2024 Season

ROUND 7

The end of the season could have been better for Huthwaite based Taylors Trucksport Racing Team as they finished their second season in the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship.

The team travelled to Jarama Circuit in Spain for Round 7, the final round of the championship and their driver 37-year-old Mark Taylor took first class honours, he become top placed Brit and walked away with Vice Champion (Runner Up) in class in the prestigious championship. The team took hold of 8 trophies from Spain as well.

With the championship already in the hands of José Eduardo Rodrigues, Taylor battled Germany’s Steffen Faas to the wire for second place. Taylor delivered, securing two class wins and two overall podiums, to take that brilliant second-place in class for the season!

The weather was red hot as well as the racing during the weekend with 17 contenders, Saturday’s two Free Practice sessions saw Taylor get to grips on the 2.392-mile tarmac, finishing 9^th in session one and P12 in the second session.

Qualifying 1 & 2: Was up next, session one of 15 minutes saw Taylor pit with 6 minutes on the clock, remain there taking P8, second fastest in Chrome and into Session Two’s 10 minutes with the top 12 finishers, for a place in the shootout. He finished it in 9^th, 3^rd in Chrome and in front of Faas for race one.

Race One: Saw a great start with Mark on the inside of Recuenco at turn one and into P8 (P2 Chrome) by the end of lap one. Two laps later Mark was pulling away from Faas, by lap 8 there was a 3 second gap between the two and as Mark` crossed the line, he was 6 seconds ahead, remaining P8 overall and a podium 2^nd in class. More points in the bag and a pole position for Race Two’s reverse grid.

Race Two: Mark and Stephanie Halm side by side going into Fangio corner, Halm getting the better line into the Complex and although Halm had extended her lead by 00573s, Mark was having none of it and trying his upmost. Kursim was putting pressure on Mark from the rear, but Mark was defending his P2, holding back the rest including the Titan champions.

By end of lap 5 a battle behind saw the 6 times European Champion Norbert Kiss, putting pressure on Mark. By lap 8, Taylor’s defensive driving was exceptional leaving the spectators on the edge of their seats. Mark was holding his own, giving Kiss and Hahn behind a good fight. The last lap saw Taylor and Kiss virtually side by side, Taylor taking the line one hundredth of a second over Kiss for second overall and P1 in Chrome.

Warm Up: The 15 minutes on track was good bedding the #81 in for a day we hoped would be so special for us, it saw us take 7th fastest overall. Mark was flying.

Qualifying 4 & 5: Sunday’s two Qualifying sessions saw a respectable time, with 5 minutes remaining in session one in P7 (P1 Chrome) and Mark remain in the pits and into the second instalment. He finished this off in P8, 2^nd in Chrome class.

Race Three: Mark was 4^th row on the grid. He was straight into P7 and Eight laps into the 12-lap race he remained in P7, four laps later as the flag appeared remaining same, P2 Chrome but more importantly taking 269 points to Faas’s 258, an 11 point gap saw Mark become the Vice Champion in Chrome Class, signed sealed and delivered.

Race Four: Was another front row for Taylor, with Spaniard Albacete along side in pole. Mark had nothing too loose. Albacete took the inside line advantage for Taylor to settle for second by end of lap one. Remaining in second would suit Mark as Albacete pushed ahead to his home fans delight and the gap behind Mark was enough without pressure. Remaining in the same spot, he was clam, cool and collected as he sailed the #81 over the line to take second overall and P1 again in Chrome class.

What a way to end the season!

Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Our weekend looked like this:

• Race One – 8th (2^nd Chrome Category)
• Race Two – 2nd (1^st Chrome Category)
• Race Three – 7th (2^nd Chrome Category)
• Race Four – 2nd (1^st Chrome Category)

Driver Comments

“Wow, what a weekend, well what a season, I can’t believe such a great second season in Europe we have had. The team have got stronger as the season has progressed. We knew that the weekend would be a tough one going into it with a four-point lead, but we sealed it in race three

I would like to thank everyone for their much support throughout the season, to the team you did great and to all family, friends and our fans, over and out and role on 2025”

We leave Jarama Circuit with the following end of season championship points in total:

GOODYEAR FIA EUROPEAN TRUCK RACING CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 FINAL STANDINGS

• Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome Classification – 279 points (2^nd)

• Goodyear FIA ETRC Teams – TAYLOR & RODRIGUES – 249 points (4^th)
• Goodyear FIA ETRC Overall Classification – 80 points (8^th)

Read full Jarama Circuit Race Report

VIEW: Saturday Highlights – Round Seven Jarama Circuit 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Sunday Highlights – Round Seven Jarama Circuit 2024 ETRC

ROUND 6

It was another successful weekend for local racing team Taylors Trucksport Racing at the legendary Le Mans Bugatti Circuit in France (28 – 29 September).

It was Round Six, the penultimate of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship, one of the finest truck racing weekends of the season, 37-year-old pilot Mark Taylor excelled retaining second spot in the Chrome Championship and taking two third place podiums, 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 in France at the Circuit de la Sarthe’s 2.6 miles of tarmac.

Qualifying 1 & 2: Was good for Mark, with 5 laps and a best time of 2:08.359s he pitted the truck to wait the time out in P11 and through to the next session. He kept the momentum going but not quite enough to make it to the final six shootout and settled for 11^th again and a 6^th row to start race one later.

Race One: Saw a great start by him into P10 by the end of lap one and 6 seconds off the lead. By lap 5 Steffen Faas slowed to allow a safe passage for Mark, into 9^th spot. Three laps later there was a short-lived battle between Mark and Lukas Hahn, we just didn’t get in the mix to take him though. On lap 10 there was slight contact with Clemens Hecker losing out and slipping back into P10. Faas clipped the side of the #81 too that saw Mark slow and slip back into P12 and remain there for the last lap to take the flag and 6^th in Chrome Class.

Race Two: Was a row 6 and 12th spot on the grid, the late race saw shadows in the sunset from the golden glow and the slowly sinking sun. As the lights extinguished another great start on the inside line put Mark into P11. By lap 4 Mark had powered his way into 10^th slot and a lap later into P9. He flew past Albacete, as a cat and mouse chase with Faas began. With no avail of taking him Taylor was happy with some points settling with P9 Overall and P4 in Chrome. It was a corker of a race to end day one. A Team Championship was awarded to Team Taylor / Rodrigues.

Warm Up: A good session of 15 minutes on track saw us 14^th fastest overall, we were taking things steady

Qualifying 4 & 5: Sunday’s two sessions saw a respectable time after 5 laps and Mark remained in the pits and into the second instalment. He finished this off in P10, 4^th in Chrome class.

Race Three: Saw Mark take a 5^th row start with a hot start and move into P9 overall by end of lap one. He was stuck in traffic; he was playing it safe and gaining more points would be to the team’s advantage to finish P3 with a podium and take back 2^nd in the chrome championship after losing it on Saturday.

Race Four: Final race of the weekend saw Mark line up on the 5^th row. Throughout he tried his hardest to better his start places but found it difficult. More points were on the cards and on lap 5 he was sandwiched between Kursim in front and Newell behind, there was no way past Kursim he was pulling away, so was Mark on Newell. Settling for a light to flag P9, a P3 in Chrome podium and increasing the points in Chrome was a good end to the weekend.

Congratulations to the two new crowned European Champions from the weekend, Six times Driver’s Champion Norbit Kiss and Chrome Champion Jose Eduardo Rodrigues.

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

Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Our weekend looked like this:

• Race One – 12th (6^th Chrome Category)
• Race Two – 9th (4^th Chrome Category)
• Race Three – 9th (3^rd Chrome Category)
• Race Four – 9th (3^rd Chrome Category)

 Driver Comments

“It was another good weekend for us getting two more podiums and another team award too. It was a case of building some points up to keep the championship alive for second place as we go to Jarama next weekend for the season finale.”

