Norbert Kiss secured the 2024 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship title along with his sixteenth and seventeenth victories of the season on the penultimate spherical, held at Le Mans Bugatti Circuit, clinching his sixth profession European truck racing crown
Within the opening race, Kiss prolonged his championship lead with a dominant efficiency. The Hungarian held off an early assault from Jochen Hahn to take care of his lead into Flip 1. Regardless of Hahn’s finest efforts to problem below the Dunlop Bridge, Kiss had already put his truck comfortably forward, securing victory with a five-second margin. Antonio Albacete had a quiet race, ending third.
Race 2 belonged to José Eduardo Rodrigues, who delivered a shocking drive to assert each the general and Chrome class victories. Beginning second on the grid, the Portuguese driver capitalized on his inside place, overtaking pole-sitter Lukas Hahn early on. As soon as within the lead, Rodrigues appeared set for a simple win however needed to defend in opposition to late stress from André Kursim. Because the laps wound down, Kursim closed in, however Rodrigues expertly held his floor, leaving no room for both Kursim, Steffi Halm, or Kiss to move. Rodrigues held on to win, with mere meters separating the highest 4.
Within the third race of the weekend, Kiss secured his sixth title with one more dominant show. Hahn tried to problem firstly, however Kiss executed a flawless launch and rapidly constructed a snug 5.5-second lead by the top of the 11-lap race. This victory marked the end result of an impressive season that included an unprecedented 11 consecutive wins earlier within the yr. Albacete and Sascha Lenz accomplished the rostrum, with Hahn unable to mount a big problem after his early battle.
The ultimate race of the weekend noticed Rodrigues clinch each the Chrome class championship and the Younger Driver title. Though all he wanted was a end to safe the championship, Rodrigues aimed for an additional win. Ranging from P2 on the reverse grid, he launched an early assault on Hahn however quickly discovered himself below stress from Steffi Halm, who seized a possibility to overhaul. Regardless of a detailed name, Rodrigues prevented a collision, although he was relegated to 3rd. Because the race progressed, each Lenz and Kiss handed him, leaving Rodrigues off the general podium. Hahn held on to assert his first victory of the weekend, with Halm settling for second after warding off Lenz and Kiss.
With six titles to their names, Kiss and Hahn are essentially the most profitable drivers in FIA ETRC historical past.
This Le Mans spherical stood out because the season’s highlights by way of entries, that includes 18 vehicles on the grid — the biggest lineup of any occasion this yr.
