Renault Trucks-MKR wins European Truck Racing Championship
Renault Trucks - MKR Technology ended the European Truck Racing Championship this week-end on the top step of the podium with the European Champion’s crown! The Jarama (Spain) Grand Prix brought a triumphant conclusion to the season with a pair of one-twos and a 3rd place on the podium. The team finishes the competition in first place, 27 points ahead of its nearest rival. This championship title, Renault Trucks' first, crowns a team which didn't even exist one year ago. An accomplishment that celebrates all the work done by the drivers, engineers and mechanics as well as the improvements made to the trucks throughout the season. In the individual rankings, Marküs Bösiger finished in 2nd place and Marküs Oestreich in 4th.
Less than one year after announcing the make-up of the Renault Trucks - MKR Technology team under the leadership of the famous Mario Kress, the goal has been achieved, with the squad carrying off the European Team Championship crown. "Winning such a prize does not happen by chance," comments Stefano Chmielewski, CEO of Renault Trucks SAS. "This team brought together the best in the discipline, both in terms of people and in terms of technology. For the people, I am of course thinking of Mario Kress, the Team Manager with a whole string of titles to his credit, the two drivers, Markus Bösiger and Markus Oestreich, but also all those who worked to achieve this victory, such as the Renault Trucks engine designers and mechanics. As far as the technology is concerned, we would probably not be where we are today if we had not combined Renault Trucks’ engine technology and its DXi 13 Racing plus the chassis with the expertise of MKR Technology," he concludes.
During this 9th and final stage of the European Truck Racing Championship, which took place on 2 and 3 October at Jarama in Spain, the two Renault Trucks - MKR Technology drivers were the unchallenged stars of the weekend. With 43 points out of 60 won during the weekend by German driver Markus Oestreich, and 42 by Swiss driver Markus Bösiger, these were the two top scoring drivers in the event. Unfortunately, this was not enough to take them to the top of the podium as individual drivers. Having amassed a total of 335 points, Markus Bösiger retained the N°2 position, while Markus Oestreich just missed a podium ranking, coming in 4th with a total of 293 points.
It is also worth noting that the team has enjoyed a flood of victories and podiums ever since the Most Grand Prix (Czech Republic) in August. Renault Trucks is of course delighted with this victory.
Another achievement was that the ‘Markus duo’ pulled off a pair of one-twos, occupying the two steps the podium during the first races on the Saturday and Sunday - with Bösiger coming in first on the Saturday, and Oestreich echoing the feat on the Sunday. The second race on Saturday saw M. Oestreich earn 3rd place, as did M. Bösiger in the third. However, during the fourth race the Markus duo was quite simply nowhere to be seen among the top finishers, both of them having been pushed off the track.
True to its commitment, Renault Trucks once again stood out as one of the discipline’s key partners. During the weekend's four races, a Magnum Route 66 served as the event's pace truck, which also contributed to the show. There was also the Renault Trucks stand hosting the usual photographic session and autograph signing with the drivers. For the first time, the boutique was selling the new ‘Truck Racing’ line of derived products. As its name implies, this line is mainly aimed at truck racing aficionados and adopts the Premium Racing colour codes.
