Superb year for Hahn
2019 has been an exceptional year for the 44-year-old German. Once again (he did pretty much the same thing in 2018), Hahn was the man to beat – from the very start of the series. The 2019 racing season kicked off on May 25 and 26 at the Misano circuit in Italy, and Hahn won both race one and race four that weekend. And this was a sign of things to come…
Who is Hahn?
But who is Hahn and how long has he been beating the other drivers into submission? Ironically, his truck racing career commenced with a major accident, in which his father nearly died. His dad, Konrad (or Conni, as he was affectionately known) Hahn, started truck racing in 1997, finishing an impressive fourth in the championship ranking in that year. He continued to race with some modicum of success until 1999, when he had a massive accident at the Zolder track in Belgium. In fact, he hit a wall at a speed of 156 km/h. The truck was completely destroyed (the accident reduced it to scrap). But, incredibly, Conni survived unhurt. However, he decided that it was time to hang up his boots … and he handed the racing reigns to his son, Jochen.
From 2000 to 2007, the younger Hahn competed in a Mercedes-Benz. In 2008, he switched to MAN, winning the driver championship for three years in a row (2011 to 2013). He was the FIA ETRC champion once again in 2016 (he wrapped up the title with three races remaining).
In 2017 Hahn decided to replace his tried-and-tested MAN with an all-new Iveco. After being the runner-up in the championship that year, he went on to dominate the 2018 season and claimed overall victory, with 12 wins out of 32 races.
More of the same in 2019
This year, it was a case of more of the same, as Hahn sped to victory in 13 out of the 32 races. In fact, he didn’t even need to race at Circuito Jarama this weekend in order to clinch the title; he did that in the previous round of the ETRC (held at Le Mans, France, on September 28 and 29). It was fitting that he did so; Conni – his father, team manager and greatest supporter – passed away just before the final event of the series in Madrid. So Conni got to see his beloved son take the championship a record sixth time.
Four potential runners-up
But, while the championship was decided before Jarama, the race for the sought-after runner-up spot was wide open as the drivers – all with “RIP Conni” emblazoned on their trucks – arrived in Spain. We were lucky enough to be at the actual race thanks to an invitation from Ford Trucks, which is the provider of the official race vehicle (it’s none other than the F-Max, which is the current International Truck of the Year).
Local hero Antonio Albacete was leading the charge for the runner-up spot in his MAN, but he was under threat from Adam Lacko in his Freightliner, who was just two points behind. Three other drivers were also eyeing the spot of runner-up, namely Steffi Halm (the only lady in the series; she drives an Iveco), Sascha Lenz (MAN) and Norbert Kiss (Mercedes-Benz).
And what a day’s racing it was! Race one saw an extremely emotional win for Hahn (it was just two days after the death of his dad). While Hahn led from start to finish, with Albacete and Lenz maintaining second and third place throughout, there was a ding-dong battle for fourth spot (Halm, Lacko and Kiss really kept us entertained; it was eventually a case of “ladies first” as Halm took fourth spot).
Race two was filled with controversy and incidents. Lacko won the race but he received a 10-second penalty after an incident with Rene Reinert (Iveco). This relegated him to sixth position. This meant that the race victory went to Kiss. Second-placed Albacete did a terrific job to keep Hahn at bay. Disaster struck for Halm who, after running third, skidded off the track after hitting oil.
After the huge disappointment of race two, Lacko was all smiles once again after winning race three. He led from start to finish, doing an admirable job to keep the brilliant Hahn in second spot. Albacete came from fifth on the grid to take third spot.
Race four was yet another racing spectacle. Fabio Citignola was on pole in his Mercedes-Benz, but he was soon passed by Reinert and Kiss. The former withdrew from the race with mechanical issues, leaving Kiss to lead the pack. However, he soon came under massive pressure from Halm. Hahn (who is always a danger), passed his female co-driver on lap 9 and he did his best to catch and pass Kiss, but this never materialised.
Despite the fact that he didn’t win any races on the day, Albacete’s consistent performance saw him clinch the position of runner-up with a final point tally of 268 points. Just seven points behind him was Lacko.
Plans for 2020
Here are the provisional dates for ETRC in 2020:
April 25/26: Hungaroring (HUN)
May 23/24: Misano (ITA)
June 6/7: Slovakiaring (SVK)
June 21 or 28: TBC
July 18/19: Nürburgring (GER)
August 29/30: Most (CZE)
September 12/13: Zolder (BEL)
September 26/27: Le Mans (FRA)
October 3/4: Jarama (ESP)
We can also reveal that next year’s ETRC will include a cost-effective new series called the LT4 Cup. The organisers tell us that it will be “an affordable entry-level series that is easily accessible for both customer teams and future generations of truck racing stars”. The really big news is that, from 2021, the regulations will allow for the implementation of alternative powertrains (gas, hydrogen and electric). Watch this space for more details!
Photographs: Richard Kienberger/FIA ETRC
