Race preview: Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome title chase takes centre stage at Jarama while home heroes get ready for action

Defending champion Mark Taylor trails John Newell by 13 points following an all-action visit to Le Mans last weekend with results in France determining that only British drivers Newell or Taylor can be Chrome champion for 2026.

“The title’s at stake but we just take each weekend as it comes,” said Newell. “I might be leading but it’s not job done [in the championship]. It starts again at Jarama, we just reset and go and make sure we have a good Saturday, then we should be on our way. I need to be fast. It’s a technical circuit, a very enjoyable circuit as well with lots of ups and downs where you can pick your places to overtake.”

Taylor, who became Chrome champion for the first time at Jarama last October, said: “It’s going to be a tight and fun battle to the end. We’re cat and mousing on the points. We’ve just got to keep it on track, keep our fingers crossed and we’ll have no problems, It would be good to win but I don’t think about it. It’s whatever it’s going to be. If you think about it, you’re going to put pressure on yourself and then the mistakes come. In my mind it would be nice to win again, if we don’t, we don’t, no hardship, it’s motorsport and we’ll be back next season and push again.”

Despite winning his eighth overall Goodyear FIA ETRC title* at Le Mans, Norbert Kiss has no plans to slow down behind the wheel of his Révész Racing MAN when the season concludes in Spain.

“All the pressure is off, but we don’t lay back, we keep pushing because you’re only worth as much as your last race,” said Hungarian Kiss. “Jarama is a circuit I love, it’s been very good for us in the past with some very nice and very important victories. We try to do the maximum as well and enjoy maximum the weekend and enjoy the success of the season.”

Although top end-of-season Goodyear FIA ETRC silverware is out of reach for Antonio Albacete and Luis Recuenco, the Spanish drivers have the honour of racing at home this weekend.

The 39th Grand Prix de España FIA Europeo de Camiones event is also the closest it gets to a home round for Portugal’s José Eduardo Rodrigues, who made sure of the Goodyear FIA ETRC Young Driver crown* at Le Mans.

Six-time champion Jochen Hahn will battle Albacete and Sascha Lenz for the runner-up spot in the final Goodyear FIA ETRC title reckoning. Lenz is four points ahead of Hahn with Albacete 13 points adrift.‍

Lukas Hahn, who has been competing on a race-by-race basis this season, returns for the Jarama showdown. Jochen’s son was a race winner at Autodrom Most in August where he was also the recipient of the Goodyear Wingfoot Award, which is awarded at each round of the Goodyear FIA ETRC.‍

Steffi Halm and René Reinert, plus Steffen Faas and Clemens Hecker will compete at Le Mans this weekend as will Luke Garrett and Bradley Smith, a double Chrome winner at Le Mans.

Multiple Finnish champion and FIA ETRC race winner Mika Mäkinen takes over the IVECO raced by his daughter, Emma, at Nürburgring and Autodrom Most earlier this season.

After banking two Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome podiums at Circuit Zolder in mid-September, Jonathan André will be one to watch in his TotalEnergies-supported MAN.‍

THE GOODYEAR FIA ETRC IN SHORT‍

Combining the excitement of truck racing with entertainment, sustainability and technical innovation, the Goodyear FIA ETRC is heavy metal motor sport at its very best, a truly unique spectacle and the pinnacle of global truck competition with 2026 marking the 20th full season since the current format was introduced.

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 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 THE HEART OF 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.‍

