The race for the title in Division 1 and Division 2 saw more twists and turns play out this past weekend (July 5-6) as the British Truck Racing Championship produced a blockbuster show around the fastest circuit in the country, Thruxton.
Befitting of its popularity, a bumper crowd flocked to the high-speed Hampshire venue to see the titans of truck racing headline Convoy Thruxton and in return they were treated to five contests that delivered thrilling entertainment and nail-biting drama.
In Division 1, the battle for supremacy at the top of the standings reached fever pitch as five different drivers – Ryan Smith, Stuart Oliver, Tom O’Rourke, David Smith and John Bowler – walked away with a race win apiece to their name.
Division 2 saw just as much excitement play out as Simon Cole guided his striking pink and white IVECO to a hat-trick of race wins before Weaver Motorsport’s Bradley Harvey scored a feel-good breakthrough brace.
With it being Convoy Thruxton, the BTRC was just one of many attractions for fans to enjoy as the home of the British Automobile Racing Club showcased everything from live music and monster truck rides to a show truck display and tractor pulling over the course of the weekend.
High Five in Division 1
This year’s fight for bragging rights in Division 1 is the most competitive in recent memory and that was demonstrated this weekend by the fact that five different drivers stood on the top step of the podium.
Prior to the event, question marks were raised around the participation of Ryan Smith – with the reigning champion having spent time in hospital in the days leading up to the meeting so that he could undergo treatment for kidney stones.
Medically cleared to race on the Friday, the nine-time title winner wasted no time in getting down to business as he swept his way to pole position in qualifying and then a commanding lights-to-flag victory in race one.
Race two delivered one of the biggest talking points of the weekend as Smith was dramatically disqualified from the final result. The Daimler Freightliner driver had triumphed on-track however he failed to visit the pit lane when asked after being given the black and orange mechanical flag.
It would later transpire that Smith’s water tank bracket had failed. His failure to comply with the officials left him being removed from the result and it handed ten-time champion Stuart Oliver a fourth victory of the season ahead of David Jenkins and Michael Oliver.
Sunday at Thruxton saw the list of different Division 1 winners this season grow from four to seven as Tom O’Rourke, David Smith and John Bowler each delivered a stunning drive to triumph for the first time in 2025.
O’Rourke kicked things off in Race 3 as he piloted his International Navistar to a stunning win. The manner in which the Scotsman did it had everyone on their feet as powered his way to the front of the field from third and then fended off a feisty Smith for the remainder of the contest.
Former Division 2 champion David Smith then recorded his best result since returning to the super-sized series in race four as he produced a defensive masterclass to hold off Bowler, 333 Motorsport’s Steven Powell and Oliver Snr to triumph.
Having come close on a number of occasions already this year, Bowler finally had his crowning glory in the weekend’s finale as he opened up his win account with a flawless performance in his MAN TGX to hold off Smith and Jenkins.
Cole and Harvey share Division 2 spoils
In Division 2, Simon Cole ignited his championship challenge by delivering a superlative performance that resulted in him claiming three wins from five races and the pendulum swinging in the standings.
Cole arrived at Thruxton looking to close the gap to series leader Jake Evans and the complexion of the weekend was turned on its head in opening practice as Evans suffered a catastrophic engine failure.
That would prove to be one of the defining moments of the weekend as the damage sustained to his MAN power plant was too severe to repair at the circuit, which subsequently ruled him out of competing.
Evans’ demise opened the door for Cole to take advantage and the IVECO driver did just that as he snared pole position in qualifying and then soaked up pressure from Harvey and Sami Ojanen to clinch victory in race one.
It wasn’t all smiles for Cole however as while on his way to the top step of the podium in that opening encounter, the Kent racer picked up irreparable damage to his windscreen. Without a spare one to-hand, he ultimately had to sit out race two while a new screen was sourced.
Race two therefore went the way to Harvey as he produced a flawless display in his DAF to claim his first-ever win in truck racing ahead of Finnish-born racer Ojanen and WDE Motorsport’s Callum Eason.
With a new windscreen fitted, Cole returned to the fray on Sunday and duly powered his way to back-to-back wins. However, in a cruel twist of fate he once again sustained a smashed screen – this time after it was struck by a tyre.
Cole’s absence in race five – along with a number of other mechanical issues for the likes of Handy, Ojanen and Eason – meant that Harvey had a relatively trouble-free drive to his second win of the campaign.
To view the full classification of results from all British Truck Racing Championship sessions at Thruxton, CLICK HERE.
All five races from the third meeting of the season will be available to view on the British Truck Racing Championship YouTube channel HERE.
The British Truck Racing Championship hits the halfway mark in the 2025 season next as the series heads to Donington Park on August 9-10 for Convoy in the Park.