ETRC resumes at Most as Dakar star Martin Macík makes truck racing debut

After a month-long summer break, the Goodyear FIA ETRC roars back into action at Autodrom Most. Fifteen trucks will line up this weekend, with Dakar Rally star Martin Macík making his truck racing debut as a race-by-race entry.

The two-time Dakar winner will step into Lukas Hahn’s IVECO for the Czech round, competing in the Chrome class.Macík got his first taste of truck racing last year in a test with Steffi Halm’s machine and has driven Lukas’ IVECO at the pre-season test in Most in April and at the Nürburgring a few weeks ago, to gain more experience and get faster.

Lukas Hahn, who took four out of four wins in the last round at the Nürburgring, had some advice for the newcomer: “We have no high corner speed and drive the truck very slowly there. Make sure you use the torque out of the corners to accelerate! I hope you gain confidence, get faster every session, and keep pushing!"

Elsewhere in Chrome, the competition is heating up. Bradley Smith leads on 146 points, but Mark Taylor has closed the gap to just four after a strong Nürburgring. The pair have traded blows all season, and the battle looks set to run all the way to Jarama. John Newell’s consistency has brought him up to third, with Clemens Hecker in fourth, 14 points adrift.

At the top of the Titan class, it’s business as usual for Norbert Kiss. With 11 wins so far, the Hungarian holds a commanding 49-point lead over Jochen Hahn. Both drivers are chasing a record seventh title, but Hahn will need a flawless second half to deny Kiss.

The battle remains much closer for third, where Steffi Halm, René Reinert and Sascha Lenz are all still in close contention. Halm edged ahead after outscoring Reinert at the Nürburgring, with a 14-point cushion in hand, while Lenz sits a further 11 points back.

Antonio Albacete and José Eduardo Rodrigues may be at the bottom of the Titan standings, both on 74 points, but one good weekend from either of them whilst a competitor struggles could see them right back in the third-place fight.

Track action starts with two free practice sessions and qualifying on Friday afternoon.

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