CHAMPION KISS AT THE TRIPLE AS RODRIGUES AND SMITH SHINE IN GOODYEAR FIA ETRC

‍Norbert Kiss celebrated winning the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship title* for a record-extending eighth time at Le Mans last Saturday before adding two further wins of a dominant season to his tally of 18 by finishing first in both Race 3 and Race 4 in the Sunday sunshine. Despite wrapping up the coveted crown in Race 1, Kiss continued his pursuit of Goodyear FIA ETRC glory during the final day of the 24 Heures Camions weekend at the famous French venue. He set a stunning lap of 2m03.820s around the 4.185-kilometre Circuit Bugatti in second qualifying to bank pole position number 12 of 2026. His qualifying best in 2025 was a 2m04.322s. The MAN-powered Révész Racing driver then secured the Race 3 win by a commanding margin of 8.801s ahead of six-time champion Jochen Hahn with Sascha Lenz finishing third to continue his push for the runner-up spot in the final title standings behind Kiss. But the Hungarian hero left his best to last when he charged through from eighth on the Race 4 reverse grid to win ahead of Chrome star Bradley Smith – who led overall for four laps – and Antonio Albacete. Points scored by Kiss and René Reinert at Le Mans ensured their Révész-Reinert Racing Team won the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship for Teams* with one round remaining. Having snatched the Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome points lead from defending champion Mark Taylor by winning the category in Race 2, John Newell edged ahead of his British rival with a second consecutive victory in Race 3 before Smith took the honours in Race 4 having also triumphed in Race 1. Newell finished second with Taylor in third. Heading into the Jarama season showdown, Newell leads Taylor by 13 points. After winning Race 2, José Eduardo Rodrigues’ Le Mans weekend got even better when he wrapped up the Goodyear FIA ETRC Young Driver crown* in Race 3. However, the third-generation competitor from Portugal suffered a frustrating Race 4 when he ran wide and dropped back while running in second place. He recovered to 10th from 14th.‍

FANS GET THEIR SAY WITH NEW-FOR-2026 GOODYEAR WINGFOOT AWARD ‍

Already presented in several major series, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series and the British Touring Car Championship, the Goodyear Wingfoot Award is new to the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship for 2026 and recognises driver performance and achievement in the Goodyear FIA ETRC. At each of the seven Goodyear FIA ETRC events, a panel of experts from the FIA and Goodyear nominate three drivers following Race 3, based on their overall performance during the race weekend, their sporting behaviour and highlights on track. Fans will then be able to vote for their driver of the weekend via Instagram from the shortlist of candidates during Race 4. The winner is announced as part of the live broadcast coverage of Race 4 and presented with the Goodyear Wingfoot Award on the final podium. Norbert Kiss (Misano), Sascha Lenz (Slovakia Ring), Jochen Hahn (Nürburgring), Lukas Hahn (Most), John Newell (Zolder) and Steffi Halm (Le Mans) are the winners so far.‍

PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST: ROUND 7, JARAMA, 3-4 OCTOBER‍

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)* YD

23 Antonio Albacete (Spain), Team T Sport Bernau, MAN (Titan)

24 Steffen Faas (Germany), tankpool24 Racing, Freightliner (Chrome)

25 Clemens Hecker (Germany), Scania (Chrome)

28 Mika Mäkinen (Finland), IVECO (Chrome)*

30 Sascha Lenz (Germany), MAN (Titan)

38 José Eduardo Rodrigues (Portugal), MAN (Titan) YD

42 Luke Garrett (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)

44 Steffi Halm (Germany), IVECO (Titan)

46 Bradley Smith (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome) YD

64 Luis Recuenco (Spain), CDE GPR Sport, Mercedes-Benz (Chrome)

66 Jonathan André (France), MAN (Chrome)*

77 René Reinert (Germany), MAN (Titan)

81 Mark Taylor (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)

* = Race-by-Race entry; YD = Young Driver

THEY SAID WHAT? GOODYEAR FIA ETRC DRIVERS LOOK AHEAD TO JARAMA

Antonio Albacete (Spain): “For me to race at Jarama is fantastic. It’s my home race, 25 kilometres from where I live. It’s always very good to race there, it’s an old-shape circuit and quite demanding. But I like to be there and I always like to race there. It’s a little bit narrow but it’s good for truck racing. It’s a challenge with some tricky corners and also some fast ones when you come down the hill. It’s demanding and you have the heavy braking before the left-hander. It’s fantastic to win at Jarama, it’s always great, even for the fans. As we are not playing for the championship, sometimes it’s worth to finish eighth for the reverse grid. Jochen [Hahn] and me are winning there the most so there will be a fight for that title.”

‍Luke Garrett (Great Britain): “Jarama has always been my favourite track, even when my dad (Ross) was racing. I love Jarama but we just haven’t had any luck there. We’ve never nailed the set-up, but I love the track when it goes up and down, the aggressive surface, the corners and the banking. I always look forward to it, but I just need a little bit of luck. Fingers crossed we’ll get that this year.”

