The last event of this year on this famed and well-known circuit - however not the last event of Truck Racing Cup series - had to answer two essential questions: who will become this year's champion and who "crown prince"? In other words, whether Gerd's lead of fourteen points over Östreich will be sufficient to defend his European title and if David's small headway of six points from Antonio will suffice to keep his third place?
On Saturday morning, the entire circuit was folded in thick mist, which started to slacken as late as at midday. FIA's commissioners decided to cancel the morning program, and drivers lost their first two free practices. The remaining third practice started after 1 pm. A racecourse was wet at the beginning, but in the course of time it became drier and drier, and pilots were faster and faster. However, Gerd occupied the leading position almost constantly, only once was David got ahead of him for a while. Among nine vehicles, the third place was reached by excellently running Lacko with his Tatra, Östreich was on the fourth place before Antonio.
Time Practice started no-good for our colors. Gerd passed one lap only and he had to go to pits to replace the turbo-supercharger of his truck. This unplanned stop bit off one half of scheduled forty minutes, but it paid off undoubtedly. Immediately in the following lap, he got on the second place behind Östreich, and he even improved his own time at the close, but it was not sufficient to get to the pole position. Both championship contenders gained deservedly the first row. David had, for a change, problems with the back axle, and also he spent one half of his time practice with mechanics. He was on fifth place in Time Practice, and he gained the second row beside Lacko only thanks to Antonio's disqualification.
The start of qualification race went best for Gerd, who led two laps over Östreich, but they changed their position. In the fifth lap, Östreich did something wrong, he flew the track shortly and fell to the fourth place behind the trio of Buggyras. At that time, greatly finishing Antonio got to the second place, although he started from the fifth row only. Gerd did not want to take any risk because of wet surface, and gave up the lead to Antonio. The he comfortably got points for his second place and gained so another point of great importance before Östreich, who overtook David in the last lap. With a great delay, a trio of drivers reached the finish, who had a collision in the last curve. Stalder, the home driver, got out best of this mish-mash and recorded his greatest success in the racing season. But the most Lacko got to the finish in the most quaint and curious manner, when his breakaway resulted in a backward position. So, he engaged the reverse gear and backed his truck for remaining two hundred meters!
Before the start of the cup race, a lot was speculated about all alternatives of results, which could markedly change the final standings. However, the race progressed perhaps too peacefully under direction of pilots themselves, who arranged themselves immediately after the start in the following order: Gerd, Östreich, David, Antonio, Lacko, Luostarinem and a trio of inferior drivers. Lap by lap, distances between individual pilots were longer and longer, and, symbolically, they arrived the finish in the same order as their final standings in this year's championship.
In pits, Martin Koloc, stable's boss, thanked both pilots as well as other team members for a perfectly done job and achievement, which is definitely the hitherto greatest success of the Czech truckracing. On the evening gala ceremony, Gerd and David received cups for the first and third place in the 2003 European Truck Racing Cup in the Super Race Truck Class.
