NWT Race Report – September 2023 – Zolder, Belgium

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The NWT team left Zolder, very very pleased with themselves after 3 podiums out of 4 races. John drove really well, the truck performed and the team pulled it all together.

The team had spent the last couple of weeks working hard supporting Mark Taylor to repair his truck after the huge collision seen in Most. He was also supported by Sascha Lens and Jamie Anderson, another example of how strong the racing community is, they managed to rebuild the truck in time for the Belgium race.

The championship announced more good news, a partnership with DAZN securing live terrestrial TV coverage, this is brilliant news for all sponsors who can expect even higher viewing figures and promotion.

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The first qualifying was disappointing as John placed 10th however he was penalised for hitting a penalty marker, this meant that NWT were moved down to 13th place. Starting in 13th place in Race 1 was hard however John pushed to overtake and move into 9th place putting him in 4th Place in the Promoters Cup.

The reverse grid in race 2 placed John in 9th, he pushed hard and overtook Luis Recuenco and Steffi Halm to finish in 7th Place and 2nd in the Promoters Cup.

The weather was extremely hot (38 degrees celsius) and thankfully officials only held drivers in the vehicles for 5 minutes instead of the usual 20 minutes prior to the race start. The heat did impact the racing conditions, in particular they saw a significant increase in tyre ware and brakeware through the high temperatures.

Sundays qualifying was even hotter, John was really happy with his fastest lap of the weekend of 1.58.9 until the last corner when the rose joint in the steering snapped, unfortunately this meant again we were 13th in Qualifying but the team knew the pace was there ready for the race.

Race 3 ended with another fantastic podium seeing John cross the line 3rd Place in the Promoters Cup. The Youtube live stream feed has more than 22,000 subscribers and
races saw more than 4500 views which is great for the sponsors publicity.

John had a great battle with experienced driver Clemens Hecker in Race 4, they battled for many laps, this would have been a 2nd place for John however the brakes had ran out of water and John locked up in the bend allowing Clemens to overtake moving NWT into their final 3rd place podium.

Overall a fantastic weekend, gathering enough points to move into 3rd place overall in the Promoters Cup and a huge move to be broadcast on such a huge platform.

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The FIA said “This season marked a pivotal moment as the championship achieved a milestone by securing live terrestrial TV coverage, extending its reach to an even broader audience. Now, at the midpoint of the season, the Goodyear FIA ETRC is pleased to announce a new collaboration with DAZN, the premier OTT provider. DAZN’s comprehensive platform will ensure that all races are accessible live to viewers in eight countries: Belgium, Czech
Republic, France, Hungary, Israel, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain.” FIA ETRC.

The next race weekend is scheduled for the 23rd and 24th of September in Le Mans, France.

2023 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship

20/21 May: Misano (ITA)
10/11 June: Slovakia Ring (SVK)
24/25 June: Poznań (POL)
15/16 July: Nürburgring (GER)
12/13 August: Donington Park (UK)
26/27 August: Most (CZE)
9/10 September: Zolder (BEL)
23/24 September: Le Mans (FRA)
30 September/1 October: Jarama (ESP)
4/5 November: Brands Hatch (UK)