After an 11-month break, the massive diesel power units of racing trucks came to life again. And the Buggyra Zero Mileage Racing team takes four podiums.

Saturday

It all started in a perfect way in qualifying already, when Téo Calvet set a time 2:02:9. Yet, despite such a great performance, it was good enough for only 8th place overall, but also a pole position in the Grammar Cup. Adam Lacko went a bit faster with 2:01:7 and he grabbed 4th place on the grid. For Aliyyah Koloc, it was her first-ever qualifying in the truck championship. She set the 15th fastest lap overall and 7th in the Grammar Cup.

“It’s really unbelievable how everybody is getting faster and faster. It’s not so long ago when Téo would have won the super pole with such time. And today, it’s only 8th place. It’s always been the case that anybody out of TOP 5 could have won, but today it seems like it’s going to be the TOP 10. It’s very tight,” said Adam Lacko, the European champion from 2017.

The first Saturday race was halted in Lap 2 with a red flag. Unfortunately, that meant bad news for the Buggyra Zero Mileage Racing. First, Adam Lacko managed to gain one place at the start, but the restart had him dropped back to 4th place. And then, Téo Calvet had an even bigger issue as race stewards found a puncture on his rear axle and he was forced to pits to fix it. Up to that point, he was the fastest driver in the Grammer Cup, but after this moment, his race was lost. After the restart, Adam could not improve, and he finished in 4th position. But there was also Aliyyah Koloc, who gave the team a big reason to smile. She finished 8th in her first race and 2nd in the Grammar Cup. And thanks to that 8th position, she got a pole position for Saturday’s second race.

“I’m incredibly happy, but also incredibly nervous. It’s pretty crazy that I’m going to start from pole position in my 2nd ever race, but it’s real,” shared Aliyyah her feelings after the race.

Aliyyah had a great start. While she lost a place in Turn 1, she did not give up, kept fighting and defending hard. In the second half of the lap, she wanted to let her faster teammate Adam Lacko through, but that turned to be a mistake. He was quickly followed by a train of other drivers and Aliyyah found herself in the middle of it. And it got worse, as following a couple of contacts, her left front tyre had a defect and the youngest driver in the series history had to retire. Meanwhile, Adam used the opportunity when René Reinert made a mistake and he moved into the 1st place. Despite Sascha Lenz and Nobert Kiss keeping the Czech driver busy, Lacko did well and delighted fans saw him taking his 1st win of the season. Téo Calvet also added a great result. After starting from the last place, he managed to take 11th position in the end and finished 4th in the Grammar Cup.

“It’s always great to win, especially on home soil and at the beginning of the season. Indeed I didn’t have any rest at all, because of Sascha and Norbert, but I managed to defend it and the first win is at home. Tomorrow, there will be two more races, so let’s wait and see,” said Lacko.

Sunday

Sunday’s programme of the opening round of the European Truck Racing Championship at Most was affected by rain, but after long waiting, fans had a chance to see some racing.

“I’m glad that we were able to do at least that one race, because for a while, it looked like it’s going to be just like last year. This way, we were able to give the fans at least something, after they spent the day in wet conditions. And I think we really delivered, despite all the restrictions. I was able to finish 1st and 4th yesterday, and then add one more podium today, with a 2nd place finish, and I’m really happy about that. It’s just a shame that we did only 9 laps after the restart. I caught up with Sascha by the end of the race, and if we had two more laps, maybe I would have got in front of him. But still, a great result. And of course, Téo, who finished 1st in the Grammar Cup, and he takes a victory on his first-ever race weekend in the ETRC. So, we take a lot of points for the drivers’ and constructors’ standings,” said Adam Lacko after the opening round of the 2020 season.

The Sunday’s weather was a completely new challenge for Téo, and Aliyyah as both Buggyra Zero Mileage Racing team rookies had only tested on the wet track before.

“It was actually my first-ever wet race. Yeah, it was a bit more difficult, but I don’t think it was that bad that the race had to be stopped. Anyway, once we were able to run again, I was just trying to finish the race, to avoid silly mistakes and in the end, it’s a victory in my category and 7th place overall, so I’m definitely happy with the result,” said a 20-year-old Téo Calvet about his first win.

Also, for Aliyyah it was a weekend full of success and new experience.

“My first race weekend was very challenging, but I’m really happy. I’ve had my first pole position, my first wet race, first DNF and most importantly, my first podium and my first trophy. I leave with a lot of new experiences and I can’t wait for the next race,” said excited 16-year-old Aliyyah.

After the first race weekend, the Buggyra Zero Mileage Racing drivers hold 3rd, 4th and 5th places in the overall championship standings of their categories.