INTRO
RACE SCHEDULE TRUCK RACING 2012
Istanbul 11/05–13/05
Misano 18/05-20/05
Albacete 08/06-10/06
Nogaro 22/06-24/06
Donnington 29/06-01/07
Nürburgring 13/07-15/07
Smolensk 27/07-29/07
Most 31/08-02/09
Zolder 21/09-23/09
Jarama 05/10-07/10
Le Mans 12/10-14/10
MKR reach for their historical maximum
(30.08.2011)No one else has ever done that! The Czech truck racing team of MKR Technology recorded an exceptional triumph – occupying the entire winners‘ podium at the seventh event of the European Truck Racing Championship in Most. Pilots in the black-and-red Renaults did not leave space for anybody else on the podium. The historic moment is even more significant due to the fact that the result was witnessed by home audience in the most closely observed Sunday race. Therefore, tears of joy and champagne filled the venue.
„Unbelievable, sensational, wonderful,“ the moved boss of MKR Technology and a successful constructor Mario Kress had a hard time looking for words to describe his feelings. All of Kress‘ team was in an optimistic mood since Friday, when Adam Lacko ruled over both of the free practice sessions. His machine was the fastest one also in the decisive Saturday qualification, when he ensured the top of the super pole for the first race. His colleagues Markus Bösiger and Markus Oestreich recorded points for the sixth and the seventh spot. “I managed to follow up on my handicap win from Smolensk. But this time, home fans give it a completely different taste. I could feel their support, which drove me forward. I really wished to win in Most and there is no better feeling than to have a national anthem played for you,“ rejoiced himself as well as the audience Adam Lacko, who was accompanied to the podium by David Vršecký on the second place and Jochen Hahn, currently the leading man of the Championship‘s classification, on the third place.
Beofore the second Saturday race, where the first elite eight exchanged their starting positions, rain started falling on the track, which resulted in dangerous crashes. Already in the very first turn, Markus Oestreich was driven off the track by a mighty hit from the Spaniard Bermejo. The three fastest pilots, Vršecký, Bösiger and Lacko, only had a half of a second to cross the finishing line. Although there was an MKR duo enjoying the winners‘ podium, Lacko later lost his bronze medal due to a twelve-second penalization for a crash with Albacete, dropping to the fourth place behind the Spanish driver. Oestreich came out of a collision with a damaged rear axle, which took the mechanics whole night to repair. “We slept less than two hours to get everything ready for the Sunday programme. All the hard work was worth it though. We were all tired to death but also determined to fight,“ said the mechanic Michal Procházka.
However, Sunday super pole gave the whole team a new boost of energy thanks to Bösiger, Oestreich and Lacko’s times and advantageous positions at the starting grid which pointed to a historical success. “Yes, the results since Friday have been hinting that the cars and pilots are in a great shape but there are other aspects to consider, so we can hardly expect they’re going to reach the finish in the starting order,“ said the grounded chief of the team Mario Kress.
Eventually, the stars were in the right constellation and the dream came true. Markus Bösiger, Markus Oestreich and Adam Lacko ruled over the pack and in a start-to-finish manner reached for the historical result. The paddock was bursting with excitement and even the toughest among the mechanics were tearing up. After the race, Mario got a celebratory throw in the air. However, tears of joy could have easily turned into tears of sadness. “In the first chicane of the last lap my differential broke. I thought I’d go crazy. I literally almost stumbled to the finish. I was lucky to have a headstart like that because if the race had been only one lap longer, there would be nothing to celebrate,“ described the situation .
Noone else in the truck racing world has ever done something like that. For the first time in history, one team and one team only occupied the whole winners‘ podium. The team was MKR Technology. “Most brought me the strongest moment in the past twenty-three years that I have been in truck racing. Still at night, when we were putting a car back together after a crash, nothing seemed to show we could have that kind of luck. Thanks to the guys for the hard work. I’m so proud of the whole team!“
The elite eight exchanged their positions for the afternoon handicap race, so the MKR trio had to push through to the front from the very last place. Oestreich on the fourth came closest to the podium. Lacko recorded points for rank six and Bösiger for rank eight. Russia’s Lvov beat Levett from Britain and Nittel from Germany.
