Emma Mäkinen makes truck racing debut at the Nürburgring
Newly-crowned class winner in the Finnish National Ice Racing Championship will join Team Schwabentruck in the #28 truck for the Nüburgring round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship Team Schwabentruck have revealed, that they will have an all-female line up for the FIA European Truck Racing Championship round at the Nürburgring. Finish racer Emma Mäkinen will line up with Steffi Halm to pilot the pair of Iveco trucks.
Not only does the inclusion of Mäkinen help boost the female presence in motorsport and brings more women into all racing disciplines, it also helps to show another avenue of entry to younger drivers.
“We know that women are still underrepresented in motorsport and our aim is for this to become increasingly normal,” said Willy Schmid, Team Coordinator of Schwabentruck. “Just as it is in everyday life at Schwabentruck and Hahn Racing, where women and men work in the team and have their respective areas of responsibility.”
For Schmid signing up guest drivers is a key point to nurture young talents: “If we want to actively secure the future in truck racing, we have to promote young talents, create space for them and give them the opportunity to get to know the sport and to try it out.”
24-year-old Emma is the daughter of Mika Mäkinen, who has been a truck racing driver for a long time and also raced in the European Truck Racing Championship for several years. The young Finnish racer has been driving fast vehicles since she was 15, raced in touring cars and won a national Endurance Cup. At two races in Kemora, the young Finn made her first acquaintance with a racing truck.
Mäkinen, who studies civil engineering, has also held a regular truck driver’s license for several years: ”When I was 20, I earned some extra money by driving a truck,” she said. “I’m looking forward to doing lots of laps in Most for the pre-season test with Steffi, Jochen and Lukas and familiarising myself with the race truck.”
The Finnish racer will run the #28 truck at the German round of this years‘ championship, taking on the traditional number used by the second Team Schwabentruck truck. This number is reserved for guest entries and as part of the team’s program to help young drivers into the championship.
In the next few weeks, Mäkinen will get to know the Iveco S-WAY R race truck during a first rollout on Iveco’s own test track in Ulm-Donautal and she will also get to drive the truck at the pre-season test.
