For the first time ever, IVECO will be taking part in the full FIA European Truck Race 2017 as technical sponsor for two teams: will continue to support Team Schwabentruck, and it will back the Team Hahn, who will defend the title in 2017 on IVECO. The first round of the championship is set to take place in Austria at the Red Bull Ring, beginning Saturday 13th May and ending on Sunday 14th May. IVECO's presence on the track will be doubled at the 2017 edition of the FIA European Truck Race Championship. Team Schwabentruck has represented IVECO for the past eight years and this year also Team Hahn – the 2016 champion that will defend the title in 2017 with IVECO – has chosen to compete on board a Stralis race truck. Pierre Lahutte, IVECO Brand President, commented: "We have taken up the challenge of being 100% involved in the championship, with two highly competitive teams who will race bearing the colours of the IVECO flag. We are proud that our vehicles will be part of the exciting world of racing, which will engage and thrill our customers across Europe. This is a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the incredible performance of our trucks on circuits that will test the engines and the mechanics of the vehicles to their limits. These intense conditions are designed to test the durability of the vehicles and the reliability of the components used in the production of these trucks." IVECO is supporting Team Schwabentruck with two Stralis models designed for racing. German driver Gerd Körber, three times champion of the European Truck Race (1996, 2001 and 2003), and his teammate Markus Altenstrasser will drive a Stralis 440 E 56 XP-R 5.5-tonne race truck, featuring an IVECO Cursor 13 engine that delivers an impressive 1150 hp. These vehicles are specifically designed and equipped to reach 160 km/h, the maximum speed stipulated by sporting regulations. Team leader Gerd Körber will be competing for the first time to win the entire championship, participating in all races. Team Hahn was established in 1996 and driver Jochen Hahn took his father's place in 1999, when he won the title of Rookie of the Year thanks to the superb results he achieved. The glory years for Jochen and Team Hahn began in 2011, and they went on the take the title victory for three consecutive years, as well as a second place in 2014, third place on the podium in 2015 and first place again in the most recent edition. Team Hahn will also compete with a Stralis 440 E 56 XP-R race truck. In preparation for the first round in Austria, the two teams were in attendance at the official FIA test at the Most circuit in the Czech Republic, testing the latest developments on their vehicles and the new engines. The test at Most was attended by the majority of the teams that are set to face each other in the championship, and was an extremely useful opportunity to trial their competitiveness in the field. Both IVECO teams took full advantage of this first intense test to check the general functionality of the vehicles, with a specific focus on the performance of the new engines. It also represented an important opportunity for Jochen Hahn to gain confidence with the Stralis XP-R, which is different to the trucks he has driven in previous seasons. IVECO will take to the track on each of the nine championship circuits, as well as consolidating the brand’s presence in the paddocks with vehicle displays, fan shops and hospitality facilities. Two of the four IVECO Emotional Truck models will be on display as a special tribute to the great names of the world of motorsport: the Schwabentruck Emotional Truck and the vehicle dedicated to the Dakar Team PETRONAS De Rooy IVECO. The new Hahn Team Emotional Truck will be on display from the Misano competition onwards.
