The 2017 Brazilian Truck Cup Championship is the first season of the Truck Cup.
Contents
- Teams and drivers
- Calendar
- Schedule
- Results
- Championship standings
- Drivers' Championship
- Points standings
- Television coverage
- Coverage in Brazil
- Other countries
- Streaming links
- See also
- References
- External links
The category's origins came after nine teams left Formula Truck due to disagreements with the problematic management of Neusa Navarro Félix. These teams joined together in an association to create the category that replaced Formula Truck. [1] [2] The new category brings together teams and drivers from the old category.
In November 2017, it was approved by the Brazilian Automobile Confederation (CBA) and recognized as an official championship. Carlos Col, former head of the Stock Car Pro Series, is its promoter. [3]
The Truck Cup was officially launched on April 27, 2017, in São Paulo. In the first season, the championship was divided into three regional cups: Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. The first stage took place on May 28, in Goiânia, with 17 trucks on the grid.
The association is made up of the following teams: RM Competições, AJ5 Sports, DF Motorsport, RVR Motorsports, Dakar Motors, Fábio Fogaça Motorsports, Lucar Motorsports and Clay Truck Racing. [4]
The beginning of everything
It was 1987 when truck driver Aurélio Batista Félix and Portuguese journalist Francisco Santos decided to organize the category's first race. This first Brazilian championship was a huge success, with 35 drivers and an attendance of 20,000 fans. Over time, the category evolved and gained popularity, and today the Truck Cup is the main truck racing category in Brazil, with 36 drivers from 12 teams competing in nine rounds throughout the year, with two races per round in the Pro and Super Elite categories. [5] [6]
Differences between racing and street trucks
The first, and most obvious, is the height: while a standard truck measures 3.6 meters, Copa Truck vehicles are much lower, at about 2.5 meters. Another big difference, of course, is the power: 1,000 horsepower, twice that of an average transport truck. The brakes are also different, with pads capable of withstanding braking at speeds over 200 km/h. And let's not forget the tires, with a special shape and pressure, lower and rounded than those of a road vehicle, to increase grip. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
Security
You can't be too cautious when you're inside a truck going 200 km/h, so in addition to the structure of a normal vehicle, the Copa Truck has stabilizer bars, a type of "cage" that offers extra protection to the driver, a special "bucket" type racing seat and five-point seat belts, in addition to all the inspections carried out by professionals to ensure the safety of the drivers. [12]
Women in the Truck Cup
Women have a place in the Truck Cup, with two drivers vying for the top spot on the podium. In addition to Débora Rodrigues, one of the sport's pioneers, the category now also features Bia Figueiredo, [13] who has competed in everything from Formula 3 Sudamericana to the Indianapolis 500. [14]
