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2018 Driver by Driver Season Review – Part Three

In the third part of our 2018 season review, we’re looking at the drivers who were classified between tenth and sixth overall in the final standings. Here we enter the territory of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship's big boys... and girls.

10th – 58 pts | 1st in GRAMMER TRUCK CUP – 373 pts | Shane Brereton | TOR Truck Racing | MAN

In the GRAMMER TRUCK CUP there was no match for Brereton who scored an impressive total of 19 class victories. Nearly half of them (eight) came as clean sweeps of all four races at the Nürburgring and Jarama. The British racer was also a consistent points scorer overall, having taken points every weekend. However, it was only on two occasions (Slovakia Ring and Jarama) that he was able to fight at the sharp end of the pack, and that was in the reversed-grid races.

The TOR Truck Racing team put a lot of effort searching for the perfect set up this year. Overall, it was an incredibly impressive campaign from Brereton, but the competetive British driver will be aming even higher in 2019.

9th – 95 pts | José Rodrigues | Reboconort Truck Racing Team | MAN

On occasiona Rodrigues was a star performer but often inconsistent. The Portuguese racer joined the fray late and only contested five rounds of the championship. Yet, the 2017 Promoter’s Cup winner impressed by scoring points in all of the races but one, making the most of reversed grid races, sealing three podiums and proving that in the right circumstances he’s a force to be reckoned with. This was perfectly encapsulated at Zolder when he took an assured win in the final race of the weekend.

8th - 146 pts | André Kursim | Don’t Touch Racing | IVECO

Looking at the championship standings, eighth overall doesn’t look too bad for Kursim. Last year’s Promoter’s Cup runner-up won one race and scored three further podium finishes but it’s difficult to come to the conclusion that the German could have got more from 2018. It also took him a while to get his IVECO up to speed as his first podium came in Race 4 at the Slovakia Ring – 16th race of the season. Before that there was misfortune with a controversial penalty at Nurburgring, yet Kursim dug deep and with the new Don't Touch Racing squad he was able to finish off the season well.

7th – 171 pts | René Reinert | Reinert Racing GmbH | MAN

Reinert returned to the FIA ETRC after taking a year out and it didn’t take him long to get up to speed as his first win came during the second meeting of the year – at the Nürburgring. Later on, he won on three further occasions adding two second and two third places. Seventh overall in the standings may be four places lower compared to when he last competed (third in 2016) but it’s hard to argue that Reinert had a very solid season.
6th – 205 pts | Steffi Halm | Team Schwabentruck | IVECO

Sixth overall is not a bad result but after back to back fourth places in 2016 and ’17 it’s difficult to escape the feeling that Halm will feel a little disappointed about her 2018 campaign. Both of her wins came from reversed grid races and her best non-reversed grid result came in Race 3 at Misano. Consistency was often an issue but equally we often saw the great Steffi fighting spirit we have come to know and love for so long. 2019 is a big season for the Team Schwabentruck IVECO driver.

Zdroj: fiaetrc.com