We leave Le Mans Bugatti with the following championship points in total:

• Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome Classification –229 points (2^nd)
• Goodyear FIA ETRC Teams – TAYLOR & RODRIGUES –202 points (4^th)
• Goodyear FIA ETRC Overall Classification – 55 points (9^th)

Read full Le Mans Bugatti Race Report

VIEW: Saturday Highlights – Round Six Le Mans Bugatti 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Sunday Highlights – Round Six Le Mans Bugatti 2024 ETRC

CANCELLED

Local organiser has withdrawn from hosting the Polish round of Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship due to temporary infrastructure problems.

The Management Board of Automobilklub Wielkopolski made the decision to withdraw from its agreement with the European Truck Racing Association, the promoter of the Goodyear FIA ETRC, for hosting the Polish round of this year’s championship.

Despite ETRA’s best efforts, no solution could be found. Therefore the event in Poznań, which was scheduled for 14/15 September 2024 as round six of the eight-round championship, will not go ahead and the season will be held across a seven-event schedule. The rounds have been re-numbered to reflect this change to the 2024 calendar.

The TOR Poznań is a motorsport race track, which is located about 270 km east of Berlin in Poznań. The track is Grade 3 certified by the FIA, making it the only Circuit in Poland, which has this international certification.

ROUND 5

It was an incredible weekend (31 Aug – 1 Sept) for us at Czechia for Round Five of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship.

Mark moved into second place in the chrome championship and the team brought home with them six trophies, they were outstanding throughout the two-day event, where they achieved podium places with two first in class wins, two second in class, a third race overall and a team championship award.

Friday’s two Free Practice sessions went well, taking 9^th and 12^th fastest out of the 13 contenders.

Qualifying 1 & 2: Saw an adrenaline-fueled battle to get in the top 12, the 15-minute session saw Taylor take P11 to get through to the second session. This was 10 minutes to fight for a top 6 shootout. Mark was fast, finishing P7 missing out by less than a second with speeds over 80mph on Autodrom Most Circuit’s 2.617-mile tarmac with its 21 highly demanding corners and hairpin bends.

Race One: Mark was lined up on the grid on the 4^th row. A great start saw him in the thick of it at turn one acting and avoiding a coming together by other trucks. Getting on with the job in hand he was straight into P4 by end of lap one. By lap five he had lost a spot but still in command in the Chrome class in top spot. He retained the place until the flag came in the 11-lap race to take a podium P1 place in Chrome and in the top 5 overall.

Race Two: Saw Mark on row two, after a revised grid. Another phenomenal start by the #81 pilot. He was side by side with Norbert Kiss at turn 2, Kiss taking the advantage and making room for Sascha Lenz to slide through too, Mark was back into P6 with Newell beaching his truck in the gravel. By lap three Kursim was into P6, but Mark was still supreme leading the Chrome class. Remaining cool, calm and collected he kept his eyes on the circuit to cross the line in P7 and another well-deserved P1 class win. Done by some fantastic driving to lock Faas out of the place by just over a second.

Warm Up: A good session of 15 minutes on track saw us 6^th fastest overall and 2^nd in Chrome class.

 Qualifying 4 & 5: Session one saw Mark fastest driver in Chrome class and 6^th overall, he had 10 minutes left on the timing screens and pitted happy with his time. A red flag came out to recover the broken truck of Albacete. Session two’s 10 minutes Mark trying his upmost saw a P7 (P2 Chrome), missing shootout by 00.10 of a second.

Race Three: Mark was on row 4 alongside Titan contender Steffi Halm, it was boiling hot as it had been all weekend. A good getaway by him from the right-hand side, he edged in front of the Halm, the Queen of truck racing. He held onto P7 overall and P2 in Chrome by end of lap one. Mark fought a good race keeping Halm behind, every chance she had trying to get past. A great race and taking the flag some two seconds ahead of her.

