Red Flags Thwart Lacko ´s Hopes for Podium
The first cup race of the European Race Truck Championship offered the numerous audience a thrilling race with twice repeated start due to accidents in the first double curve of the Most circuit. Lacko and Vršecký maintained their ranks achieved in the time practice.
A morning rain over the Most circuit prepared a wet, just slowly drying circuit and thick fog for the opening fifteen-minute warm up. These conditions fit Adam Lacko, whose lap time was the quickest and the only one getting below the limit of two minutes and four seconds.
The morning programme traditionally included the time practice, which had to be interrupted with the red flags due to a power cut. The Buggyra pair easily advanced to the super pole with David Vršecký ´s fifth best lap time and Adam Lacko just one rank worse. The super pole decided about the arrangement of the starting grid for the first cup race of the weekend after the very first lap with the results of the lap not improved by anybody for the rest of the practice time. Lacko obtained the second row and Vršecký one row after him.
Before the cup race another shower forced the crowds of fans under the roofed tribune opposite the pits. But the race was already started in sunny weather. Vršecký started excellently and advanced to the fifth rank while Lacko seemed to be able to get to the third rank for a while but the experienced Albacete guarded his rank well.
Meanwhile five trucks crashed in the middle of the field in the first double curve of the circuit. Thus the circuit management showed the red flags and interrupted the race.
The second start after a twenty-minute pause was again managed excellently by Adam Lacko. This time the Buggyra pilot advanced to the third rank in front of Albacete. The mighty applause of the fans did not last long, though, when Gerd Korber stopped in the first curve and caused another interruption of the race.
Although the third start of the race was already successful, its length was reduced from the original eleven laps to seven. Antonio Albacete kept Adam Lacko behind his back this time, which meant fourth rank for the latter. Also the fifth Markus Bösiger watched for David Vršecký, not letting him in front of him, and so the Buggyra pilots maintained their starting positions till the end of the race.
While Norbert Kiss rushed for victory, the second rank was the subject of a struggle between Jochen Hahn, Antonio Albacete and Adam Lacko, who kept pace with the quickest. The shortened race did not provide many opportunities for attacks and thus Lacko tried a couple of attacks on Albacete, who however maintained calm nerves and professional detachment.
*"Of course I wanted the podium but my rivals were against. Maybe the second repetition of the race might have been more successful if it were not for the repeated stop. The most important thing is that we have finished the race and scored. There is one more race in front of us today anyway,“* said the fourth ranking Lacko.
*"What a pity the race was protracted by the starting collisions. After the first and the second start I managed to get one rank up but in this very case Bösiger did not let his fifth rank to me. The race proved that we are as quick as our rivals and so we will see what we can get from the second race where I will start from the third position,“* said the sixth ranking David Vršecký after the race.
