Jochen Hahn scored a remarkable win in race two at Jarama today after starting from seventh on the grid and making his way to the front after just two laps.
Jochen Hahn scored a remarkable win in race two at Jarama today after starting from seventh on the grid and making his way to the front after just two laps. In one of the performances of the season the German extended his 2016 FIA European Truck Racing Championship title lead with a memorably polished performance.
Hahn’s superb victory means that he has increased his lead in the standings to 31 points. 90 points still remain available this season with six races to come in the world’s most exciting and competitive truck racing championship.
The German was able to pull well clear of his competitors in the laps after he surged to the front and having dispensed with Adam Lacko, Norbert Kiss, René Reinert, Sascha Lenz, Anthony Janiec, Ellen Lohr and finally Steffi Halm to take the lead. From there, Hahn pulled out an impressive lead and secured his 11th victory of the season heading home title rival Adam Lacko by 8.909s.
Lacko, who had also made a great start, found his way passed Lohr on lap two and then went after second placed Halm. The fired up Czech made his move on the Reinert Racing driver on lap six at turn one and managed to pull clear of the German and set off in pursuit of Hahn, but the champion elect responded to extend his lead and win comfortably.
Earlier Halm had taken the lead from pole position sitter Ellen Lohr on lap one. After leading briefly before being overtaken by Hahn and Lacko she eventually took a comfortable third position. Lohr and Halm had started the reversed grid side-by-side at the front, ensuring an all-female 1-2 for the first time in FIA ETRC history.
Lohr drove arguably her race of the season by claiming fourth position in her Truck Sport Lutz Bernau MAN entry. After leading in to the first corner she lost the three places, but then gave an excellent display to repel the threat of Reinert. The two swapped position twice on the final lap and Lohr was able to just finish ahead by the tiny margin of 0.066s after an almighty fight.
Taking sixth place was Anthony Janiec who spent most of the race dicing with Norbert Kiss and Sascha Lenz. Kiss was able to make a move on Lenz in the final laps and claim seventh ahead of the German.
The final two points scoring positions were taken by FIA ETRC Young Guns André Kursim and Jiri Forman. Kursim, driving the second Tankpool24 Racing Mercedes-Benz truck, put behind him a difficult race one when he suffered issues to ensure he scored points in his fourth event of the year in ninth position. Forman had a trouble-free race to take the final point finishing in 10th.
Just outside the points in 11th place was Erwin Kleinnagelvoort, with the Dutchman ahead of the ‘Rodrigues generation’. This time though it was Jose Eduardo Rodrigues who headed his father Eduardo and his son Jose Fernando.
The best placed Spanish race-by-race entry was again Pedro Marco in 17th place.
The 2016 FIA ETRC Teams maximum points score was taken by Team Reinert Adventures with Jochen Hahn and René Reinert. In second place was the Wow! Women on Wheels duo of Ellen Lohr and Steffi Halm ahead of Buggyra 1969 (Lacko and Forman).
Races three and four of the Jarama meeting take place tomorrow at 12.35 and 15.00 respectively.
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