Race Four: Final one of the weekend saw a reversed grid, Mark on the front row with Halm. She had unfinished business from race three. As the pace truck peeled off and the lights went out, Mark was off like a rocket leaving the other 12 trucks in the distance leading the pack, but pressure was on from the Titan Euro Champions from behind. By the end of lap 2, Rodrigues ran Mark out of room to take control.

By lap 4 Halm had been forced onto the gravel and now Albacete was pushing Mark’s every move. Mark was defending a trio of drivers that between them having 14 European titles but keeping them at bay.

On lap 7 Albacete went off opening the door for Norbert Kiss into 2nd to pass Mark. Jochen Hahn sliced past Taylor half a lap later too. Mark was in P4 but was still holding onto P2 in Chrome class. Lenz was trying his upmost to do the same and Mark was having none of it. For the last 5 laps Mark defended his position from Lenz to take P4 overall and another 2^nd place podium spot.

A Stewards enquiry afterwards ruled Jochen Hahn was given a 5 second penalty promoting Taylor to 3^rd place overall in the race and another trophy. The Team also took the Team championship award in the race, with its Team Taylor & Rodrigues collaboration.

Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Our weekend looked like this:

• Race One – 5th (1^st Chrome Category)
• Race Two – 7th (1^st Chrome Category)
• Race Three – 7th (2^nd Chrome Category)
• Race Four – 3rd (2^nd Chrome Category)

Driver Comments

“What a weekend, its been fantastic and so competitive, it’s been my best weekend since starting truck racing. Six trophies to bring home, brilliant. The truck ran great all weekend with some exceptional work in extreme heat by the team. Onward and upwards now to Le Mans in a few weeks, we can’t wait.”

ROUND 4

Again, we were making the news after having a fantastic weekend at Nürburgring in Germany (12 – 14 July).

Our driver Mark Taylor and the team were on it from the start of the weekend for Round Four of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship that saw us take two third places and two Team Championship awards.

We extended the third place in the championship by 35 points and are closing on P2 as we go into the seven-week summer break in the series.

Friday’s Free Practice sessions went well finishing 10^th and 8^th fastest on a wet track despite a change of gearbox on Thursday after it was missing gears during VIP and press laps.

Qualifying 1 & 2:  Saw a drying out circuit, with 8 minutes left of the 15-minute session Taylors pitted as did most and with a minute left was in P8 and through to second session and top 12.

The 10-minute blast saw Mark settle with P10 ready for racing later.

Warm Up: We took 12^th fastest in the session, the truck running really well

Race One:  On Saturday Mark lined up on the fifth row, 10^th out of the 16 starters. On lap one there was contact between him and Halm, we sustained damage to the right rear tyre rim and a puncture. At halfway of the 12-lap race, Mark was holding his own in P10 and keeping the #81 on track. He was holding Hecker back. He was losing time every lap with a completely shredded rim and 34 seconds adrift on lap 11. On the last lap Hecker managed to take Mark on the finish straight for us to take P11 overall and 5^th in Chrome.

Race Two: A midfield start on row 6, it was three wide into turn 2 as the start lights extinguished, Mark was in the middle of the pack, running wide to avoid any mayhem. It was a good start onto P9 but back into P11 after kicking some gravel up during lap one. He was trying every way to make up places with no avail and stuck in traffic. By halfway he was still P11, on lap 9 Hecker pitted putting Taylor into P10 to settle with a 4^th in chrome class, 10^th overall and a Team Championship award.

Warm Up: The truck was running fine first thing Sunday morning, Mark took 9th fastest on track in the warm up session.

Qualifying 3 & 4: Sunday saw Mark busy for the start of the 15-minute session one, six minutes into it he was 6^th fastest and through to session 2, he finished that in P9 for the two races later.

Race Three: A fifth-row line up and third chrome contender, by lap 6, Mark was still in 9^th place, and possibly one of the most difficult circuits for overtaking on. He tried every moment to pass Halm, she wasn’t letting go! On lap 10, it was to remain in P10, gaining more points and a third-place podium in chrome category as the chequered flag appeared. We also took another Team Championship Award that saw our Team Principal Alan Taylor on the podium with third generation Portuguese truck racing legend Eduardo Rodrigues, grandfather to racer Jose Eduardo Rodrigues.

