Race preview: Season-high entry for Goodyear FIA ETRC as Nürburgring awaits
From the longest track on the calendar in Slovakia to the shortest in Germany, the 2026 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship heads to the Nürburgring for four eagerly anticipated races on the venue’s 3.629-kilometre Short Circuit layout next weekend.
And the all-action series is Nürburgring-bound with 19 drivers revving up for an event with a difference as part of the Int. Shell ADAC Truck-Grand-Prix from 9-12 July.
Ranked as one of Europe’s largest celebrations of truck racing and truck lifestyle, it’s billed as a meeting place for truck drivers, fans, industry members, innovators and young prospects. It counts as round three of the seven-event 2026 Goodyear FIA ETRC season with all qualifying and races broadcast live.
Fifteen all-season racers will be joined on the grid by four drivers who are competing on a race-by-race basis: Jonathan André, Lukas Hahn, Adam Lacko and Emma Mäkinen.
Norbert Kiss, the points leader and seven-time champion, tops the entry ahead of Jochen Hahn, an FIA ETRC champion on six occasions, with Antonio Albacete and Lacko completing the list of title winners past or present. Mark Taylor, who missed a maiden outright victory by 0.974 at the Slovakia Ring last month, is the defending Chrome champion.
Other racers in the Chrome division, which is for drivers with less experience and fewer top results in the Goodyear FIA ETRC, include German drivers Steffen Faas, Lukas Hahn, Clemens Hecker and Stefan Kursch, Britons Luke Garrett, John Newell and Bradley Smith, Spain’s Luis Recuenco, who flies the Mercedes-Benz flag in the series, plus Frenchman Jonathan André and Finn Emma Mäkinen.
With a Mercedes-Benz back in the Goodyear FIA ETRC for the first time since 2020, it means five truck manufacturers are represented in the series along with Freightliner, IVECO, MAN and Scania.
Meanwhile, Portugal’s José Eduardo Rodrigues and outright race winners Steffi Halm, Sascha Lenz and René Reinert join Albacete, Jochen Hahn, Kiss and Lacko on the list of Titan category drivers.
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.
KISS TO THE FOUR WITH SENSATIONAL SLOVAKIA RING SHOWING
Norbert Kiss took four wins out of four to underline his status as a Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship legend with a sensational weekend in Slovakia (5-7 June). Twice on pole and twice a reverse-grid race winner after a series of sublime overtaking moves, Kiss headed home to Hungary having won seven times out of a possible eight in 2026 to top the provisional Goodyear FIA ETRC standings by 36 points. It was also a winning weekend for Mark Taylor in the Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome category as the defending champion got his season back on track with three victories. The Briton came within 0.974s of claiming his maiden outright victory in Race 4 but couldn’t fend off MAN-powered Kiss, who won twice on Saturday – including Race 2 by 0.010s ahead of René Reinert – and twice on Sunday. Taylor now leads the Chrome ranking by three points having arrived in Slovakia in fifth position following a troubled Misano season opener in late May. Sascha Lenz followed up third place in Race 1 behind Jochen Hahn by finishing second in Race 3. He also won the Goodyear Wingfoot Award after he topped the fan vote ahead of Reinert and Taylor. Antonio Albacete completed the Race 3 podium behind Kiss and Lenz, while Steffi Halm joined Kiss and Taylor on the Race 4 podium. Halm finished third behind Kiss and Reinert in Race 2. Bradley Smith was the Chrome winner in Race 3 ahead of Luke Garrett and John Newell before Garrett and Newell finished second and third to Taylor in Race 4. Taylor, Newell and Steffen Faas filled the Race 1 Chrome podium with Taylor beating Faas and Newell in Race 2. After retiring from Race 3 with mechanical issues, six-time FIA ETRC title winner Hahn was a non-starter due to the problems encountered.
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) and Sascha Lenz (Slovakia Ring) are the winners so far.
PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST: ROUND 3, NÜRBURGRING, 9-12 JULY
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)
28 Emma Mäkinen (Finland), IVECO (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)
55 Adam Lacko (Czech Republic), Buggyra ZM Racing, IVECO (Titan)*
64 Luis Recuenco (Spain), CDE GPR Sport, Mercedes (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 NÜRBURGRING
Lukas Hahn (Germany): “I am a race-by-race driver and this is my second race this season. I would like to do the full season but, in the end, it’s budget and time and you need everything behind you, and you need to get everything together. I want to drive a full season next year and aim for the title.”
Clemens Hecker (Germany): “We had a great season last year and we have built a brand-new truck with new technology. We didn’t have time to test before the season started so we actually came [to Lausitzring for the TGP Championship] to test the truck. To be honest, I didn't expect to win in the end, so it was a perfect end to the weekend and great motivation for the Nürburgring.”
Adam Lacko (Czech Republic): “After a few years, we’re coming back to the European Truck Racing Championship. The IVECO is still challenging the reigning champion [Norbert] Kiss, so I believe we’ll be competitive. I’ll try to show myself in a good light.”
Sascha Lenz (Germany): “It’s different [my home race], you have more pressure because everybody is there. I come from 45 kilometres from the track. It’s very difficult but I want to give my best.”
Emma Mäkinen (Finland): “I’ve been in race truck paddocks since I was one years old as my dad has raced all my life. I’ve raced once in the ETRC, and I’ve raced trucks in Finland. But I’m not waiting to win, I just want to finish every race. Jochen and Lukas [Hahn] are going to help me, so I’ll be getting to know my team and get some experience.”
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 THREE ESSENTIALS
Venue: Nürburgring Boulevard 1, 5320 Nürburg, Germany
Website: https://truck-grand-prix.de
Date: 5-7 June 2026
Track length: 3.629 kilometres Turns: 11 Direction: Clockwise
2025 winners: Norbert Kiss x 2, Antonio Albacete x 1, José Eduardo Rodrigues x 1
Tickets: Click HERE for more information
In 100 words: Since 1986, the Int. ADAC Truck-Grand-Prix has been at the heart of European truck racing. What began as purely a race weekend has developed over four decades into one of Europe’s largest celebrations of truck racing and truck lifestyle, a meeting place for truck drivers, fans, industry members, innovators and young prospects. The event, which uses the 3.629-kilometre Sprint Circuit layout, will also form part of the new TGP Championship, which features three rounds in Germany and is being run in close cooperation with the Dutch Truck Racing series (DTR). Upwards of 130,000 fans are expected to attend.
NÜRBURGRING KEY TIMINGS*
Thursday 9 July
15:40-16:10: Free Practice 1
Friday 10 July
08:00-08:30: Free Practice 2
11:00-11:45: Qualifying 1-2-3 (15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes)
Saturday 11 July
08:00-08:15: Warm-up
10:20-10:50: Race 1 (12 laps)
11:00:11:10: Podium
11:45-12:00: Autograph session (Fan Village)
15:25-15:55: Race 2 (12 laps)
16:05-16:15: Podium
Sunday 12 July
08:00-08:15: Warm-up
09:00-09:45: Qualifying 4-5-6 (15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes)
11:55-12:25: Race 3 (12 laps)
12:35-12:50: Podium
13:15-13:30: Autograph session (Fan Village)
16:05-16:35: Race 4 (12 laps)
16:45-17:00: 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 from Slovakia Ring on YouTube.
RIGHTS-FREE IMAGE GALLERY
https://fia-etrc.b2bmedia.cloud/en/
RESULTS AND STANDINGS
Via Sportity using the password: FIA_ETRC_26
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