FIA decided to make an interesting experiment on the weekend of September 26 - 28, inviting both truck divisions, i.e. Super Race Truck a Race Truck, to a joint race outside the programme of the European Championship in Assen, The Netherlands, a racing circuit better known as a venue of world motorcycle championship events. The more powerful Super Race Truck division vehicles were to be given a time handicap in the four races comprising the weekend programme. All this was intended as a potential model for organizing races in the next season. No less important was the selected venue, as the organizers were expected to prove to the International Automobile Federation that they were able to organize such truck races next year.
Team drivers were able to get the first feel of the circuit on Saturday morning, during one free and one measured practice sessions, the latter also determining their roster positions in the first race on Saturday. As expected, pilots of stronger Super trucks, led by Gerd Korber, dominated on the technically demanding Assen circuit. Gerd won the pole position by a comfortable margin, followed by his team colleague David Vršecký; it is true that he experienced some difficulties with the turboblower during the free practice, but his mechanics succeeded in putting everything to order before the start of the measured practice session. The third place on the drying track fell to Luostarinen from Finland, who had replaced Markus Oestreich in the cockpit of the yellow MAN truck.
Oliver from the UK prevailed in the weaker Race Truck division, with Allgauer (Austria) and Crozier (France) being second and third, respectively. The l ex-Formula 1 legend, Jan Lammers, made a great introduction before his home crowd. Sitting in a truck cab for the first time ever, he managed to finish ninth, beating one of the candidates for the podium, Jochen Hahn from Germanz, in the process.
Results: Free practice - Super Race Truck + Race Truck divisions:
1. Korber (Germany) Buggyra 1:45,660 2. Oestreich (Germany) MAN 1:47,956 3. Vršecký (CR) Buggyra 1:50, 711 4. Oliver (GBR) MAN 1:52,143 5. Bernau (Germany) MAN 1:53,841 6. Allgauer (Austria) MAN 1:54,154
Total - 21 trucks.
Results: Measured practice - Super Race Truck + Race Truck divisions:
1. Korber (Germany) Buggyra 1:44,871 2. Vršecký (CR) Buggyra 1:45,844 3. Luostarinen (Finland) MAN 1:46,278 4. Oliver (GBR) MAN 1:50,970 5. Allgauer (Austria) MAN 1:51,884 6. Crozier (France) MAN 1:52,276 7. Bernau (Germany) MAN 1:52,772
Total - 20 trucks.
Then came the turn of the long-awaited first race together. Unlike in normal races, the pack of 21 trucks was led by two pace cars, one leading the Race Truck division vehicles, the other, 40 seconds behind, the Super Race trucks. 20,000 spectators did not have to wait long for dramatic moments. Yellow flags appeared in the very first round, as several trucks collided after the start and blocked the track. It was perhaps for the first time ever that the whole pack had to detour to the grass to get clear of the obstacle. Dramatic situations peaked in the third lap (out of 10), when Jan Lammers crashed his vehicle and a safety car had to be sent to the circuit. It was setting the pace of the race for three laps, a distinct disadvantage for the more powerful Super trucks, which were forced to slow down their pursuit. All this was proven true in the very end, as the race was reopened with just three laps to go. Korber, Vršecký and Luostarinen were doing their best, but even this performance did not get them farther than to the fourth, fifth and sixth places, respectively. Hahn won the race after a brilliant performance, followed by Oliver and Garrett.
First Saturday race rankings - Race Truck + Super Race Truck divisions (10 laps):
1. Hahn (Germany) Mercedes 26:00,453 2. Oliver (GBR.) MAN 26:00,889 3. Garrett (GBR) FODEN 26:01,825 4. Korber (Germany) Buggyra 26:02,073 5. Vršecký (CR) Buggyra 26:02,348 6. Luostarinen (Finland) MAN 26:03,047 7. Crozier (France) MAN 26:05,327 8. Horne (GBR) ERF 26:11,444
13 trucks out of the pack of 21 saw the finish line.