Race Four: A reversed grid and Mark starting 9^th on the grid. A defensive start saw us retain P9 end of lap1. By halfway, Mark was holding on to another podium spot in chrome and didn’t want to lose it. Getting the job done, keeping his cool he took third place and another piece of silverware for the trophy room.

It was another great weekend for the team, we were all delighted with the weekend’s results and possibly the busiest on the race calendar, off track also entertaining over 100 guests and sponsors during the weekend.

The team announced that would not be competing at the International Truck Prix at Donington Park in a few weeks’ time, it’s not part of the European championship and wanted to concentrate on all their efforts in the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship, a sensible decision to make with only three more rounds left and third in the championship.

Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Our weekend looked like this:

• Race One – 11th (5^th Chrome Category)
• Race Two – 10th (4^th Chrome Category)
• Race Three – 10th (3^rd Chrome Category)
• Race Four – 9th (3^rd Chrome Category)

Driver Comments

“It been a busy but great weekend for us, another 35 points, extending our third-place lead and just 16 points off P2 in the chrome championship. The team again have done me proud, the gearbox change on Thursday and all the work during the weekend, we all deserve a summer break and look forward to the Czech Republic at the end of August.”

 We leave Nürburgring with the following championship points in total:

• Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome Classification –142 points (3^rd)
• Goodyear FIA ETRC Teams – TAYLOR & RODRIGUES –123 points (4^th)
• Goodyear FIA ETRC Overall Classification – 25 points (10^th)

READ: Full Nürburgring Race Report

VIEW: Race 1 Highlights – Round Four Nurburgring 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 2 Highlights – Round Four Nurburgring 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 3 Highlights – Round Four Nurburgring 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 4 Highlights – Round Four Nurburgring 2024 ETRC

ROUND 3

There was no stopping Huthwaite’s Taylors Trucksport Racing in Belgium (22-23 June) where they collected more silverware, with two more podium’s.

 Our pilot Mark Taylor and the team were at Zolder Circuit for Round Three of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship that saw them take two third places and a Team Championship award.

Two Free Practice sessions went well for the team before the real action started on the 4km circuit and its tight and demanding corners. The first session out Mark completed 13 laps, the second session he got faster to end it in 7^th spot and only two seconds off fastest on track.

The warm up session before the real action started went well, Mark was on it from the word Go! He finished in 9^th place.

Qualifying 1 & 2: Saturday saw Mark not hanging around with 8 minutes left out of the 15-minute shootout he was in P10 (fourth in Chrome Class). He made it through to the second qualifying 10-minute shootout to finish ninth with a time of 1:58.965 completing 5 laps. and determine his grid position for race one later during the day.

Race One: Mark was on the fifth row, a damp track awaited the fourteen trucks and 12 laps ahead, as the lights went out, he remained in P9 and driving to his limits remaining in same position trying his upmost to get in front of Lukas Hahn. By lap 9 Hahn was pulling away. Taylor crossing the line in P9 and just missing a Chrome podium in fourth. There was still reward, taking third in the Team Championship with the Taylor & Rodrigues Team collaboration.

Race Two: Again, was a fifth row start, an all-brit row with Newell alongside. By lap 4 Mark had dropped to 10^th. By lap 7 out of 12 Mark remained in P10. A three-way battle commenced. Mark was pushing Faas for P9 whist the same behind was happening with Newell pushing Taylor. On lap 10 Faas pulled over on circuit to Mark’s advantage putting Mark into P3 in Chrome Class and ninth overall, to take the flag and a podium spot.

Warm Up: Sunday’s warm up session saw Mark take 11^th spot, taking things steady and checking the trucks performance and handling after the nights service and tweaks to get race ready.

