Race preview: Goodyear FIA ETRC is back as rivals rev up to keep Kiss in Czech
The Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship is back after its summer break at Autodrom Most next week (28-30 August) when a wide-open battle for on-track success is expected at a venue increasingly familiar to the 18 drivers set for action.
A regular fixture on the Goodyear FIA ETRC calendar, Autodrom Most also hosts the traditional pre-season open test, which essentially means that no driver will hold a significant advantage over the other.
The driver line-up includes home hero Adam Lacko, who made his eagerly anticipated return to the Goodyear FIA ETRC at the Nürburgring last month following a lengthy absence.
Buggyra ZM Racing-run Lacko is one of four European champions past and present raring to fight for Goodyear FIA ETRC glory at Autodrom Most having claimed title gold in 2017. Antonio Albacete, Jochen Hahn and Norbert Kiss have also won international truck racing’s biggest prize with Kiss bidding for a record-extending eighth crown in 2026.
After 12 races split over three rounds, Kiss leads joint second-placed drivers Sascha Lenz and Albacete by 62 points in the overall standings with Mark Taylor just eight points ahead of John Newell in the Chrome classification and 42 in front of Bradley Smith in third. However, with events at Zolder, Le Mans and Jarama still to come this season, all Goodyear FIA ETRC titles remain firmly up for grabs.
Kiss was a double winner at Autodrom Most in 2025 when Albacete and José Eduardo Rodrigues also enjoyed a share of the limelight after they banked a win apiece at the Czech venue 12 months ago.
Other drivers preparing to take on the 4.212-kilometre layout are race-by-race entrants Lukas Hahn, Emma Mäkinenand Christian Ruppert, who makes his first Goodyear FIA ETRC start of the season at Autodrom Most. The trio are contenders for Chrome category points along with Tankpool24 Racing’s Freightliner-equipped Steffen Faas, MAN racers Luke Garrett and Stefan Kursch, and Mercedes-powered Luis Recuenco (G.P.R Sport). Steffi Halm and René Reinert are in the chase for overall points after they impressed at the Nürburgring last month.
Combining the excitement of truck racing with entertainment, sustainability and technical innovation, the Goodyear FIA ETRC is heavy metal motor sport at its very best, a truly unique spectacle and the pinnacle of global truck competition with 2026 marking the 20th full season since the current format was introduced.
With the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) assuming full control of the series, the Goodyear FIA ETRC enters an exciting new era in 2026.
As well as continuing to oversee the Goodyear FIA ETRC’s sporting and technical regulations, the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide is taking a more hands-on approach in running the championship.
Areas such as partnerships, calendar development, circuit relations, competitor engagement and paddock operations are all being managed directly by the FIA, part of efforts to strengthen the championship’s long-term growth by covering areas from sporting level to media exposure and sustainability.
SUSTAINABILITY AT THE HEART OF GOODYEAR FIA ETRC
Back in 2021, the Goodyear FIA ETRC became the first FIA-sanctioned motor sport series to switch to fully sustainable biofuel through a partnership with TotalEnergies, which continues in 2026.
All FIA ETRC drivers use Goodyear tyres incorporating 60 per cent sustainable materials, a five per cent increase compared to 2025, achieved through the use of carefully selected ingredients, such as silica produced from waste rice husk ash and carbon black sourced from alternative feedstocks. Goodyear retreads its racing tyres into standard truck tyres, thereby avoiding the practice of disposing of racing tyres.
Italian manufacturer IVECO, which introduced its electric S-eWay as the official Goodyear FIA ETRC pace truck in 2025, also remains a key partner.
