahn, who finished runner-up to Kiss last term and has six FIA ETRC titles to his name, will be IVECO-powered once again in 2026, while Mark Taylor (MAN) will defend his Chrome title with 2025 runner-up Bradley Smith and John Newell among his opposition, and also competing with MAN power.
Smith takes over the race truck previously used by Antonio Albacete, a double winner of the overall FIA ETRC title, who gets an all-new MAN for 2026.
For the second season running, Steffen Faas will race a Freightliner, the only driver planning a full Goodyear FIA ETRC campaign this year to do so.
German Clemens Hecker will count on Scania power in 2026, while countrymen Sascha Lenz and Stefan Kursch compete in MAN trucks. Lenz finished fourth in the final 2025 Goodyear FIA ETRC table, just five points behind Steffi Halm (IVECO), a winner on one occasion last season.
Double 2025 race winner José Eduardo Rodrigues flies the Portuguese flag in the Goodyear FIA ETRC with the third-generation driver competing in a MAN. Briton Luke Garrett is also MAN-equipped, as is Germany’s René Reinert, who placed fifth in the points in 2025 on the back of four race wins.
French driver Jonathan André and Lukas Hahn, the son of multiple title winner Jochen Hahn, are the two race-by-race entrants in action at Misano.
Provisional entry list: Round 1, Misano, 30-31 May
1 Norbert Kiss (Hungary), Révész Racing Kft, MAN (Titan)
2 Jochen Hahn (Germany), IVECO (Titan)
18 John Newell (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)
22 Lukas Hahn (Germany), IVECO (Chrome)*
23 Antonio Albacete (Spain), Team T Sport Bernau, MAN (Titan)
24 Steffen Faas (Germany), tankpool24 Racing, Freightliner (Chrome)
25 Clemens Hecker (Germany), Scania (Chrome)
30 Sascha Lenz (Germany), MAN (Titan)
33 Stefan Kursch (Germany), MAN (Chrome)
38 José Eduardo Rodrigues (Portugal), MAN (Titan)
42 Luke Garrett (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)
44 Steffi Halm (Germany), IVECO (Titan)
46 Bradley Smith (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)
66 Jonathan André (France), MAN (Chrome)*
77 René Reinert (Germany), MAN (Titan)
81 Mark Taylor (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)
*Race-by-race entry
They said what? Goodyear FIA ETRC drivers look ahead to Misano
Antonio Albacete (Spain): “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 [Team T Sport Bernau]. We try to take as much points as we can and, if we do that, we will be in the top. 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.”
Steffi Halm (Germany): “We rebuilt the truck completely during the winter, made some modifications and now I’m really happy to be back on the racetrack. We made some changes in the rear, but the most important thing is that we completely rebuilt every part. The target for sure is more or less the same like the last years, to be in the top three at the end of the season. Last year it worked, so for sure we have to do the same, maybe better. But the competiton is always hard, you can be fast but you also need a little bit of luck.”
Norbert Kiss (Hungary): “We had such a good run in the past seasons. We were successful, the team enjoyed it, and the team stays the same, so our target stays the same. I love to race, I love the preparation, the technical aspect as well, I just like to be there on the race weekend, to do the free practice, the qualifying, the races and to try to win and to try to be the best on any given day. If you do well during the whole season it hopefully adds up to be another championship, which of course is the cherry on the top, it’s always nice to win the championship.”
Bradley Smith (Great Britain): “We lost the title in the last race of the season, so it’s put a fire in me to up my game this year. Hopefully I'll go for the Chrome championship, be competitive, be reliable and do my best. But everyone’s upped their game in Chrome this year. The new truck has proven to be fast so I’m very happy with it. I set my best ever lap times around [Most in unofficial pre-season testing], so it’s all we can do this year. We had a few teething problems, but they were all solved and on the third day we had no issues so it’s looking good for Misano.”
Mark Taylor (Great Britain): “It’s been a long time since Jarama till now, so it’s just to get back into it. We knew from last year, from finishing the season, we just want to carry on racing again. The aim for this year is, fingers crossed, the same as last year but without the DNFs. Last year we had a good season, but we had seven DNFs, what was quite a lot. But if we can get rid of that, we can have a good finish like the last one.”
GOODYEAR FIA ETRC IN SHORT
4x7: Seven rounds with four races per event (two races each day)
160 kph: Safety-first approach means a speed limit of 160kph
1200bhp: Power output of 1200bhp and torque of around 6000Nm
5300: Minimum required racing truck total weight is 5300 kilograms, with a minimum of 3150 kilograms measured on the front axle
Qualifying format: For Races 1 and 3 a three-stage qualifying format decides the grid: Q1/Q4: 15 minutes for all race trucks; Q2/Q5: 10 minutes for twelve fastest drivers from Q1/Q4; Q3/Q6: 5 minutes for fastest six drivers from Q2/Q5; Grid positions for Races 2 and 4 decided by results of Races 1 and 3 with top eight drivers lining up in reverse order
Titan or Chrome: Drivers are either categorised as Titan or Chrome depending on their experience and level of success
Titles: Four FIA titles for Overall Championship and Chrome drivers, Young Driver and Team champions
ROUND ONE ESSENTIALS
Venue: Misano World Circuit, Santa Monica SpA, Via Daijiro Kato, 10 – 47843 Misano Adriatico (RN), Italy
Website: https://www.misanocircuit.com
Date: 30-31 May 2026
Track length: 4.048 kilometres Turns: 16 Direction: Clockwise
2025 winners: Norbert Kiss x 4
Tickets: https://www.ticketone.it/en/artist/truck-racing/?affiliate=CUI
In 100 words: As the traditional Goodyear FIA ETRC season opener, the Misano Truck Grand Prix typically attracts in excess of 35,000 truck and truck racing enthusiasts each year with the event’s fan zone hosting major truck and accessory brands. Located close to Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast, the circuit was designed in 1969 and used as a racing venue for the first time in 1972. Improvements over the years include lengthening the track from the original 3.488 kilometres to the current 4.226 kilometres (although the Goodyear FIA ETRC uses the 4.048-kilometre layout) and the construction of an impressive pit building in 2021.
MISANO KEY TIMINGS*
Saturday 30 May
09:10-09:40: Free Practice 1
11:50-11:20: Free Practice 2
12:30-13:20: Qualifying 1-2-3
15:40: Race 1
17:50: Race 2
Sunday 31 May
09:10-09:25: Warm-up
10:35-11:25: Qualifying 4-5-6
13:15: Race 3
15:50: Race 4
*All timings are local, provisional and subject to change
WHERE TO WATCH
Details of where and when to watch the Goodyear FIA ETRC will be available by clicking HERE soon.
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