Qualifying 4 & 5: It was hot and sunny conditions for the second Qualifying session of the weekend to start the day, it was a similar affair to Saturday’s, Mark finished P7 in the first session completing 4 laps and sitting the rest of the session out as his time was fine, with all the competitors, he then made it into the second session and P8 during the 5 laps on track, missing out on the top six shootout session..

Race Three: A fourth row (P8) start for Mark, by end of lap one he was into P7 and leading Chrome Class. Hahn and Faas were eager for points and were putting pressure on Mark, he was fending them off well, it was push, push, and push for Mark to keep them behind. A win was on the cards but on lap 11 he was issued a drive through penalty for over speeding. On the last lap Taylor served the drive through putting him 17 seconds shy of the podium, the issue caused by overheating brakes running at 800 degrees making slowing down difficult. It was a devastating blow for the team, but he still finished P4 in Chrome Class and 10^th overall.

Race Four: Final race of the weekend and Mark lined up on the 5^th row, he was all fired up after the last race to get more points and hoping for a podium. At the first corner it was mayhem, Mark on the ball, avoiding any contact but getting pushed back into P13. On lap 2 a great move on Brit, Luke Garrett saw Mark into P12. Then was given a penalty warning for hitting corner markers on lap 3. A lap later he was into P11 leaving Faas in his rear mirrors, there was no stopping him.

There was further contact in front but well out of Mark’s way. Six laps in at halfway stage he remained in P11 overall. A lap later a coming together between Newell and Helm saw waved yellow flags and no overtaking. Mark was into P8 with a podium on the cards, but this would slow proceedings up. Mark was not giving up and went straight into P7 and third in Chrome Class. Cool, calm, and collected he remained until the flag appeared. It was a difficult race but reaped reward with another podium.

Taylors Trucksport Racing remain third in the Chrome Championship.

Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Our weekend looked like this:

• Race One – 9th (4^th Chrome Category)
• Race Two – 9th (3^rd Chrome Category)
• Race Three – 10th (4^th Chrome Category)
• Race Four – 7th (3^rd Chrome Category)

Driver Comments

ROUND 2

It was a stunningly successful weekend (8 – 10 June) for Huthwaite’s Taylors Trucksport Racing team in the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship in Slovakia taking two more podium spots.

 Mark had a sterling weekend with outstanding performance throughout taking a second and third place on the final day and holding on to third place in Chrome Championship.

Before all the action started with 2 free practice sessions on Friday, Mark took passenger rides around Slovakia Ring’s 6km tarmac with its 14 corners leading into tight hairpins and chicanes. Mum, Kay, and Team Principal Dad Alan Taylor enjoyed flying lap white knuckle rides too.

He went on to achieve P6 and P11 in the following sessions topping speeds of over 128kph.

A warm up session on Saturday saw Taylor finish in 9^th.

Qualifying 1 & 2: A slightly different set up for qualifying saw sessions one and two combined due to there being only 12 trucks in the round for the weekend. Session three would then see the final six battle it out for pole position. He took P11. Mark set his best time and with 11 minutes left on the clock, he pitted the truck and remained there until the session was over. The truck was running well, but already the red-hot temperatures on circuit were taking its toll on the truck’s tyres.

Race One: Saw Mark line up on 6^th row. Contact with Recuenco put him back to P12 but he went straight back into P11. On lap 4 a manoeuvre on Garrett saw the #81 gain a place to P10. Maintaining this placed him less than a second off a podium place in chrome class, finishing fourth.

Race Two: Saw a fifth row start. Mark aired on the side of caution after there was contact ahead and dropped to P11. The end of lap 2 saw Recuenco in Taylor’s mirror as he overtook him, and Mark gained P10 staying there to pass the line and take another P4 in chrome class.

The day hadn’t gone fully to plan, with a few glitches and tyre wear being a problem, main thing was the team had got more points in the bag for the championship.

Warm Up: Sunday’s warm up session saw Mark take 9^th fastest. The truck was running well.

