MOST

• History
• Race track
• Accreditation
• Photogallery
• Magazine
• Start lists
• Results
• E-shop
• Contacts

History

The European truck races cup took place for the eighteenth time next year. This means that the races over several tons heavy monster do not belong to any young starting disciplines, but more to traditional categories of the motoring sport of recent times. During those almost two decades the very popular championship subscribed itself into the history by undeletable letters and in this text not even Czech racers ´ names are not missing, not even the messages from autodrome in Most. And Chat is written in the history of races that are a heavy calibre compared to others?

The races were thought up by movie people
The historical notes say, that the first truck races ever took place already in the beginnings of motoring sport at the end of the nineteenth century. According to kept messages the premiere groan of “trucks” took place in October 1898 in Versailles near Paris, but the simple information does not say who won and on what machine. In the several next years the races of those sever tons heavy monsters did no develop anyhow and they were not regularly held. The only thing is known, that due to lack of passenger cars truck were used for rally and autocross in Russia for a long time.
In the second half of the last century speed records were created with heavy trucks and Jerry Malone together with former formula racer in 500 miles Indianapolis Rodger.
Ward organize a truck races in Kalifornia in dragster modification. But this was still very far from circuit races of trucks. The creation of new racing discipline was and unwanted achievement of American movie people who entered a great raid of trucks without semitrailers in the movie Smokey and Bandit. Drivers chosen in casting performed such a great show for the moviemakers and so also for the audience, that soon after the movies premiere the first real truck races were organized. The premiere named Great American Truck race was held in June 1979 on the banked track in Atlanta with a great response and Mike Adams became the winner. Next groan was held in Californian Ontario and the next season Linn Hendershoot organized the first three-events races serial, for which technical and sports rules were already set.
In Europe for the first time
Andrew Frankl, publisher of a prestigious English newspaper was among the visitors of the truck races in America, who soon tried to organize alike event on the British Islands. But Bertush van Holland from Nederland, who was charmed by truck races in the Americe, was proceeding faster and so in 1983 he organized the first European truck groan on the domestic circuit in Zandvoort. Next truck races were held as foreplay for the famous Belgian endurance touring cars race 24h Spa-Fancorchamps and in September 1983 a single truck race for 24 hours was held for one hundred thousands visitor of the French circuit LeMans.
In 1984 also Frankl cmpleted his task and on the circuit in Donington first truck races int the Great Britain were held, with participation of racers from sex countries. In front of eighty thousands people, for example double world motorcycle master Barry Shee participated, so did the world champion from high capacity engines race Paul Grimer and Barry Lee, experienced competition racer Andy Dawson and also F1 pilot Martin Brundle, who started with transport truck of F1 Williams team. Thi victory and the scalps of lot of domestic starts belonged to former European touring cars mastership participant Italian Duilio Ghistotti, who won with Volvo F12, by which he used to carry goods into the Great Britain.
The success of first truck races organized by Holland and then also by Frankl induced the need to found an organization, which would take care about preparing the individual events and also the complete serial, raced according given rules. So Andie Frankl together with his colleagues Andy Bucha, Robun Dickenson, Peter Chambers and John Haigh founded the ETRO organization (European Truck Racing Organisation), which created the rules, according to which the first years of prestigious British championship were held and then also the European cup.

Start of the European cup
The first year of the European truck races cup was stared in 1985, it consisted of seven events and racers competed with serial production cars divided into three groups according to the given power of the engine given by manufacturer (up to 300 hp, up to 360 hp and up to 500hp). The new European championship met a big public attention as axpected, it had support of truck manufacturers and a lot of starts in the starting field. Together with Italian Ghislotti, who appeared already in the starting field. Together with Italian Ghislotti, who appeared already in the starting season, also others were present, as the experience Austrian competition pilot Günger Spindler or successful Interseries participant British Willie Green. Former to rallycross racer Rd Champman than became absolute winner of the starting season of the championship without class difference.
After four years of the truck races serial it obtained international automobile Federation status, what meant, that the winner of the championship was celebrated as real European master. But in those times, the starting field was already full of personalities, who addicted the attractive truck races. Except others former downhill skier, participant of the Olympic games English Divina Galica appeared, next the F1 ex-pilot and former ABBA drummer Swedish Slim Borgudd, world master in endurance races in road motorcycles French Jean-Claude Chemarin, British speedway racer Terry Crossland, motorcycle racer and TV narrator British Steve Parrich or German journalist Hans-Georg von der Marwitz. Later also Swedish master in rally Stig Blomqvist, legendary rallycross racer Jokke Kallio from Finland, Spanish journalist Manuel Santos Marcos or Successful touring car racers Germans Markus Östereich and Ellen Lohr.

Czech invasion
In May 1987 one of the events was held on the Hungarian circuit Hungaroring and within this event Czech racers with LIAZ truck appeared in their premiere – formula pilot Jiří Moskal and autocross racer František Vojtíšek. The idea of start of Czech racer became already from 1986 from Andrew Frankl, the founder of European cup, who noticed, that Moskal except of starts with the truck in the desert marathon Paris-Dakar races also with formula. One-year later Frankl´s wish was fulfilled, after three months rebuilding of two truck in the factory in Jablonec, Moskal with Vojtíšek appeared on Hungaroring and that way the later Czech invasion into the cup serial was started.
Totally twelve Czechs touched the cup in its whole istory. Next to Moskal and Vojtíšek circuit specialists Karel Patočka, Stanislav Matějovský and Jaromír Malý fought for the cup points, also the European master in autokros Bohumil Křesťan and also one woman Lenka Vlachová. Vojtíšek nicked Frankie became a cup legend during almost two decades, who took the British champion´s title twice, but never reached the European gold and has “only” two silver medals in his balance. O the other hand more successful were Martin Koloc and Matějovský, who finally handed over the machines to others and they became team chiefs.

ME

• History
• Race tracks ME
• FIA ETRC entry list
• Results
• Archiv of Results