T Sport Bernau on hold
A new team, experienced driver, a new truck – everything was good to go when lockdown struck and threw all the plans out of the window. A story about the work of an international team in times of the coronavirus.
Their first joint season was supposed to be a special one – the “T Sport Bernau” team, which was newly formed in 2020, wanted to bring new approaches, new ideas and a breath of fresh air to the truck racing scene. Then coronavirus arrived and brought the entire racing world to a halt. For the German-English team with its Spanish driver, the restrictions caused by the pandemic were a particular challenge. This was because the restrictions for the German team members were gradually easing whilst the technical crew and race truck were still at a complete standstill in the workshop in England. At the same time, driver Antonio Albacete was in lockdown in his home town Madrid.
The long-awaited test
After such a long time spent waiting, there is now some movement: from 15 to 17 July, there will finally be a test run in Nogaro in the South of France. “Currently, we should be okay to travel from England to France without major difficulties. And Antonio can also drive across the Spanish border to France without having to get on a plane,” says Team Manager Melanie Derflinger. She adds that the team is more than ready and has been preparing intensively for the start of the season over the last few months. Now they are hoping to achieve some ambitious goals with the newly built truck and experienced truck racing driver Antonio Albacete.
And he can hardly wait to get started with the real racing: “I was overjoyed with the new truck, the sponsors and the team, who went out of their way to prepare us for the 2020 season,” says Antonio. Covid had forced him and all the other teams to come to a halt and everything had to be started up again, he adds. During the forced break, Antonio exchanged his cockpit for a simulator – just like some of his fellow racing drivers – and practised racing virtually.
When things finally really get up and running at the end of August, he wants to be at the front of the pack and hopes that a completely normal season will follow in 2021. And he then thanks all (MAN) drivers for the fantastic job they do every day – even during the pandemic: “Thank you for continuing to work and supply us with all the essentials.”
T Sport Bernau is comprised of T Sport Racing and Truck Sport Bernau, who joined forces along with truck racing driver Antonio Albacete. The team is managed by Melanie Derflinger (Marketing) and Tim Frost (Engineering). Lutz Bernau provides support in technical as well as operational areas.
Join now and win!
This weekend would have seen the racing teams face off at the annual ADAC Truck Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, which would also have provided the backdrop for the annual club rally. Sadly, everything had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. Nevertheless, we would like to give our MAN and truck racing fans something to smile about: Enter our competition to win yourself a fan pack. The pack includes a baseball cap with the word “Löwenstark” on the front, a pin, a lanyard keychain and postcards of the new MAN TGX. Send us an email (England@truckers-world.eu) or click on the button below.
Good luck!