CHROME CHAMPIONSHIP HEATS UP AT HALFWAY MARK
The fight for the Chrome Championship is wide open as the season hits its halfway point, with Mark Taylor closing in on leader Bradley Smith after a tough weekend for the Don’t Touch Racing driver.
Saturday belonged to Taylor, who scored two podiums while Smith could do no better than P5 in both races, costing Smith 11 points, and shortening much of the lead he had built at the Lausitzring and Slovakia Ring.
Sunday seemed to follow the same script. Taylor delivered another strong qualifying, taking a Q3 start and second in class, while Smith got caught in a first-lap tangle in Race 3 that nearly ended his run. Thanks to a huge effort from his team and the #onetruckfamily, Smith rejoined and stormed back to sixth — but with Taylor taking yet another second place in Chrome, the gap narrowed further.
It was Race 4 where fortunes finally flipped. A mechanical issue — a loose coolant pipe — forced Taylor out, allowing Smith to fight his way to P2 in class and claw back nine vital points. He leaves the Nürburgring with a slender four-point advantage as the championship heads into its second half.
Consistency was key for John Newell, who overcame early technical issues to claim three third places, enough to move him up to P3 in the standings ahead of Clemens Hecker. For Hecker, it was a weekend to forget — boost problems plagued his first two days, and Sunday brought only incidents and penalties. He left his home event with just 15 points and no podiums, now trailing Newell by 14 points.
German driver, Steffen Faas, could only add one podium to his 2025 tally. After promising signs in Slovakia, where he seemed to have his new truck’s reliability sorted, the Nürburgring proved frustratingly off pace. Now sixth in the standings, Faas is closing in on Luis Recuenco in fifth — and if his upward trend continues, that battle could shift next round.
For Recuenco, the weekend was full of missed opportunities. Despite glimpses of potential, nothing quite came together. Luke Garrett will likely share that feeling — decent pace, but lacking the final punch to fight at the front. He sits seventh in Chrome, six points off Faas and 13 behind Recuenco.
Lukas Hahn dominated the weekend with four class wins, scooping maximum points and indirectly helping Smith hold onto his lead. Despite contesting only one round so far, Hahn sits just behind Garrett in the standings. His performances show just how competitive he remains in this field.
Christian Ruppert continues his rookie season of learning, picking up valuable experience as he adapts to the Goodyear FIA ETRC. He’s ninth in the standings with 38 points — and with Most, his favourite track, up next, there could be more to come.
Meanwhile, Stefan Kursch made a welcome return after injury sidelined him for two rounds. Back in action on home soil, he fought hard in the midfield and gave the Nürburgring crowd a show. Despite having only scored points in two rounds, he's just two points shy of Ruppert in the standings.
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