番外編 ＴＲＵＣＫ ＧＰ
- AMAZONと仲間達
- by suna
- 2009/07/27 月 19:23
昨日は日曜日、ベルギーでの仕事を終えて、ドイツへ帰る途中で、面白いレースを見ました。場所は、この前、ＡＭＡＺＯＮがブイブイと戦っていた「ニュルブルクリンク」。今度は、「ＴＲＵＣＫ−ＧＲＡＮＤ ＰＲＩＸ」なるトラックレースをやっていました。超大型トレーラーを引っ張るトラック・ヘッドだけで走るレースです。ま、ご存知のようにホイールベースは短いわりに、でかいタイヤを履き、当然でかいトラック・ヘッドですから、見た目は「モンスター・チョロＱ」みたいです。ちゃんとＶＯＬＶＯもいて、ＢＥＮＺ、ＭＡＮ、ＳＣＡＮＩＡ、ＲＥＮＡＵＬＴ、、などなど欧州のトラックメーカーが、こぞって「ワークス」体制で参戦しているＦＩＡ公認ヨーロッパ選手権レースです。１０００馬力超えのディーゼル・ターボエンジンを搭載し、レーシングタイヤ!!!を履いたトラック･ヘッドを副変速機付き１４段ギアを駆使して、ブイブイとレースをやるのです。その迫力たるや凄まじいもので、Ｆ１の走るＧＰコースが狭く感じるほどで、大相撲のように押し出しアリ、突き出しアリの「力の勝負」なのです。で、当然のように、ひっくり返るトラック・ヘッドも出るわけですが、そうすると、並みのレッカーでは何ともならなくて、同じ大きさ以上のビッグ・レッカー車が登場して引き起こし作業です。これまた迫力。どうやら、圧倒的に優位に立っているのはＭＡＮらしく、トップを突っ走っていました。日本のトラックメーカーは、日野も日産ディーゼルもいすゞも、こんなアホ！？なレースには、見向きもしていませんが、ずっと昔からＴＲＵＣＫ ＲＡＣＥを「楽しんで来た」欧州ならではの自動車文化先進国の証のような気がします。その証拠に、大観衆は圧倒的に家族連れが多いのです。子供は大きくて力強いトラックに憧れるのは当然ですし、とにかく、見ていてバカバカしいほど面白いのです。入場券も金、土、日曜３日間通用のシルバーチケットが５６Ｅｕｒ（約￥７５００ プラチナ、ゴールドに続く３番目ランクのチケットで、ほとんど何処でも入れました。もっとも、私は駐車場でダフ屋の姉ちゃんからこのチケットを２０Ｅｕｒで買いました）と決して安くはないのですが、Ｆ１並みの観客でした。どこかの国の閑古鳥の鳴くレースを見ていると考えさせられるものがありました。
Yesterday was Sunday and on my way back from Belgium to Germany, I had the opportunity to see an interesting race. Passing Nurburgring, we saw that they had a truck race called "Truck Grand Prix" going on. This is a race held by truck heads. Trucks without their payload are monsters with smaller wheel base and huge tires and they all look like monster choroQs. Volvo, Benz, Man, Scania, Renault, they were all there as works team and the race was a FIA event. Truck heads with racing tires and 14 speed gear boxes were running around the F1 course making the course look really small. It was like watching a sumo event with pushing and shoving going on all around. During this, there are trucks that turn over. Once turned over, it takes an even bigger wrecker to pick them up. This type of race would never happen in Japan and neither Hino nor Nissan Diesel would ever consider doing something like this. It is probably a race which is possible only in Europe where truck races have been held for a long time. A lot of the crowd that were watching were families. Entrance fee was 56Euro for a three day silver pass and was not cheap. But there were a lot more people at Nurburgring then there was at some F1 races held in Japan.
Yesterday was Sunday and on my way back from Belgium to Germany, I had the opportunity to see an interesting race. Passing Nurburgring, we saw that they had a truck race called "Truck Grand Prix" going on. This is a race held by truck heads. Trucks without their payload are monsters with smaller wheel base and huge tires and they all look like monster choroQs. Volvo, Benz, Man, Scania, Renault, they were all there as works team and the race was a FIA event. Truck heads with racing tires and 14 speed gear boxes were running around the F1 course making the course look really small. It was like watching a sumo event with pushing and shoving going on all around. During this, there are trucks that turn over. Once turned over, it takes an even bigger wrecker to pick them up. This type of race would never happen in Japan and neither Hino nor Nissan Diesel would ever consider doing something like this. It is probably a race which is possible only in Europe where truck races have been held for a long time. A lot of the crowd that were watching were families. Entrance fee was 56Euro for a three day silver pass and was not cheap. But there were a lot more people at Nurburgring then there was at some F1 races held in Japan.
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