For a score of years, the Nürburgring racetrack used to be the place where Cup point were being contested, until this year – the first in the bountiful history of the event, when the focus of the race was „merely“ to contest the title of the Truck Racing Champion of Germany. However, it has been manifest even before the event that not a single entrant out of the 34 trucks entered for the race would fail to regard this prestigious and most abundantly visited event (having 185 thousand spectators in attendance this year!) with the greatest earnestness; definitely, not a single one would want to be found missing from the starting field. Quite to the contrary: the list of entrants also came to include the names of those who do not appear on this year's FIA Cup list. Referring to either ancient or recent history, these were e.g., Reinhard Haegermann, Stuart Oliver, Daniel Seiler, or Heinz-Werner Lenz who used to be a great rival of Martin Koloc for a number of years. This last-mentioned pilot even made his appearance at the starting line together with his eldest son, Sascha. And could anyone fail to be acquainted with the name of Hans-Joachim Stuck? Indeed, it was no one else but this former Formula 1 pilot – now fifty five, a German veteran of the racetracks.
In view of the crowded program, the two free training courses as well as the first time practice were run on Friday. Our truckers' success in these runs had not been entirely up to their expectations and eventually, David and Gerd ranked sixth and seventh on the positions list, respectively. Thus, both of them won second-row positions in two separate qualifying races, because the entrants were split into two groups depending on whether they ended up at even-numbered or at odd-numbered positions after training.
Immediately after the start, Gerd with full grasp of the situation got himself ahead of Hahn to the third position after Pulič and Östreich, but all his efforts during nine laps to reach the pair of Mercedeses were in vain. David who had a formidable start was more successful and kept attacking Albacete who was in the lead from start to the very finishing line. In this way these two have considerably distanced themselves from the rest of the starting field.
It was the weather which brought about a distinct change in the course of subsequent events. Before the start of the main race, a heavy storm came rushing over the Nürburgring, provoking the first interruption of the race after several laps, caused by a pile-up type collision in which some twelve trucks were involved. Nearly two hours later, the start signal was given for the next laps of which however not a single one was completed. After a minor collision with Gerd, Pulič ended up standing still in the opposite direction and many pilots, David included, were able to avoid him only with great difficulties by swerving away to the grass. However, Vojtíšek when also attempting this manoeuvre failed because he had no free way left anywhere to turn to, and he crashed full-blast into the Croat. The race was interrupted again. After the damaged vehicles were towed away and the racetrack was cleaned up, the trucks were only allowed to course for seven more laps. Albacete was at the head of the pack followed by Gerd and Bösiger, with David occupying the fourth position. In the very next lap, damaged geometry caused by the collision with Pulič began to make itself felt on Gerd's truck, and Gerd had to slow down. Contrariwise, David who continued shooting ahead soon came to attack Albacete's first position. David's pursuit however was thwarted by a defect of electronics which he had to restart twice in order to make it to the finishing line at all. When the times from the two parts of the race were summed up Gerd won the podium placement to claim the cup for the third position, David ended up eighth.
For Sunday's qualifying race Gerd started from an inferior first-row position, but before even the first lap was over he overtook Östreich who made a mistake, and after that the only pilots he would see in front of him were those who were one full lap behind. Bösiger who came to rank second, also having availed himself of Östreich's error, was only following Gerd's graceful going. In the second qualifying race, David pulled off a master-stroke. Striking ahead „the Koloc way“ after a lightning start he slipped through from the second row along the inner track boundary and applying the brakes in the initial bend he pulled ahead of both Pulič and Hahn who had started in front of him. It may have been this what shocked them to such an extent that they both of them instantly succumbed to Albacete's attack, too. After two laps, Pulič dropped out of the vanguard of the race, and the leading trio continued incessantly coursing the laps tightly packed and in unchanged order until the last lap's finish.
The last weekend race was highly dramatic from start to finish. Gerd was the main hero, having best succeeded in squaring up to the initial hustle and bustle and to all the clashes that occurred after the start. On his foray to the second lap he already had a head start of several seconds and he continued to press his advance. However, a pack of some seven trucks, David's amongst them, was in hot pursuit behind him, striving to gain the best positions. Fenders and bumpers were seen flying in the air, some trucks would fail to fit onto the track here and there, and not even forbidden attacks were absent. Very soon, David's Buggyra won the second position, and would never yield again to any of the other pilots' furious efforts. David presented himself in the best light possible and, together with Gerd who waited for him to underscore the success of the team, has been able in the end to savor his triumphal passage across the finishing line.
On summing up the points gained in all the races, the Champion of Germany award went to Gerd Körber, ranking ahead of Markus Bösiger and David Vršecký.
On the last holiday weekend the truck racing fans will flock together in our homeland, at Most where the fifth part of the series of this year's Cup season will take place.
