Lacko Takes Lead in Misano after Three Wins!
The second stage of the ETRC in Misano, Italy, was under absolute control of Adam Lacko, who won not only both time practices but also three of the four races of the weekend. Thus he takes the lead in the overall ranking.
SATURDAY
SUPER POLE
The morning free practice already suggested that Adam Lacko might rank somewhere at the top of the list that day. This was also confirmed by the time practice where he had the best lap time, one thousandth of a second shorter than the Hungarian pilot Kiss. “I did not expect this result at all. Since yesterday I have felt that the surface was slippery and we could not find the ideal grip. And in the end the tight pass to the lead. I am happy,“ said Adam after the super pole. Enes Draganovič achieved the tenth best lap time.
Cup race 1
In the first race, started by Adam from the first row, the Czech pilot had to fight back Kiss´s attacks from the very first curves. But successfully he kept him behind his back all race, thus winning the first victory of this season for the Buggyra team. “Super, I am so delighted. It was not easy at all, Norbert was stuck to me like a tick but I am glad the truck performed absolutely and drove me to the first podium top this year,“ was the comment of the native of Čeladná on the first victory of this season.
Cup raced 2
The winner of the first race started the second scored ride of the day from the fourth row and began making his way forward from the second lap. He eventually ranked fourth when crossing the finish line. “Pity that even the quickest lap time was not enough for a podium rank. If it were not for the incident with Koerber who pushed me off the track I believe we would have managed,“ said Adam Lacko immediately after the race, then still ranking fourth. But the additional thirty-second penalisation of the Hungarian pilot Kiss eventually moved Adam up to the third rank. “I insist on repetition of the prize-giving ceremony“ commented Adam on the final result, bringing the second cup to him, with his typical smile.
The second pilot of the Buggyra Racing team Enes Draganovich struggled with technology rather than with time and rivals. “Since the morning we struggled for making the truck move at all. Enes did not properly cover any of the Saturday rides. We even received the technology from Parc Ferme 30 minutes later than standard and so we were absolutely deprived of the chance to make the vehicle operable for the first start. When everything seemed all right in the end and Enes started for the second ride he returned to the pits in the fifth lap,“ explained the technological complications following up the vehicle the director of the development section Robin Dolejš. The Slovenian pilot had certainly imagined his truck racing premiere much differently. “My comment? I know this sometimes happens in motor sport but not to finish a single ride oft eh day is sad.“
SUNDAY
SUPER POLE
In the Sunday super-pole Adam Lacko assured the pole position for his in the very first lap with the quickest lap time of the weekend, 2:02,594, surpassed by nobody that (or the previous) day. “I forgot to breathe out of the thrill. One cannot be more satisfied,“ commented Adam on the quickest lap time of this weekend. Enes Draganovich tried to reach for the top ten but for the reason of knocked down skittles his two best lap times were annulled and he started the first race from the sixth row.
Cup race 3
The first Sunday scored ride resembled the previous day. Adam Lacko did not let anybody in front of him from the start to the finish, thus securing the second victory for himself. “After start Kiss helped me a little: when chasing Hahn he made it easier for me to settle in the lead. Then it wall all well, everything worked as expected,“ commented Adam on the third race of the weekend. Enes Draganovich finally ranked ninth, which contributed to the silver rank in the Promoters Cup. “I am pleased with the rank among the top ten, it is a pity it was right below the eighth rank. But I have a cup and that makes me happy,“ commented the Slovenian pilot on his ride.
Cup race 4
The only Czech pilot in the field started the last race of the weekend from the fourth row. From the beginning he made it clear that he was not satisfied with two top ranks and one bronze. In the clearly most dramatic race of the weekend he moves forward lap by lap, taking the lead in the sixth and gripping it till the end of the race. “My most difficult moment came when after start Lenz made a spin and his truck suddenly emerged in front of me from the cloud of smoke. I only nearly missed a straight-on impact. I am very much delighted with the victory, the more so as I started from the eighth position in the starting grid,“ were the words about the last race of the weekend uttered by the then already overall leader of the European truck racing championship. The Slovenian pilot stuck to the top ten throughout the race, in the end losing his rank and dropping to the eleventh final rank. “Truck racing is a hard sport and I must get used to the fact that these vehicles can stand some contact. Otherwise I enjoyed the race,“ said Enes Draganovich at the end of the racing weekend.
