The race in Albacete did not turn out well for Lacko |
- 4. 6. 2006 - Albacete, Spain -Adam Lacko started the third round of this year's FIA European Truck Racing Cup in Albacete, Spain, with the completely repaired truck. In the course of the week after the races in Misano, the mechanics managed to prepare the truck for Adam so that he could contest this racing event of the European Truck Racing Cup. In the two free practice sessions on Saturday, the team were seeking to find out the optimum set-up of the truck. Adam started the free practice sessions on the 3539 m track in Albacete with times of about 2:00.600, claiming positions at the end of the group of the top ten drivers. He improved his performance in the timed practice by clocking his best time below the limit of two minutes, but his rivals progressed in a similar way. In the end, Adam started the qualifying from the eleventh spot of the starting grid. Having finished in tenth place, he gained one point for the overall standings. For the major part of the Cup Race held on the dusty track, he was competing for the ninth place in a duel with Markus Bösiger, of Switzerland. However, with three laps to go, the driving properties of Adam's truck impaired, namely, the rear-axle shock absorbers started to fade, causing the truck to behave in an unstable way when the brakes were applied. Consequently, Lacko only finished in eleventh place, coming third in the Spanish Cup, behind Albacete and Rodrigues. On Sunday, Lacko started the programme of the day by improving his times in the morning warm-up. In the timed practice session held afterwards, he claimed an excellent sixth place with a time of 1:58.451, gaining the spot in the third line of the starting grid for the qualifying session, which began at 12.40, in the clear, warm weather. In the course of this session, he fought his way to the fifth place. Despite being attacked for the whole time by Bösiger, of Switzerland, he kept this position up to the finish. In comparison with Saturday, Adam Lacko showed considerably more satisfaction after this qualifying session. He said: 'I experienced troubles with gear shifting and with the clutch in the second half of the qualifying session. I am glad that I succeeded in improving the starting grid position for the main race, and I will try to attack the top positions of the field.' Two hours later, the Sunday Cup Race was started, with Adam competing with the Swiss driver Bösiger for the fifth position; in the end, Bösiger was the faster of the two. However, on the last lap, in one of the sharp bends, Albacete, of Spain, hit the rear end of Lacko's truck, causing Lacko to leave the track for a moment. In the end, Lacko finished in seventh place. After the race, the FIA supervisors investigated not only Albacete's attack on Adam Lacko's truck, but also a similar impact inflicted by Adam upon the Spaniard in retaliation immediately after driving through the finish line. Both drivers paid for their impetuousness in the end. Lacko was expelled from Sunday's races while Albacete was penalized, ending up without any points as well. Results: Saturday, qualifying session (8 laps): 1. Oestreich (Germany-Mercedes), 2. Albacete (Spain-MAN), 3. Körber (Germany-Buggyra), .. , 5. Vršecký (Czech Republic-Buggyra), .. , 7. Vojtíšek (Czech Republic-Renault), .. , 10. Lacko (Czech Republic-MAN) Saturday, Cup Race (13 laps): 1. Oestreich, 2. Hahn (Germany-Mercedes), 3. Körber, .. , 5. Vršecký, .. , 7. Vojtíšek, .. , 11. Lacko Sunday, qualifying session (8 laps): 1. Körber (Germany-Buggyra), 2. Hahn (Germany-Mercedes), 3. Oestreich (Germany-Mercedes), 4. Vršecký (Czech Republic-Buggyra), .. , 7. Vojtíšek (Czech Republic-Renault) Sunday, Cup Race (13 laps): 1. Körber (Germany-Buggyra), 2. . Oestreich (Germany-Mercedes), 3. Hahn (Germany-Mercedes), .. , 5. Vršecký (Czech Republic-Buggyra), .. , 6. Vojtíšek (Czech Republic-Renault) |
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