TRIUMPHANT TAYLOR AND A RAPID RODRIGUES
POZNAŃ PROMOTER’S CUP REVIEW
The first ever Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship round in Poland was an electric one for the Promoter’s Cup challengers, seeing them either sparkle or sizzle at TOR Poznań. Mark Taylor was one of the stand outs of the weekend, along with race-by-race entry Lukas Hahn.
After a quiet start to the season, Taylor really came into his own for the third round, getting the feel for his MAN truck and the flow of the Goodyear FIA ETRC. Taking four out of four Promoter’s Cup podiums, he got very close to taking his first win of the season. It was certainly an admired performance, and one that – if he continues this momentum into the next rounds at the Nürburgring - he could become a regular front runner.
Rodrigues was on his expected 2023 form, taking both class pole positions for Race 1 and 3. Although slightly overshadowed by Hahn – who was on top of the Goodyear FIA ETRC Young Driver podium in Poland – he made multiple appearance on the class podium, doing all he needs to maintain a lead over the chasing field.
TOR Poznań certainly belonged to Lukas Hahn, taking three of the four Promoter’s Cup victories, once also equating to an overall victory. It’s the second overall victory the German has achieved in his Goodyear FIA ETRC career, following on from another reverse grid pole at the Nürburgring last year. The multiple-champion’s son seemed unflappable when being put under pressure by the Titan drivers and really showed that, if he were a full season entry, he would definitely be a contender to win the class championship.
It was certainly a weekend to forget for Steffen Faas as his mixed performance saw class leader José Eduardo Rodrigues extend his championship lead to almost 30 points. Scoring under half the points of Rodrigues with a DNF, and three non-podium finishes has given him everything to race for at his home event in Germany.
After a strong performance last time out at the Slovakia Ring, John Newell had a quieter weekend in Poland, that saw him take third in class once in Race 2.
Johnathan André found himself at the back of the field more often than not at TOR Poznań. It seems the rest of the Promoter’s Cup challengers adapted better to the conditions at the new track than the French driver.
Luis Recuenco couldn't quite follow up on his improved performance from two weeks ago. The Spaniard finished all but the last race, where he had to retire early with a technical issue.
Clemens Hecker was sadly absent from the second day of racing after a technical issue was discovered on his truck after Race 2 which was unrepairable. It was a shame to lose him from the grid for Sunday as his pace on Saturday had looked competitive and he may have been able to rival the other Chrome drivers for a class podium. Hopes are high that, whatever the technical fault was, it can be fixed to see Hecker back on track for the four races at the Nürburgring.
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