CHAMPION KISS FIGHTS THROUGH THE PACK TO TRIUMPH
Norbert Kiss left his best to last, fighting through from eighth to first on the opening lap of Race 4 to make it three Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship victories out of four at the Nürburging prior to the summer break. Qualifying on pole position twice, Hungarian hero Kiss rounded out the Int. Shell ADAC Truck-Grand-Prix weekend with a provisional lead of 62 points for Révész Racing in his bid for a record-extending eighth Goodyear FIA ETRC crown. Once again, the Goodyear FIA ETRC drivers and their teams delivered four action-packed races for the tens of thousands of fans in attendance at the sun-drenched German venue, with René Reinert joining Kiss as an overall winner after he took the chequered flag first in Race 2. Having shared the Chrome category wins with Bradley Smith on Saturday (11 July), Mark Taylor proved unbeatable in both counters on Sunday (12 July). Taylor, the defending Chrome champion, also finished second overall to Kiss in Race 4 as Antonio Albacete completed the top three. Spaniard Albacete also placed third in Race 3 behind winner Kiss and runner-up Jochen Hahn, who was voted by fans as the latest recipient of the Goodyear Wingfoot Award. Home heroes Reinert and Steffi Halm had enjoyed a day to remember on Saturday by finishing first and third in Race 2 after Kiss added to his Goodyear FIA ETRC winning tally with victory in Race 1. That left Kiss to line up in eighth and Reinert alongside polesitter Taylor for Race 2. And having been denied the Race 2 win at Slovakia Ring by 0.010s, Reinert wasted no time passing Taylor for a lead he wouldn’t lose as José Eduardo Rodrigues and Halm completed the podium. Kiss, who was joined on the Race 1 podium by Antonio Albacete and Jochen Hahn earlier in the day, came within 0.125s of beating Halm to third in Race 2, but had to settle for second after Halm drove at her defensive best to secure the final podium spot. Taylor took the Chrome honours in Race 1 ahead of John Newell and Smith but there was no repeat for Taylor in Race 2 due to a trio of over-speeding judgements. Smith triumphed as a result ahead of Newell and Lukas Hahn, who was leading the category in Race 1 before tyre damage forced him to retire. Click HERE for a review of the season so far.
FANS GET THEIR SAY WITH NEW-FOR-2026 GOODYEAR WINGFOOT AWARD
Already presented in several major series, including the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series and the British Touring Car Championship, the Goodyear Wingfoot Award is new to the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship for 2026 and recognises driver performance and achievement in the Goodyear FIA ETRC. At each of the seven Goodyear FIA ETRC events, a panel of experts from the FIA and Goodyear nominate three drivers following Race 3, based on their overall performance during the race weekend, their sporting behaviour and highlights on track. Fans will then be able to vote for their driver of the weekend via Instagram from the shortlist of candidates during Race 4. The winner is announced as part of the live broadcast coverage of Race 4 and presented with the Goodyear Wingfoot Award on the final podium. Norbert Kiss (Misano), Sascha Lenz (Slovakia Ring) and Jochen Hahn (Nürburgring) are the winners so far.
PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST: ROUND 4, AUTODROM MOST, 28-30 AUGUST
1 Norbert Kiss (Hungary), Révész Racing Kft, MAN (Titan)
2 Jochen Hahn (Germany), IVECO (Titan)
18 John Newell (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)
22 Lukas Hahn (Germany, IVECO (Chrome)*
23 Antonio Albacete (Spain), Team T Sport Bernau, MAN (Titan)
24 Steffen Faas (Germany), tankpool24 Racing, Freightliner (Chrome)
28 Emma Mäkinen (Finland), IVECO (Chrome)*
29 Christian Ruppert (Germany), MAN (Chrome)*
30 Sascha Lenz (Germany), MAN (Titan)
33 Stefan Kursch (Germany), MAN (Chrome)
38 José Eduardo Rodrigues (Portugal), MAN (Titan)
42 Luke Garrett (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)
44 Steffi Halm (Germany), IVECO (Titan)
46 Bradley Smith (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)
55 Adam Lacko (Czech Republic), Buggyra ZM Racing, IVECO (Titan)*
64 Luis Recuenco (Spain), CDE GPR Sport, Mercedes (Chrome)
77 René Reinert (Germany), MAN (Titan)
81 Mark Taylor (Great Britain), MAN (Chrome)
*Race-by-race entry
THEY SAID WHAT? GOODYEAR FIA ETRC DRIVERS LOOK AHEAD TO MOST
Antonio Albacete (Spain): “You never know if we can win. We are in a good performance so I hope we can keep this performance and be in the front again. I’m very happy for the whole team and all the sponsors. Nürburgring was good for us, we hope we can keep this pace.”