Qualifying 4 & 5:  The same format as yesterday, saw Mark finish in 8^th spot with a time of 2:43.967s, and line up 4^th row for the first race of the day.

Race Three: The pace truck peeled off and the lights out, it was go go go for Mark that saw a good start for him. He retained P8 overall (P2 chrome class) and looked on target for top spot of the podium.  Mark was in the chase trying his upmost on Halm in 7^th. A good gap behind saw Newell some 5 seconds behind and on lap 5 Mark was still trying to chase down Halm. By lap 8 he settled for 8^th overall and a fantastic podium 2^nd place in chrome class. What a magnificent race it was with Mark on it from the start.

Race Four: A reverse grid was to Mark’s advantage. He lined up on the scorching tarmac in pole position. The pressure was on, the strategy was to keep the 11 other trucks behind him. He defended Helm into turn one trying to build up some space between him and the chasing pack behind.  Mark kept everyone at bay up until lap 5 going into lap 6. Championship leader Norbert Kiss had moved up from 8^th on the grid making up three positions by the first corner and was putting pressure on Mark. Kiss was in P4 end of lap one and had soon overtaken Mark. Mark was holding onto second when at turn 10 Helm came down the inside of him and Rodrigues went to the right and darted down the outside as well. It was three aside with some contact between all three. Mark coming out worst, his left rear was hit with damage to the wheel rim and a slowing puncture. Mark was back into P4, a slowing truck was not good, taking him to P6. He struggled with the damage and on the last lap, last corner, Newell overtook him leaving Mark to finish 9^th and P3 in chrome class. A well-deserved podium for Taylor who should have been on the top step of the podium. Another great race by Mark and some fantastic driving in the mix too.

Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Our weekend looked like this:

• Race One – 11th (4^th Chrome Category)
• Race Two – 10th (4^th Chrome Category)
• Race Three – 8th (2^nd Chrome Category)
• Race Four – 9th (3^rd Chrome Category)

Driver Comments

“What a weekend. Saturday went ok, we missed out narrowly on two podiums, but tyre wear was a problem in the blistering heat. Sunday’s two races went really well, two podiums a P2 and the last race I was on course for a top spot on the podium but after some damage saw us take a third”.

We leave Slovakiaring with the following championship points in total:

• Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome Classification –71 points (3^rd)

• Goodyear FIA ETRC Teams – TAYLOR & RODRIGUES –60 points (4^th)
• Goodyear FIA ETRC Overall Classification – 11 points (11^th)

READ: Full Slovakia Ring Race Report

VIEW: Race 1 Highlights – Round Two Slovakia Ring 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 2 Highlights – Round Two Slovakia Ring 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 3 Highlights – Round Two Slovakia Ring 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 4 Highlights – Round Two Slovakia Ring 2024 ETRC

ROUND 1

The second season in the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship starts here and we were all looking forward to it.

The team were well pleased with their performance at Marco Simoncelli World Circuit, Misano, Italy, that saw them start their busy season of truck racing across Europe.

It was Mark’s second season in the championship, and the whole team did a sterling job over the weekend, that saw them leave Italy, buzzing for the next round at Slovakia Ring Circuit.

A new look to the championship this season saw new regulations, an all-new qualifying format and a new and more challenging championship with a Titan and Chrome class for the drivers to gain points to become the elite champions when the season comes to an end in October this year, after travelling all over Europe over seven rounds.

Saturday’s two practice sessions in bright sunny weather were well received by Taylor and the team, the truck ran faultless and saw him take P11 and 12^th spot respectively and topping speeds of around 80mph.

The new format qualifying session followed, it would be battled out over three separate sessions, Q1 of 15 minutes to determine grid positions 13 to end, Q2 of 10 minutes for positions 7 to 12 and a shootout Q3 to determine the top 6 spots on the grid.

Qualifying 1: Mark started qualifying good with the other 13 trucks, track temperatures were over 22 degrees it was tough going though and a lot hotter in the cab, with 8 minutes on the clock remaining most trucks were into the pit lane with their best times and hoping anyone still out didn’t beat their times. Mark was in P12 and that remained until the chequered flag was out.

