Second in Championship for Taylors Trucksport Racing

Round Six, the penultimate of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship, 37-year-old pilot Mark Taylor excelled retaining second spot in the Chrome Championship and taking two third places, a team championship award and top placed Brit all weekend.

Saturdays two Free Practice saw him take thirteenth spot in both sessions out of the 18 contenders on the 2.6 miles of tarmac.

Qualifying One, was good, with 5 laps and a best time he pitted to wait the time out in P11 and through to the next session. Keeping the momentum going but not quite enough to the final six shootout ,a 6th row to start race one.

A great start to Race One saw him into P10 by the end of lap one. Lap 5, Steffen Faas slowed, a safe passage for Taylor, into 9th. Three laps later a short-lived battle between Mark and Lukas Hahn, Taylor just not getting in the mix to take him though. Contact on lap 10 with Clemens Hecker saw him back into P10. Faas clipped the side of the #81 as well slip back further into P12 take the flag and 6th in Chrome Class.

Race Two was a row 6 start, it saw shadows in the sunset from the golden glow of the slowly sinking sun. Another great start on the inside line put Mark into P11. On lap 4 Taylor had powered his way into 10th slot and a lap later into P9. Leaving Albacete behind a chase with Faas began. Taylor was happy with some points taking P4 in Chrome. A Team Championship was awarded to Team Taylor / Rodrigues.

Sunday’s Qualifying Two session saw a respectable time after 5 laps and Taylor remain in the pits and into the second instalment. He finished this off in P10, 4th in Chrome class.

Race Three, Taylor took a 5th row start into P9 by end of lap one. Playing it safe and gaining more points to the team’s advantage to finish P3 to take back 2nd in the chrome championship after losing it on Saturday.

Final race of the weekend, a 5th row start. More points were on the cards. On lap 5 he was between Kursim and Newell, Kursim pulled away, so did Mark on Newell with a light to flag P9, P3 Chrome podium with more points in Chrome, a good end to the weekend.

Afterwards Taylor said: “It was another good weekend getting two podiums and another team award. I was building points up to keep the championship alive for second place as we go to Jarama at the weekend for the season finale. Congratulations to the two crowned European Champions, Drivers champion Norbit Kiss and Chrome Champion Jose Eduardo Rodrigues.”

Staying in second place in the championship will keep the last round buzzing as Taylor leads by 4 points to Faas in third spot.

It’s a busy back-to-back week for the Huthwaite based team as they are back in action in Spain at Jarama Circuit for the final round, this weekend (5 – 6 October)