An European Race Driver Great Debut in the US

A reader submitted story by:  John Kristof

Triple win in America – Awesome debut in the ChampTruck World Series!

Last weekend Szabó Krisztián #23 put down his mark in another discipline of motorsports and in another continent. The former 3-time European Champion in autocross and the first FIA Rallycross European Championship round winner of Hungary debuted in the Meritor ChampTruck World Series (the first ever truck race championship in the US) with 3 race wins and 2 second places in the Thunderhill Raceway (Willows, CA). This was already the second round of this brand new American truck race championship, but the first for Krisztian Szabo who forced to miss the first round because of his other commitment in the FIA Rallycross European Championship.

However, he joined to the field now in a stylish way as on Saturday he started with taking the pole position with the 5.5 tonner, 800BHP Volvo VNL 670 of Truck Race Team USA and continued with a double race win still on that day. Then, on the next day, the 22 year-old Hungarian scored two second places before winning the main event of the weekend, the so-called “podium race” crowning his performance on his very first truck race weekend. “I enjoyed a lot this weekend, everything was fine” – Krisztian begins. “On Friday, we had quite enough free practice sessions, so there was time for me to acclimatize with the track and with truck itself. Thanks to that I felt well prepared at the start of the qualifying which I won clinching the pole position for the first race. Then, on the race itself I had a little contact with one of my mates and spun, but as you know, I never give up so I started to chase him down and finally I passed him back after he made a mistake. I won my first ever truck race which was also my first race in the US. It was so cool!”

What about the other races of the weekend? How the starting order was decided?

“Only the starting order of the first race was based on the results of qualifying, all the other races’ grid was decided by the final results of the previous race. So after my victory in the first race, I had to start the second one from the last spot of the grid, but I luckily climbed up in the field and won that race also. On Sunday I started the day with two second places, but at the end I managed to win the podium race, ending the weekend with another victory. I had a really good time during my first race weekend in this series and fans loved what they saw. Truck race will have a very nice future in the US, that’s for sure, and I’m happy to be the part of this show during its first steps, it’s just so exciting!” – said Krisztian Szabo.

Kritsztian Szabo we are excited to see you racing in the Meritor ChampTruck World Series!

Here are a few photos shot by Rick Beets at PPIR: