ETRC: Kiss Secures Historic Sixth Title

Norbert Kiss secured the 2024 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship title with his 16th and 17th victories of the season at the penultimate round, held at Le Mans Bugatti Circuit, clinching his sixth career European truck racing crown

In the opening race, Kiss extended his championship lead with a dominant performance. The Hungarian held off an early attack from Jochen Hahn to maintain his lead into Turn 1. Despite Hahn’s best efforts to challenge under the Dunlop Bridge, Kiss had already put his truck comfortably ahead, securing victory with a five-second margin. Antonio Albacete had a quiet race, finishing third.

Race 2 belonged to José Eduardo Rodrigues, who delivered a stunning drive to claim both the overall and Chrome class victories. Starting second on the grid, the Portuguese driver capitalized on his inside position, overtaking pole-sitter Lukas Hahn early on. Once in the lead, Rodrigues looked set for a straightforward win but had to defend against late pressure from André Kursim. As the laps wound down, Kursim closed in, but Rodrigues expertly held his ground, leaving no room for either Kursim, Steffi Halm, or Kiss to pass. Rodrigues held on to win, with mere meters separating the top four.

In the third race of the weekend, Kiss secured his sixth title with yet another dominant display. Hahn tried to challenge at the start, but Kiss executed a flawless launch and quickly built a comfortable 5.5-second lead by the end of the 11-lap race. This victory marked the culmination of an outstanding season that included an unprecedented 11 consecutive wins earlier in the year. Albacete and Sascha Lenz completed the podium, with Hahn unable to mount a significant challenge after his early battle.

The final race of the weekend saw Rodrigues clinch both the Chrome class championship and the Young Driver title. Although all he needed was a finish to secure the championship, Rodrigues aimed for another win. Starting from P2 on the reverse grid, he launched an early attack on Hahn but soon found himself under pressure from Steffi Halm, who seized an opportunity to overtake. Despite a close call, Rodrigues avoided a collision, though he was relegated to third. As the race progressed, both Lenz and Kiss passed him, leaving Rodrigues off the overall podium. Hahn held on to claim his first victory of the weekend, with Halm settling for second after fending off Lenz and Kiss.

With six titles to their names, Kiss and Hahn are the most successful drivers in FIA ETRC history.

This Le Mans round stood out as the season’s highlights in terms of entries, featuring 18 trucks on the grid — the largest lineup of any event this year.