Racing weekend at the home track somewhat mixed up the European Championship’s ranking. The leader Jochen Hahn of Germany is followed by the reigning champion Antonio Albacete. Adam Lacko on the third place is at their feet. Markus Oestreich fell to rank five and is followed by Markus Bösiger.
The next, already an eighth, stop of the European Truck Racing Championship takes place in three weeks‘ time in Zolder, Belgium (17.-18.9.). “There are only three events left. Hahn has a solid headstart but we have only twenty-six points to even out Albacete and also the team competition looks promising, so we keep on fighting,“ added the always determined Mario Kress.
Beofore the second Saturday race, where the first elite eight exchanged their starting positions, rain started falling on the track, which resulted in dangerous crashes. Already in the very first turn, Markus Oestreich was driven off the track by a mighty hit from the Spaniard Bermejo. The three fastest pilots, Vršecký, Bösiger and Lacko, only had a half of a second to cross the finishing line. Although there was an MKR duo enjoying the winners‘ podium, Lacko later lost his bronze medal due to a twelve-second penalization for a crash with Albacete, dropping to the fourth place behind the Spanish driver. Oestreich came out of a collision with a damaged rear axle, which took the mechanics whole night to repair. “We slept less than two hours to get everything ready for the Sunday programme. All the hard work was worth it though. We were all tired to death but also determined to fight,“ said the mechanic Michal Procházka.
However, Sunday super pole gave the whole team a new boost of energy thanks to Bösiger, Oestreich and Lacko’s times and advantageous positions at the starting grid which pointed to a historical success. “Yes, the results since Friday have been hinting that the cars and pilots are in a great shape but there are other aspects to consider, so we can hardly expect they’re going to reach the finish in the starting order,“ said the grounded chief of the team Mario Kress.
Eventually, the stars were in the right constellation and the dream came true. Markus Bösiger, Markus Oestreich and Adam Lacko ruled over the pack and in a start-to-finish manner reached for the historical result. The paddock was bursting with excitement and even the toughest among the mechanics were tearing up. After the race, Mario got a celebratory throw in the air. However, tears of joy could have easily turned into tears of sadness. “In the first chicane of the last lap my differential broke. I thought I’d go crazy. I literally almost stumbled to the finish. I was lucky to have a headstart like that because if the race had been only one lap longer, there would be nothing to celebrate,“ described the situation .
Noone else in the truck racing world has ever done something like that. For the first time in history, one team and one team only occupied the whole winners‘ podium. The team was MKR Technology. “Most brought me the strongest moment in the past twenty-three years that I have been in truck racing. Still at night, when we were putting a car back together after a crash, nothing seemed to show we could have that kind of luck. Thanks to the guys for the hard work. I’m so proud of the whole team!“
The elite eight exchanged their positions for the afternoon handicap race, so the MKR trio had to push through to the front from the very last place. Oestreich on the fourth came closest to the podium. Lacko recorded points for rank six and Bösiger for rank eight. Russia’s Lvov beat Levett from Britain and Nittel from Germany.
Racing weekend at the home track somewhat mixed up the European Championship’s ranking. The leader Jochen Hahn of Germany is followed by the reigning champion Antonio Albacete. Adam Lacko on the third place is at their feet. Markus Oestreich fell to rank five and is followed by Markus Bösiger.
The next, already an eighth, stop of the European Truck Racing Championship takes place in three weeks‘ time in Zolder, Belgium (17.-18.9.). “There are only three events left. Hahn has a solid headstart but we have only twenty-six points to even out Albacete and also the team competition looks promising, so we keep on fighting,“ added the always determined Mario Kress.