The newly launched racing version of the Renault Premium previews how the new road-going truck will look when it is launched to the world in June. The 4x2 day cab racer was uncovered after a press conference at the opening round of the European Truck Racing Championship at Misano, Italy attended by Bruno Blin, President of Renault Trucks and Mario Kress, the chief du equipe of Renault Trucks-MKR Technology, the team behind the factory effort.
The smoother front profile of the truck features a revised two bar grille replacing the large plastic insert which dominated the front end view of the current model Premium. Even in the low roof, day cab variant raced by MKR, the slanted front end treatment is very apparent. There is little to tell about lighting solutions as the headlights on a racing truck are replaced by snorting air intakes for the standard diesel power plant with a few racing updates.
The new trucks had a good start to their campaign in the Italian season opener. Adam Lacko took 23 points from the first skirmishes, including a podium finish while team mate Markus Bosinger has 20. That puts the MKR duo in sixth and seventh in the European championship. MAN’s dominated the event with four of the top five drivers piloting the VAG group’s truck product. Jochan Hahn leads the title battle from David Vrsecky, one of two freightliner entries.
The story is even better in the teams championship where Castrol Team Hahn’s MANs lead the fight ahead of Truck Sport Lutz Bernau’s TGS racers and the Renault factory duo. The trio of Mercedes Benz Actros, including at least one MP-4, failed to net a single point from the meeting while the sole Iveco runner took points, but is only entered race by race into the championship so will likely be out of the running by the time the big pot comes to be awarded. A trio of “current” Premium racers were also entered but claimed just nine points between them.