SLOVAKIA RING PREVIEW
The Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship returns to action this weekend for the second round of the 2024 season in Slovakia.
Norbert Kiss had a perfect start to his 2024 campaign, securing full points with a clean sweep of pole positions and race wins in Misano. Jochen Hahn, who looked to be his closest rival in round one, will be aiming to demote the reigning champion from the top podium spot during Round 2.
Steffi Halm made a return to the podium for the first time since Jarama Race 2, securing second place behind Kiss in Race 4 of the Misano weekend. The Team Schwabentruck driver showed strong form in Races 2 and 4, and arguably deserved a podium finish in both.
Consistency will be key for Halm if she is to remain in the battle with Sascha Lenz and Antonio Albacete, both of whom scored two podiums each over the Misano weekend. The trio are separated by just three points after the first four races, making the fight for P3 in the Titan class fiercely competitive.
André Kursim’s opening round had some missed opportunities, as he failed to convert his front-row starts in Races 2 and 4 into wins or podiums. The German driver will be looking to make improvements and contend for higher positions in the class to avoid falling too far behind his rivals in the standings.
Day one at Misano saw 2023 Chrome class winner José Eduardo Rodrigues continuing his strong form by taking the Chrome victory and pole position for Race 1. However, an incident with Lenz prevented the Portuguese driver from re-starting Race 2, allowing Steffen Faas to capitalise on Rodrigues' DNS.
Faas carried this momentum into Sunday, claiming four podiums, two victories, and one pole position over the weekend to lead the Chrome class heading into Slovakia. With a points deficit of only six, Rodrigues and Faas will be the ones to watch this weekend.
Mark Taylor overcame a slow start in Misano to secure a class podium, placing him third in the Chrome standings entering the second event. With his closest rival Clemens Hecker not participating in Slovakia, Taylor has a significant opportunity to extend his lead.
However, Taylor will face stiff competition from Luis Recuenco and John Newell, both of whom demonstrated strong pace at Misano. Newell, who could have claimed a podium in Race 2 if not for contact with Luke Garrett that damaged his front suspension, will be looking to make a strong comeback. The trio is expected to deliver some close wheel-to-wheel action, with the Chrome class promising exciting racing.
Luke Garrett, who faced steering issues at Misano, will make his way to Slovakia Ring early to resolve these problems ahead of the second race weekend of the championship. Returning after a year out of racing, Garrett still took a lot of positives from the first round, recognising that there is a lot to learn in this rookie year for both him and his team in the Goodyear FIA ETRC.
Track action for the second round of the 2024 Goodyear FIA ETRC gets underway on Friday 8 June in the afternoon with the first half-hour practice session.
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