Qualifying 2: Mark tried to match some of the frontrunner’s times straight away as the green flag came out, but with no avail, he was in P10 and with just over 3 minutes left on the clock he was given a penalty for over speeding and a lap time disallowed putting him back into P11 where he remained, and his grid position determined for race one later.

Race One: The 12-lap race was going to be tough for Mark, starting from row 6 on the grid. As the pace truck peeled off the circuit and the lights went out, he was off like wildfire scorching the 2.525-mile Italian tarmac with its 16 corners, by the end of lap one he was into P9 and third in chrome category. On lap 4 Mark did a textbook overtake on Clemens Hecker and into P2 in chrome. On lap 5 rain started to fall and a Taylor / Newell battle commenced, Mark went back into P5 on lap 6 and got a warning for over speeding on lap 9. He was handed a 10 second penalty for over speeding. Mark too the flag in P5 but further penalties were handed out and he was demoted to P6 in chrome and 11^th overall.

Race Two: Another row 6 start saw a coming together between Lenz and Eduardo Rodrigues and a red flag and 30-minute delay in proceedings. Take two! and we were racing again, lap one saw further disappointment for Mark, a coming together between him and Newell saw Mark pushed into last spot. He had sustained some damage and back to the pits, after inspection Mark was out again but over a lap behind, by lap 8 he was chasing a P5 slot in chrome but nearly 2 minutes adrift off pole position. By lap 10 Mark was still pushing although with damage and was into P4 in chrome class due to a retirement and 10^th overall as he limped the #81 to the end.

The team worked like trojans into Saturday night to repair the truck and service it ready for Sunday’s final two races.

Warm Up: An early Sunday morning start saw the truck run a dream, to take 8^th fastest out of the 14 starters.

Qualifying 4: This session saw Taylor make it into P11.

Qualifying 5: 10^th spot to seal a fifth row start for race three.

Race Three:  As the lights went out Mark had a big off on lap 1 and a case of waved yellows, Taylor rejoined in P12 with front end damage to the bumper. Determined as ever by lap 3 he was into P11 after overtaking Garrett. By lap 11 he was into P10 and took the chequered flag and P4 in chrome classification.

Race Four: Final race of the day and a reverse grid race saw Mark on row 5, a great start saw him power his way into P9 virtually straight away, for the next 10 laps Mark tried every which way to gain places with no luck but on the air of caution too as he needed to fend off any competition from behind as well and all was to play for in a podium place. As the flag came out, he finished with a podium third spot in chrome placings and 9^th overall.

What a way to finish the first round of the season on the podium, all the team were jubilant with the position and a testament to all the hard work put in by this family run team, one to be watching for the rest of the season we think.

The team championship in the last race was also won by Team Taylor / Rodrigues, who they have partnered up with for this season too.

 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Our weekend looked like this:

• Race One – 11th (6^th Chrome Category)
• Race Two – 10th (4^th Chrome Category)
• Race Three – 10th (4^th Chrome Category)
• Race Four – 9th (3^rd Chrome Category)

Driver Comments

“What a great weekend, the truck ran fine all weekend, and the team did a great job keeping me on the tarmac over the weekend, a big thank you to you all. Sealing third in chrome in the last race topped the weekend off for us all, we have come away with some points in the championship as well and now look forward to Slovakia Ring in two weeks’ time”.

We leave Italy with the following championship points in total:

• Goodyear FIA ETRC Chrome Classification – 31 points (3^rd)
• Goodyear FIA ETRC Teams – TAYLOR & RODRIGUES – 25 points (4^th)
• Goodyear FIA ETRC Overall Classification – 4 points (11^th)

READ: Full Misano World Circuit Race Report

VIEW: Race 1 Highlights – Round One Misano 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 2 Highlights – Round One Misano 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 3 Highlights – Round One Misano 2024 ETRC

VIEW: Race 4 Highlights – Round One Misano 2024 ETRC