RoadStars Trophy Finale 2018 – arrival and first competitions

RoadStars Trophy 2018 – Report I

In the thick of things.

Freshly arrived in the hotel and already the contestants are thrown straight into the first tasks – the finalists of the RoadStars Trophy 2018 in Spain are dreaming of winning the trophy.


Automatic transmission put to the test off-road. Longitudinal differential engaged, differential engaged, high revs to climb up the loose ground. A tight corner, differential briefly disengaged, and then things start getting really steep. All of the potholes, stones and the general unevenness – road is definitely the wrong word to use here. Welcome to the RoadStars Trophy Finale 2018!

Matteo from Bergamo (Italy) is behind the wheel of the red Arocs 8x6 tipper. The only things holding him in place are his seat belt, the armrests and the well-shaped seat. "Damn, I'm losing all the water," he says. The aim of this task is that the bowl of water behind the cab arrives as full as possible at the finish line. On the co-driver's seat is trainer legend Günter Brendel, aka Günni. He laughs and tries to make light of the situation. "Just try and drive as smoothly as possible and you'll do fine. And remember, your colleagues also have to do the same route as you."



The skittles are wobbling.

The 14 finalists of the RoadStars Trophy arrived yesterday. Shortly after checking in to the hotel in Salomó, slightly land-inwards between Sitges and Tarragona, it's already time for the first task: Catalan skittles. "Six pins are set up at a distance of 11.5 metres. One of them has to remain standing. Take the throwing skittle firmly in your hand. You need a sturdy stance," explains Jorge – not only is he the hotel's boss, he's also the man in the know when it comes to this discipline – Catalonia's national sport.

Initially, the participants practice for a while but then after a few throws, the skittles start wobbling. Tim from Ghent (Belgium) throws a five, and Mirko from Fano (Italy) a four, while Christian from Rekken (Belgium) gets a five upon his first throw along with Thomas from Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Not bad! They then move on to the real game, where the points actually count. Each player gets to take three shots and at the end of the game, there are four contestants in first place, one in second and two in third place. It was a close match.

Time for the evening meal – a massive pan of freshly-prepared paella – and the second competition, the Sangria Challenge. Not to drink, though! The task consists of hold two jugs of the drink with outstretched arms. "3-2-1... go!" calls games master Christopher. There is silence in the courtyard of the hotel complex, with just the occasional sound of clinking plates from the kitchen. Then the first signs of muscle tremor and faces showing a mix of concentration and tension appear. At the end, only Thomas and Roland from Toggenburg (Switzerland) are still in the race after an impressive eleven minutes. There's a murmur among the participants – who will last longest? "I'm out", says Thomas, putting down the jugs. Roland continues to hold the jugs up high until the game is stopped by the games master after 13 minutes! Cheers and applause resound – a well-deserved first place.



"When you think it can't get any better, along comes the next surprise which really is better. Thank you, RoadStars!"

– Ron from Alsmeer (The Netherlands)


Simultaneously through the cones.

Back to the Can Padro racetrack. While Matteo keeps his bowl of water balanced whilst driving the four-axle tipper around the off-road course, the Swiss team drive in parallel around the slalom course. First forwards, then in reverse. Certainly looks like they've been practising. Almost perfectly synchronised, the two Actros trucks speed through the cones. Roland and Alex from Zurich both get out at the same time and receive a huge round of applause – "Wow, you did that really well!" – "Really amazing!" – "Great time!"

The track near the Montserrat mountains is located at 1300 metres altitude and is around an hour by car from Barcelona. It's also the location where the 14 finalists can test out very practical aspects of their daily routine. An emergency stop from 50 km/h – who will manage to stop closely ahead of the wall of foam blocks? Martin from Alkmaar (The Netherlands) manages to get within two metres of it and is thus clearly in the lead. Daniel from Oranienburg (Germany) says: "The reflex to step too soon on the brakes is extremely strong."



Brake!

And what about the length of the braking path with a solo tractor unit from 70 km/h? The first task after lunch takes place in the shade of an old arch nearby. Martin, Thomas and Matteusz from Gubin (Poland) share tips. Here, country borders are of no importance at all. Thomas: "At 50 km/h you need less than ten metres. But how much more is it at 70?" Martin: I'm putting my cone here – I don't know the exact length." Matteusz: "I think we should all move further back a bit. The braking distance is surely much longer." The Actros draws near. The brakes are depressed fully, hazard warning lights come on and the smell of rubber fills the already hot air. Matteusz was right – quite a distance beyond all of the cones, the tractor unit comes to a halt!



Chilling and chatting.

The last task on the Can Padro is guessing how close together and how flat the obstacles may be so that the truck can still pass through. After this, it's time to return to the hotel. The pool beckons, but the organisers have a better idea – the participants should head to the beach at Port Torredembarra, just half an hour away. They quickly grab their swimming shorts and a towel, before slurping down an ice cold cola and heading back out. But everyone is left wondering what's in store as the bus drives past the beach and stops in the port.

A few minutes later, the two hulls of a catamaran glide through the clear, blue 25-degree-warm sea water. In a calm spot ahead of the craggy coastline, 30 metres of anchor chain start rattling over the winch, while the swimming ladder is lowered. At the same time, the crew starts to lay sausages, skewers and burgers on the barbecue. Time to relax, swim, eat and, of course, chat – time to get to know each other. Ron from Alsmeer (The Netherlands): "When you think it can't get any better, along comes the next surprise which really is better. Thank you, RoadStars!"



Photos: Sebastian Vollwert
Video: Martin Schneider-Lau

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