Taylor regains Chrome lead as Garrett takes maiden victory in Zolder
Mark Taylor bounced back from a tricky Most to reclaim the lead in the championship standings, while Luke Garrett celebrated his first class victory of the season.After Most, Taylor had not only seen then-leader Bradley Smith extend his advantage, but also had Clemens Hecker and John Newell close in on him in the fight for the 2025 title. He knew he needed a stronger showing at Zolder, and after spending the break repairing and refining his truck, he absolutely delivered.
Hecker was the man to beat on Saturday, taking class pole, victory in Race 1, and second in Race 2. But Sunday belonged to Taylor. He had already claimed the class win in Race 2 thanks to the reverse grid and a strong drive, and carried that form into the second day. Class pole, a second place in Race 3, and victory in Race 4 put him on the podium in every race and 12 points clear at the top of the standings.For Hecker, Sunday failed to match the highs of Saturday. Struggling with pace and overtaking, he, along with Smith, was knocked out in Q1 of the second qualifying session, a stark contrast to his pole on Saturday. He salvaged fourth in class in Race 4, but eighth in Race 3 handed the advantage to Taylor heading into the penultimate round.
Smith endured a weekend to forget. Struggling with illness, his performance was clearly affected as the championship leader dropped to third in class, with his best finish just fourth. Knocked out of both qualifying sessions in Q1, his lack of track position at tight and twisty Zolder proved costly. He and Hecker are now tied on 207 points, 12 behind Taylor, but with Hecker ahead thanks to more wins.
Newell looked set for similar struggles to Smith, with his MAN appearing down on pace, but he recovered on Sunday to stay in the fight. Two third-place finishes, outscoring both Hecker and Smith, keep him just eight points behind. It would be quite a feat for Newell to climb to the top of the Chrome standings in the final two rounds, but as this season has shown, one bad day can completely swing the championship. He’s still very much in contention.
For Luke Garrett, Zolder marked a breakthrough. After reliability woes since joining the Goodyear FIA ETRC last season, the Brit finally saw his hard work rewarded with a first class win. He pulled off a brilliant pass on Taylor in Race 3 and, finishing P8 overall, also securing his maiden overall pole for Race 4. Though he couldn’t convert that into another class win as Taylor had his eyes on the top prize, Garrett’s P2 finish capped a strong weekend. The double podium moves him to within 15 points of Luis Recuenco in fifth.
It was a mixed weekend for Recuenco, who looked quick on Saturday, taking a third and fourth-place finish, but Sunday brought frustration. In Race 4, a brief pit stop for a suspected issue dropped him to P7, 22 seconds behind Steffen Faas.
Faas himself looked set for another difficult weekend after missing Qualifying 1 and retiring in Race 2, before also sitting out Qualifying 2. But he bounced back with strong runs in Races 3 and 4. When the Freightliner is running well, it’s quick, as he showed in Slovakia with three podiums, including a win. He’ll hope Zolder marked the end of his troubles and that he can finish the season on a high.
Stefan Kursch returned to the Goodyear FIA ETRC this weekend. He fought hard, improved with each outing, and impressed in qualifying. Sadly, an engine issue sidelined him from Race 4, but he’ll look to continue his progress in Le Mans.
It was also great to see Jonathan André back on the grid, giving the full-season contenders another challenger to deal with. Consistently finishing fifth in every race but Race 1, he caused headaches for the title contenders. A possible return to the grid before the season ends would keep the competition spicy right through to Jarama.