Steffi Halm (Germany): “I love Jarama. It’s like an old-school track, going up and down. You have some corners you don’t see the exit, so it’s a very tough track but I love driving at Jarama. Sometimes it’s worked very well, but sometimes not. It depends how you get the set-up done for the track. We’ve had some great results in the past, but for sure the most important thing is to have a good qualifying, that’s the reason why we struggled a bit this season, the qualifying was not good enough, so I hope we can finish on the podium in Jarama but not only in the reverse-grid races.”

Luis Recuenco (Spain): “For me, Jarama is the benchmark circuit. It is the track where I have gained the most experience, it’s where I started racing in 1988, and where I have been able to put everything I have learned into practice. I am Spanish, and the circuit is very close to home. I enjoy every corner, every braking zone and every racing line. I also really enjoy the atmosphere and the people. At the end of the day, we are all from the same city, so there is a very special connection with the spectators. My goal is simply to do the best job possible. I believe that will allow me to achieve better results and, above all, to feel more fulfilled and more in tune with myself as a driver.”

José Eduardo Rodrigues (Portugal): “Jarama is five hours from my home so it’s my home race and I feel very good in Jarama. Normally I have good results there. This year is no different and I try to push to the maximum. For me the track is not easy but I like Jarama. I’ve raced there many times, so I have a good reference there. Maybe after Zolder it’s my second favourite race track. We have a lot of fans there, Portuguese people, Spanish people so it’s very good for me and I try to be calm and try to do a good result for the fans.”

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 drivers; Q2/Q5: 10 minutes for the 12 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 the results of Races 1 and 3 with the 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 and Chrome drivers, Young Driver and Teams

Goodyear Wingfoot Award: Three drivers are nominated for the public vote on via Instagram during Race 4 based on their overall performance, sporting behaviour and highlights on track

GOODYEAR FIA ETRC ROUND SIX ESSENTIALS

Venue: Circuito de Madrid Jarama – RACE, Autovía A-1, km. 28, 28700 San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid, Spain

Website: https://carreradecamionesjarama.es/en/

Date: 3-4 October 2026

Track length: 3.850 kilometres Turns: 14 (8 right, 6 left) Direction: Clockwise

2025 winners: Norbert Kiss x 2, Antonio Albacete x 1, John Newell x 1

Tickets: Click HERE for more information

In 100 words: Designed by John Hugenholtz, whose work included Suzuka and Zolder, Circuito de Madrid Jarama is located in San Sebastián de los Reyes, just north of the capital and was Spain’s first permanent circuit when it opened in 1967. Host venue of the Goodyear FIA ETRC finale on and off for more than a decade, Jarama was lengthened to the current 3.850 kilometres in 1990 with several facility upgrades carried out by the Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE) during the subsequent years. Consisting of a long straight, undulating switchbacks and a handful of sweeping turns, Jarama offers an exciting challenge.

CIRCUITO DE MADRID JARAMA – RACE KEY GOODYEAR FIA ETRC TIMINGS*

Saturday 3 October

10:00-10:30: Free Practice 1

08:00-08:30: Free Practice 2

12:00-12:40: Official Event Presentation

13:25-14:10: Qualifying 1-2-3 (15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes)

14:45-15:00: Autograph Session (Goodyear FIA ETRC Fan Village)

15:50-16:15: Race 1 (12 laps)

16:25: Race 1 podium

18:05-18:30: Race 2 (12 laps)

18:40: Race 2 podium

Sunday 4 October

10:00-10:15: Warm-up

11:00-11:45: Qualifying 4-5-6 (15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes)

12:00-12:40: Official Event Presentation

12:45-13:05: Autograph Session (Goodyear FIA ETRC Fan Village)

13:35-14:10: Race 3 (12 laps)

14:20: Race 3 podium

15:55-16:20: Race 4 (12 laps)

16:30: Race 4 podium

*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. Revisit all the races so far in 2026 on YouTube and watch A One Truck Family, the Goodyear FIA ETRC’s acclaimed and groundbreaking behind-the-scenes documentary from wige.

‍RESULTS AND STANDINGS

Via Sportity using the password: FIA_ETRC_26

*Subject to confirmation of the results by the FIA

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