Hugo Cibien has a climber's Sunday in Curvelo

The driver from Espírito Santo was the one who climbed the most positions in the Minas Gerais circuit

An electrical problem (wiring failure) in the Volvo number 92 from Vannucci Racing during the last free practice of the 8th and penultimate stage of the 2024 Copa Truck season caused Hugo Cibien from Espírito Santo to miss the qualifying session in Curvelo (MG) on Saturday (16). Starting in the first race of Sunday in 18th and last place in his category, the Super Truck Elite, and 37th among all the trucks on the track, Cibien had a stellar performance, showing total adaptation to the truck in his first half-season, as he debuted with the championship already in progress. Climbing the pack from the first lap, and even on a circuit where overtaking is considered very difficult, Cibien moved from 18th to 6th place. In the second race, with the grid inverted for the top eight positions, Cibien started in 3rd and quickly secured 2nd place. When battling for the lead with Leo Rufino's Mercedes Benz truck, he was hit, spun out, lost positions and performance. Nevertheless, he would still climb to the podium (his third in four participations in the category), but in the penultimate corner of the last lap, without brakes, he went off track and finished in 7th.

“It was a weekend of highs and lows, but when the truck had no problems, the performance was excellent. I was the driver who gained the most positions in the first race, and in the second I was fighting for the lead when I got hit. After that, I had brake problems; it was difficult to hold the truck on the track, and I lost radio communication. Even so, after the hit, I regained the podium position (among the top five) on the track and didn’t know it was the last lap when I went off in the penultimate corner. The podium slipped through my fingers, and I also had the chance to achieve my first victory in the category, but the overall result is very positive, as we know we have the performance to compete for the top positions. That’s the most important thing, and that’s what we will do in the last stage of the season in Goiânia on December 8,” said Hugo Cibien.