TAYLOR SEALS CHROME TITLE IN NAIL-BITING FINALE
With three drivers still mathematically in contention going into the final race of the season, Mark Taylor emerged on top in the closest Chrome championship battle the class has seen.Taylor’s season has been a rollercoaster. He started as one of the favourites, but luck and reliability issues left him with mixed results. Even Saturday at Jarama looked to have put him on the back foot, with the fight appearing to be more between John Newell and Bradley Smith. But a brilliant Race 3 win, after a bold move on Lukas Hahn, reignited his campaign and left him just one point behind Smith heading into the decider.
On countback, Taylor only needed to finish one place ahead of Smith to clinch the title. Starting from reverse grid pole with Smith down in class fifth (overall P12), Taylor’s job was clear: keep it clean. He did exactly that, holding onto overall P2 at the start. With Steffi Halm behind busy defending her podium spot, Taylor simply had to stay on track to seal the crown. In the end, the margin was just three points, but it was a deserved and remarkable comeback to take the championship.
Credit must go to Smith, who impressed throughout his first full Goodyear FIA ETRC season. With four class wins, strong pace and sharp racecraft, he proved himself as a real talent and secured second in the standings.
Newell, meanwhile, built his season on consistency. Though quieter in the early rounds, he was firmly in contention by the finale. Taking his first overall win in the Goodyear FIA ETRC in Race 2 boosted his confidence, however title hopes faded in Race 3, unable to find a way past Smith, which left him too much to recover in Race 4. Still, he can take pride in his performances and will look to build on them in 2026.
Clemens Hecker was another contender but, like Taylor, had a tough Saturday in Spain that ended his challenge. An early Q1 exit left him on the back foot and too far behind the leaders. Still, the Scania showed flashes of strong pace across the year, something the team will look to carry into the winter as they prepare for a renewed push next season.
With Luis Recuenco playing his joker for the final round, the door opened for Luke Garrett to chase fifth in the standings. Garrett’s year was plagued by reliability issues, but when things clicked, the Garrett Trucksport machine showed genuine speed. Even without his Race 4 DNF, though, he would have fallen short of overhauling the Spaniard. The team now knows where improvements are needed and will aim to come back stronger in 2026.
For Steffen Faas, despite a DNF in Race 2, it was a strong end to the season. Seventh overall marked solid progress in a year of learning with their new Mercedes engine in the sole Freightliner entry. As they showed at the Slovakia Ring, when everything works, the package has real potential, making them one to watch in 2026.
Lukas Hahn and Jonathan André joined the grid in Jarama as race-by-race entries, along with Craig and Simon Reid.Hahn impressed with three podiums from four races, claiming eighth in the Chrome standings despite only two appearances all season, underlining that a full campaign would make him a genuine contender.
Jonathan André’s consistent weekend earned him ninth in Chrome, finishing ahead of Stefan Kursch, who missed early rounds through injury but gained valuable experience in his first full season. Christian Ruppert also treated 2025 as a learning year in his debut season. Both will look to return in 2026 to build on their foundations.
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