What’s on this week
Formula 1 has the Monaco Grand Prix, endurance racing has the Le Mans 24 Hours, and Indycar has the Indianapolis 500.
And truck racing has the ADAC Truck Grand Prix. Although not as well known as the races forming motorsport’s unofficial Triple Crown, the Nurburgring round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, which takes place on June 29-July 1 this year, is without doubt the discipline’s crown-jewel event.
Given that truck racing didn’t arrive in Europe until the mid-1980s, the
German event first held in 1986 has to be considered old. It is also one of the biggest truck races, possibly the biggest of all.
According to ADAC’S estimations, there are currently only around 75 eligible and race-ready trucks in Europe. Over 50 are part of the Nurburgring event, forming the grids of the FIA ETRC, as well as the supporting Mittelrhein Cup.
As with an increasing number of major motorsport events, there is more to the GP than just racing. It’s held in the Eifel mountains, where truck racing meets the trucking industry and trucking community, and there is as much happening off-track as there is on it. Last year the event, which is also the second-biggest commercial-vehicle fair in Germany, welcomed over 1200 trucks spread across five different camps. That number easily could have been exceeded if more space had been available.
While racing takes place on the sprint configuration of the circuit, the neighbouring Mullenbachschleife is a home of a vibrant, three-day festival of trucking culture.
Once you’re in the trucker camp, you’ll find yourself walking through a tunnel formed of customised trucks facing each other. It may take you a while to realise that you’re strolling on the track surface used by F1 as recently as 2013.
Some of the vehicles on display are unique works of art, making you appreciate the passion and hard work their owners have put into creating them.
As you move on, a huge open-air scene emerges. You’ve now reached the Dunlop
“IT WILL LEAVE YOU WONDERING WHY TRUCK RACING IS UNDERAPPRECIATED”
Kehre and that’s where the heart of the festival is. While electronic music dominates at most truck shows and exhibitions these days, this festival has a more traditional feel to it.
Friday is for rock music, while country takes over on Saturday. Stars of the German country scene such as Tom Astor are among the headliners, but non-germanspeaking audiences will also find something. Jessica Lynn, labelled America’s newest country star, will perform for the second time in a row this year.
The weekend at the ADAC Truck Grand Prix is an eye-opening experience. It makes you realise that trucking is much more than just delivering goods. For thousands of people across Europe, trucking is a way of life. It will also leave you wondering why truck racing is so underappreciated. It tends to fly under the radar of major motorsport publications, including Autosport, and yet is able to attract crowds that some of the more conventional racing series can only dream of.
This weekend, the British Truck Racing Championship will be on the bill once again, bolstering the grid numbers of the Mittelrhein Cup. If you’ve never seen truck racing live before, there’s no better way to start than with a trip to the Eifel mountains.