Last weekend the T Sport Bernau team attended the Truck Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, the highlight of the year and the biggest and most important race for our team.
It’s a weekend we all look forward to, but also a weekend that requires a lot of planning and preparation in the build up to the on track action.
Over the weekend we were expecting to welcome over 700 guests to join us in the paddock, with most of them visiting on Saturday which is a day full of racing, entertainment, live music and a breathtaking fireworks display.
The team arrived at the circuit on Monday evening to start preparations for the weekend. The team spent 2 days erecting our workshop area, an impressive 150 square meter hospitality tent and an outdoor area that included a chill out area and an event container supplied by our team partner Truckfit. From the event container we were able to sell team merchandise and distribute many different cool and useful giveaways to our fans. Our guests also had access to a large VIP lounge above the start finish line where they could get unparalleled views of the on track action as it unfolded.
On Thursday morning we kick started the weekend with 2 press ride sessions followed by a free practice session. During the time on track Antonio’s lap times were looking very promising, the team did however notice some small performance issues coming from our gearbox and engine. Luckily the mechanics were able to service the engine and swap the gearbox overnight on Thursday before the real on track action began on Friday.
Friday began with 2 more free practice sessions which gave the team the chance to ensure the overnight work was successful. This was soon followed by the all important first qualifying session of the weekend. Antonio once again progressed into the third qualifying session without any problems before putting in a great final lap to secure third on the grid. However, after a track limits penalty he had to settle for a 4th place start for the first race.
The first race of the weekend and Antonio got a great start, passing Sascha Lenz. Soon after there was some contact as all the trucks were fighting for position causing Antonio to spin, dropping him back to fifth. As we’ve seen so many times before, Antonio’s determination shone through as he fought hard and managed to gain a place back, finishing the race where he started, in fourth position.
The start of the second race and Antonio was trying hard to gain places, after being pushed out wide while trying to make and move Norbert Kiss and Jochen Hahn were able to slip past which saw Antonio drop back to eighth. After some hard racing and some fantastic driving Antonio was able to overtake Lucas Hahn and crossed the line in seventh position.
Sunday morning saw the second qualifying session of the weekend. Antonio continued his clean sweep of progressing to the third session in every qualifying so far this season. In the final session, with a fantastic lap, Antonio qualified 2nd. Once again however luck was not on his side. The lap time was deleted due to a penalty which put him in 6th position for the start of penultimate race of the weekend.
The race began and Antonio’s experience showed as he managed to avoid making contact with another truck at the start. This did however see Antonio drop a position to seventh. Keeping calm Antonio was able to run a clean race from there and brought the truck home, undamaged, in seventh. This wasn’t the result we were all hoping for but we took solace in the fact that due to the reverse grid format, Antonio would line up on the front row of the grid for the final race of the weekend.
Antonio got a fantastic start, holding position in second place throughout the first lap with only Steffi Halm ahead of him. With some great driving Antonio was able to pile the pressure on Steffi ahead before taking the opportunity to overtake and put himself into the lead of the race. Keeping calm and putting in some excellent laps Antonio was able to hold his position in the lead throughout the rest of the race before taking the victory at the chequered flag. A fantastic result to end a successful race weekend for the team.
The overall results weren’t what we had hoped for this weekend but we are still in the fight for third position in the overall championship standings which is our goal for the season. We were blown away by the amount of fans and spectators we saw in the paddock and all the guests that came to enjoy the weekend in our hospitality areas. For the first time this season we will now return to our workshop in the UK where we will give the truck a full service before we head to the next round of the 2024 Goodyear FIA Truck Racing Championship in Most, Czech Republic.
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