Friday was a free day in the Super Race Trucks Class, and so mechanics could prepare both vehicles very carefully. David's truck required much less work, because routine checks and maintenance sufficed. However, they had to change the differential gear of Gerd's Buggyra, which was torn totally during recent testing on the airfield in Odolena Voda, and no time remained to repair it at home conditions. Late at evening, Martin Koloc and Mario Kress summoned a meeting of engineers and mechanics to consult "technical" strategy for the racing weekend.
Traditionally, it begun on Saturday, when three free practices took place. Right away, immediately the first one indicated that all and any teams had prepared very thoroughly for the eighth event. Actually, first five drivers overcame the last year course record of Finn Luostarinen, and, for instance, the difference between Spaniard Albacete, the fastest driver, and Gerd taking the third place, was exactly 25 hundredth of a second. David took the seventh place in competition of ten trucks, but he did not drive in full speed. He needed to get acquainted with the racetrack. Although he raced here in 1998, at that time he could not get the right know-how, because he bothered with his black SISU due to its insufficient engine power and excess smoke emissions. Both Buggyra's drivers were considerably more successful in the second practice, which was won by Gerd. He was the first driver, who succeeded to force the time per lap down under one minute and 54 seconds. It was his clear signal that his form is still shaping up. David improved his first time by almost three seconds, and he took the sixth place. Thus, Frenchman Faure, who again raced instead of wounded Matějovský, dropped to seventh place. Gerd threw down the gauntlet to be picked up by his competitors, when he cut the track record in the third free practice, and moreover - he won by a margin of 0.65 second, which is an unusual difference in case of super-trucks. David ran the third free practice with a new gearbox, when mechanics replaced the old one during the noon-hour, and he repeated the sixth place. He dropped behind the fifth Frenchman Ferté by three thousandths of a second only
In a favorable sonny weather with a temperature around twenty degrees of Celsius, the decisive one-hour Timed Practice begun. At its beginning, Gerd as well as David stayed in their boxes in pits and they hit the road only, when most drivers had three or four laps behind them. After his first "flying" lap, David kept the fourth place shortly, but when Gerd passed the finish line, David dropped to fifth place. The thing was, the German pilot being in Buggyra's service, immediately occupied a position, in which he could be recently seen, to our great delight, more and more frequently - the first place. The information from the chronometer came via Martin Koloc's walkie-talkie to Gerd's headset without any delay, and so the silver Buggyra could take a rest in pits. Luostarinen, Albacete and Bösiger reached excellent times as well, but in the end only the Swiss succeeded to beat Gerd. Approximately eight minutes were left till the limited period end, when our pilot renewed his final race against the chronometer. It took a short time only, and a local announcer reported that Gerd Körber, a German guy with Czech Buggyra, reached the new track record! No one else gave the same opportunity to the announcer. Also David reached his best time in the last lap, however, it did not suffice for any better place than the sixth one. But David did not need to feel ashamed of his performance, because to start into the qualification race from the third row side by side with Ferté, it was quite something in the world of the biggest circuit racing vehicles! Faure, who had great troubles with the back-axle and subsequently with punctured fuel tank of his truck in the third free practice, did not occur in the Timed Practice at all.
Also the Sunday's morning warm-up had developed best for Gerd as well - Bösiger on place two lagged behind him by more than half a second. David reached the seventh time, but, for example, just four tenths separated him from Faure on place five.
Shortly after the noon, the regal truck class started the first fight for cup points in the nine-laps qualifying race. Gerd got off the mark in a fantastic manner. He took the lead immediately and gradually he kept sufficiently ahead of a wolf-pack of his chasers, who hunted him in the following order: Bösiger, Luostarinen, and Albacete. David had a good start as well, he succeeded to get ahead of Ferté and run on place five. However, the Frenchman worried him hard, and already in the second lap, he overtook David. Almost a half of the race, David had to beat back attacks of another French driver - but Faure, at the wheel of Matějovský's Tatra, recognized soon that he had not a hope to overrun the blue Buggyra in this race. Gerd could afford to slow down at the race end and he fetched ten points with consummate skill. As regards following places, the standing in remained the same till the end.
Before the main race, the situation was precisely the same as two weeks ago in Most. And Gerd, a weekend's ace, faced a formidable challenge - to cross the last river, and to win. The saying that "no history repeats" was confirmed absolutely. Immediately after green lights went on, Gerd took a lead, and similarly as in the qualifying race, he dominated the field during all 14 laps till the finish. For the first time in history, he brought his Buggyra to a win in this prestigious super trucks category. David kept his sixth place from the starting grid till the finish, although he had again to beat back Faure's attacks, but Faure withdrew from the main race after eight laps due to technical problems.
The entire Buggyra team gathered around the victory rostrum to celebrate, together with Gerd, the hitherto most distinctive success of racing stable of Roudnice. While the crowd erupted in great rejoicings over the win, Martin and Mario joined Gerd on the top platform of victory rostrum. According to stable's boss, the word of thanks goes to everybody!
After eight events, Gerd moved up to the second place, and he is currently 11 points behind Luostarinen, a cup leader. David has consolidated his sixth place. Two remaining events are showing promise of the great drama.