Jochen Hahn (Germany): “I love Most and we go there and we fight. I am so many times in Most and I love the mentality there. It’s our testing track so we know it the same, like the tracks in Germany.”
Norbert Kiss (Hungary): “It’s the closest the field will be because the drivers know the circuit very well, it’s the testing circuit for everybody, a bit like Barcelona in Formula One. It’s always very tight in Most, but we’ve made pole positions and won races at Most in the past, so this is what we’d like to do in the future as well.”
Adam Lacko (Czech Republic): “Hopefully, we've improved a bit since the Nürburgring, and I'll manage to get a podium to make myself and the home fans happy. There's always a completely different atmosphere in Most. When you arrive at the first chicane and feel the support of the fans, you try to perform to the best of your ability. First place would be great, but after three years it won't be easy at all. If I could get on the podium at least once, I would be satisfied.”
Mark Taylor (Great Britain): “Most is a good track, I like it, but the problem is when you think you are doing good it always ends up being something else. We’ve had some good results in the past, hopefully we’ll stick at it and get some good results this year.”
GOODYEAR FIA ETRC IN SHORT
4x7: Seven rounds with four races per event (two races each day)
160 kph: Safety-first approach means a speed limit of 160kph
1200bhp: Power output of 1200bhp and torque of around 6000Nm
5300: Minimum required racing truck total weight is 5300 kilograms, with a minimum of 3150 kilograms measured on the front axle
Qualifying format: For Races 1 and 3 a three-stage qualifying format decides the grid: Q1/Q4: 15 minutes for all race trucks; Q2/Q5: 10 minutes for twelve fastest drivers from Q1/Q4; Q3/Q6: 5 minutes for fastest six drivers from Q2/Q5; Grid positions for Races 2 and 4 decided by results of Races 1 and 3 with top eight drivers lining up in reverse order
Titan or Chrome: Drivers are either categorised as Titan or Chrome depending on their experience and level of success
Titles: Four FIA titles for Overall Championship and Chrome drivers, Young Driver and Team champions
ROUND FOUR ESSENTIALS
Venue: Autodrom Most, Tvrzova 5, 434 01 Most, Czech Republic
Website: https://www.autodrom-most.cz
Date: 28-30 August 2026
Track length: 4.212 kilometres Turns: 21 Direction: Clockwise
2025 winners: Norbert Kiss x 2, Antonio Albacete x 1, José Eduardo Rodrigues x 1
Tickets: Click HERE for more information
In 100 words: The established home of the Czech Truck Prix and truck racing for more than 25 years, Autodrom Most is located approximately 70 kilometres north of the country’s capital, Prague, and within easy reach of German cities Dresden and Leipzig. The track layout offers an exciting blend of medium- and high-speed sweeps and turns with a long start/finish straight leading to an ultra-tight chicane. Work started on Autodrom Most on the site of a former coal surface mine in 1978 and was completed in 1983. The venue was built in response to demand for a permanent racing circuit in the region.
AUTODROM MOST KEY TIMINGS*
Friday 28 August
12:20-12:50: Free Practice 1
14:10-14:40: Free Practice 2
16:15-17:05: Qualifying 1-2-3 (15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes)
Saturday 29 August
09:00-09:15: Warm-up
11:00-11:15: Autograph session (Fan Village)
12:00-12:25: Grid Walk
12:40-13:05: Race 1 (11 laps)
‘13:15:13:25: Race 1 podium
16:15-16:40: Race 2 (11 laps)
16:50-17:00: Race 2 podium
Sunday 30 August
08:00-08:15: Warm-up
09:25-10:15: Qualifying 4-5-6 (15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes)
11:30-11:45: Autograph session (Fan Village)
12:35-13:00: Grid Walk
13:15-13:40: Race 3 (12 laps)
13:50-14:00: Race 3 podium
13:15-13:30: Autograph session (Fan Village)
16:15-16:40: Race 4 (11 laps)
16:50-17:00: Race 4 podium
*All timings are local, provisional and subject to change
WHERE TO WATCH
Details of where and when to watch the Goodyear FIA ETRC will be available by clicking HERE soon. Revisit all the races so far in 2026 on YouTube.
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