HECKER AND FAAS RESURGENT AS SMITH TAKES CHARGE
The first weekend of the season without Mark Taylor on a Chrome podium saw Bradley Smith extend his lead in the class standings.
Heavy rain at Slovakia Ring reduced the event to three races, with Race 4 canceled due to unsafe conditions. Smith made the most of it, featuring on all three Chrome podiums, while main rival Taylor left without any silverware. This gave Smith a clear edge at the top of the standings.
Smith started strong with a class win in Race 1, followed by second place in Race 2 and third in Race 3, earning 41 points over the weekend. Taylor, by comparison, scored only 18 points, leaving Smith with a 14-point lead as the championship reaches its halfway mark.
Taylor faced a difficult weekend, starting with a penalty that dropped him off the Chrome podium in Race 1 and out of the reverse grid positions. After that, it was all about damage limitation as he tried to keep pace with the flying Smith.
The standout performance this weekend came from Steffen Faas. After a turbulent start to the season, Faas and the tankpool24-Racing team look to have sorted reliability issues with the Freightliner. His pace in Slovakia will surely concern his rivals. While it may take some luck for Faas to rejoin the Chrome title fight after low-scoring previous rounds, his strong weekend gives his team hope.
Clemens Hecker returned to form after a quiet Lausitzring, securing a Chrome podium and reaffirming his position in the class. His highlight was qualifying fourth overall in Q2, which he converted into a class win and overall third place in Race 3. Though Smith and Taylor remain ahead, Hecker is firmly holding third in the standings.
John Newell delivered a strong Saturday with two Chrome P3 finishes, continuing to consistently score and make podium appearances.
Luke Garrett had another mixed weekend, suffering what felt like a lack of power. He classified in every race, adding valuable points and showing improved reliability over Lausitzring. He’s hopeful that new front springs arriving for Nürburgring will boost his on-track performance.
Luis Recuenco, who took the first Chrome pole of the weekend, appeared set for podiums again. A mistake in Race 1 lost him not only class lead, but a place on the class podium. He struggled to recover after that setback.
Christian Ruppert completed another fully classified weekend with solid points.
