The truck racing event of one of the world's largest car clubs has developed over its approximately 40-year history into an attraction with wide appeal for numerous stakeholders in the commercial vehicle industry. Around the classic truck race, where the best drivers in the world compete in 1,000 hp vehicles, not only are other specialty competitions held, but also side events like commercial vehicle industry trade shows and entertainment formats like a music festival and trucker camps. The four-day program at the former Formula 1 track at Nürburgring attracts more than 130,000 visitors annually.
For truck manufacturers, the motorsport event, organized by ADAC Mittelrhein, serves as a stage for showcasing the capabilities of their multi-ton tractors. The Munich brand MAN, for example, again positioned itself among the front runners at this year's 38th Truck Grand Prix. In addition, there were several showcases from the truck fleet on an exhibition area of over 1,750 square meters – and a varied entertainment
program. This time with a special undertone: the truck builder celebrated 20 years of its Trucker’s World at Nürburgring.
Results: From the four races of the main event, also referred to as the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship, Hungarian Norbert Kiss from the MAN racing team emerged as the winner and current series leader with two wins and two third places. Additionally, the Munich brand's racing team currently maintains fourth and fifth places in the European overall standings, represented by René Reinert and Sascha Lenz in a driver field comprising participants from Germany, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, and Great Britain. “All three drivers drove a MAN racing truck with 1,000 hp,” MAN reports proudly.
20 Years of Trucker’s World
Additionally, "two decades of lived community" were celebrated at Nürburgring, as since 2005, the truck brand's driver club has hosted its "Trucker’s World" on its own exhibition area on the grounds – aiming to advocate for the interests of its truck
drivers. This year, MAN hosted more than 12,000 invited guests on its premises. The new, bright red TW truck of Kautetzky freight company served as the anniversary truck, soon to be the main feature in one of the "Lion Story" film clips.
Furthermore, about ten MAN vehicles showcasing their technical and historical diversity – from the classic cult model to the latest electric truck – were on display at the MAN grounds:
- The MAN TGX Power Lion Edition with the new D30 engine, touted as the strongest and last of the MAN diesel generation
- A restored MAN F8 from the cult series "Auf Achse"
- With the eTGX, a fully electric future truck for long-haul capable of traveling up to 650 kilometers per day with strategic charging stops
- Two show trucks from Trucker’s World member Franz Zerle, product consultant for municipal vehicles at MAN
- Customer vehicles from Vögel Transporte and Agrosprinter
- From the van class, the Herbie-TGE, designed after the cult
- film "Herbie – The Love Bug” from 1968
- The event truck TGS 33.540 Individual Lion S 6x6 with special design and equipment
- The storage truck of Buchna, a Düren-based company specializing in towing services whose fleet consists solely of MAN trucks
Diverse Program
There was also the opportunity to talk with the drivers of the racing team, and the Trucker’s World dance flash mob along with various participation and win activities provided variety and excitement. Through test drives, attendees could experience the qualities of the electric eTGX, and a tattoo artist was present to professionally adorn attendees with creative designs upon request. Various play activities were designed for children, and panoramic lift rides were organized to raise funds for the Trucker’s World Support Fund.
Stefan Schall, Managing Director Truck, Van & Used at MAN Truck & Bus Germany, concluded:
“The anniversary weekend impressively demonstrated the deep connection within the trucker community – and how much enthusiasm innovation, community, and motorsports
