Goodyear FIA ETRC truck racing series makes its first ever visit to Poland
The Goodyear FIA ETRC makes its first ever stop in Poland this weekend for the third round of the championship. 15 trucks will take to the track at TOR Poznań for the first time in the series’ history.
Poland is an important logistics hub in Europe, and as the Goodyear FIA ETRC has close links with the haulage industry, it was a logic step for the series to expand to this new market.
The addition of new venues and more audiences throughout Europe, along with broadcasting the events live on terrestrial TV and streaming live online, underlines the increasing interest in the Goodyear FIA ETRC as it grows in popularity.
On track this weekend the question remains: can anyone stop Norbert Kiss? Last time out, the Hungarian made his mark on the 2023 season by claiming not one but all four race victories and both pole positions over the two days of racing. His closest competitors Jochen Hahn, Sascha Lenz and Antonio Albacete tried all they could to pressure the reigning champion, but there was nothing that could fluster Kiss.
Jochen Hahn had some struggles in Slovakia, not performing as would have been expected. His lack of appearances on the podium alongside Albacete and Lenz has pushed him closer to Albacete in the overall standings, with just three points separating the pair in second and third. He’ll be hoping for a return to his Misano pace this weekend and will be focusing on keeping the Spaniard in his rear-view mirrors.
After his strong performance in Italy for the opening round of the season, Steffen Faas made some inroads on Promoter’s Cup leader José Eduardo Rodrigues, dominating the second day of racing. Only eight points separate the pair at the top of the Promoter’s Cup standings, but another messy race day from Rodrigues (as in Race 3 and 4 at the Slovakia Ring) could swing the championship in ‘Mr Consistent’ Faas’ favour.
Spanish racer Luis Recuenco left some change on the table at the Slovakia Ring, where he was on track to take an overall podium and Promoter’s Cup victory. Had it not been for an incident with André Kursim in Race 4, he certainly could have joined the Titan drivers to end the weekend on a career best. Recuenco will be eager to make up for a missed opportunity this weekend.
With the Polish venue only 250 km east of Berlin, this will be somewhat of a secondary home race for the German drivers. A familiar face returns to the grid, as Lukas Hahn joins the field as a race-by-race entry.
French racer Jonathan André is back again, looking to add more podiums and hopefully a Promoter’s Cup win to his name, after a strong outing at the season opener in Misano.
Clemens Hecker also returns to the grid after missing the Slovakia Ring races.
With TOR Poznań being a new circuit for everyone, there is no ‘return’ advantage for any of the drivers this weekend, which promises some interesting racing action on the new track.