The second race on Saturday was also a dramatic show, the key player being David Vršecký. This time the Supers were given a handicap of only 20 second. In the very first of the ten laps, the Buggyra of the native of Roudnice started smoking, and the truck caught fire in just a few seconds. Vršecký fortunately kept a cool head and, with his truck ablaze, drove to the next firefighters' post, where the fire was quickly extinguished. The race was interrupted for a few minutes, and the repeated start had to do without Vršecký. The Super Race trucks of Korber and Luostarinen demonstrated their strength again; in five laps out of the remaining nine, they made their way to the top of the race, finishing with a comfortable lead of 33 seconds. The palm of victory fell to Luostarinen who, after a dramatic duel, made use of a minor driving error of Korber in the last corner. The third place belonged to Oliver, who delivered a stunning performance toward the end of the race. Another star of the afternoon was veteran Formula 1 driver Jan Lammers. In the second truck race of his life, he brought his truck home in the excellent fourth place before cheering home crowds, beating much more experienced drivers, such as Garrett, Crozier, Bernau, Horne or Hahn.
Second Saturday race rankings - Race Truck + Super Race Truck divisions
1. Luostarinen (Fin.) MAN 16:26,957 2. Korber (Germany) Buggyra 16:28,113 3. Oliver (GBR) MAN 17:06,466 4. Lammers (NL) MAN 17:11,056 5. Garrett (GBR) FODEN 17:12,643 6. Crozier (Fr.) MAN 17:12,749 7. Bernau (Germany) MAN 17:21,392
17 trucks made their way to the final rankings.
Heard after the races:
David Vršecký : "I thought my last moment had come, as the firefighters took a lot of time to get me out, and flames were licking at me through the floor of the cab. The rear part of the truck is charred to the carbon base, I am not sure whether we will be able to repair by tomorrow, and particularly for the Jarama race. Otherwise, the races are super. Something is happening all the time, there is a lot of overtaking. The spectators certainly cannot be bored."
Gerd Korber: "I felt fine, it is true that we could not catch up with leading trucks in the first race, as there was not enough time to do so, but me and Harri succeeded in paying them back in the second race. I was shocked to see David's truck burning, there were flames almost 2 meters high. I have been around for a long time, but I have never seen anything like that. Otherwise I think that the experiment to put the two divisions together has been good so far. The only thing that remains to be done is fine-tuning the handicaps. It's a bomb for the spectators."
The weekend in Assen peaked in the two races on Sunday. A one-minute handicap notwithstanding, Korber won the first of them after a flawless performance, followed by Vršecký and Luostarinen. Buggyra Team's pilots switched places in the second race, and the highest position on the podium belonged to Vršecký.
Korber started off to the third race of the weekend in an impressive manner, and had to get through the whole pack to the top. His performance culminated in the last tenth lap, when he managed to work his way closely behind Crozier in the lead, but just four corners short of the finish line. After a very dramatic duel, which literally made the crowd of 40,000 to give standing ovations, he succeeded in overtaking him in the last corner. Vršecký also put up a tough fight; although behind Luostarinen for most of the race, he made use of the latter's mistake in the last lap and accompanied the German to the podium.
Third race rankings - Race Truck + Super Race Truck divisions (10 laps):
1. Korber (Germany) Buggyra 17:57,719 2. Crozier (France) MAN 18:00,277 3. Vršecký (CR) Buggyra 18:02,413 4. Luostarinen (Finland) MAN 18:05,367 5. Lammers (NL) MAN 18:05,718 6. Seiler (Šweden) MAN 18:28,113 7. Horne (GBR) ERF 18:33,778 8. Hahn (Germany) Mercedes 18:34,125
19 trucks made their way to the final rankings.
The fourth race was literally a delicacy for the spectators. And Buggyra, this time the one in a blue livery, played the key role again. Vršecký sneaked in front of Korber immediately after the start, and began to quickly eat up the minute lead of fast-pacing Race trucks. Vršecký ended his magnificent pursuit early into the eighth lap, when he did not leave anyone in doubts as to who the leader was. Korber's and Luostarinen's trucks followed suit. Vršecký finished with a lead of 33 seconds before Lammers in the fourth place.
Fourth race rankings - Race Truck + Super Race Truck divisions
1. Vršecký (CR) Buggyra 17:46,515 2. Korber (Germany) Buggyra 17:49,076 3. Luostarinen (Finland) MAN 17:52,660 4. Lammers (NL) MAN 18:20,058 5. Oliver (GBR) MAN 18:20,187 6. Garrett (GBR) FODEN 18:20,614 7. Hahn (Germany) Mercedes 18:23,151
14 trucks finished the race.
One can say that FIA's experiment with putting the two divisions together and giving the more powerful of them a handicap has turned out rather nicely. The organization of the event was also superb, which was the reason FIA has decided to include the Dutch Truck Grand Prix in the programme of the 2004 European Truck Championship. The date of the event has been fixed as well - the Assen circuit will see the races on September 26!
