Iveco opts for girl power!

Iveco is returning to the European Truck Racing Championship this year with a female driver! Her name is Steffi Halm. She’s 33 years old, hails from Germany and is part of the Schwabentruck team.

Iveco’s official role is that of technical sponsor to the Hahn Racing and Schwabentruck teams. The latter has represented the brand for the past nine years, while Team Hahn won the 2016 championship.

Halm and the other drivers are driving a Stralis 440 E 56 XP-R 5.3-t race truck, which is powered by a Cursor 13 engine that delivers an impressive 1 180 hp (880 kW) and more than 5 000 Nm of torque.

Halm is only woman competing in the championship and Pierre Lahutte, Iveco brand president, says he hopes she will attract women to the industry. “At a time when drivers and mechanics are scarce, Steffi is an encouragement for women to come and work in our industry.

“We know we have a very competitive and reliable truck, and our dream is to see Steffi being the first woman to conquer the European championship. Welcome and best wishes of success, Steffi!” he enthuses.

However Halm hasn’t only been chosen because she’s a member of the fairer sex. She does also have some previous race wins under her belt. Let’s hope that 2018 brings her many more!