The British Truck Racing Championship sets sail for France this weekend (September 20-21) as the world-famous Le Mans Circuit prepares to stage the penultimate race weekend of what has been a captivating 2025 season.
A few days removed from a thrilling outing at Snetterton, the UK’s biggest motor racing series speeds back to French soil for a second successive year to join the FIA European Truck Racing Championship and FFSA French Truck Racing Championship at the iconic 24H Camions.
Boasting a near capacity entry list, the championship is set to run under a slightly different format around the Circuit de la Sarthe with both Saturday and Sunday consisting of a single qualifying session and two races.
Despite one less race being run than usual, edge-of-the-seat entertainment is all-but guaranteed as the lead contenders in Division 1 and Division 2 prepare to jockey for position ahead of the series finale at Brands Hatch in November.
Tussling title trio head to France
Just nine races now remain before a champion is crowned and at the top of the Division 1 standings, three title winners are braced to throw everything they have towards lifting the coveted prize once again.
Reigning nine-time champion Ryan Smith underlined his credentials at Snetterton with a sublime performance that saw him clinch two wins and a further three podium finishes. Those results have therefore allowed the Daimler Freightliner driver to eke out a 23-point lead heading to France.
At Le Mans last year, Smith reigned supreme by claiming a clean sweep of race wins and while he’ll be hoping to do the same this time round, he’ll no doubt have one eye fixed on his two main rivals; Stuart Oliver and David Jenkins.
Both Oliver and Jenkins have been unrelenting this season and with the speed to take the fight to Smith, the experienced duo are expected to be formidable forces around the 2.570-mile Bugatti layout.
Behind the top three, John Bowler has momentum on his side after he too triumphed at Snetterton whilst Michael Oliver is always one to watch having been a race winner on no less than four occasions this year.
Former Division 2 champion David Smith has enjoyed a stellar campaign, winning twice, and Martin Gibson has delivered a number of standout drives too. Steven Powell meanwhile has bounced back from a lacklustre start to establish himself as a podium threat once more.
Completing the series’ premier class is Scottish ace Tom O’Rourke, the fledgling Neil Yates and fan favourite Richard Collett. Unfortunately, neither Adam Bint or John Powell will make the overseas trip for various reasons.
Division 2
It goes without saying that Le Mans will be pivotal in deciding the destiny of this year’s Division 2 title. That statement is reinforced when it comes to looking at the championship standings where the top five drivers are blanketed by just 44 points.
Each round has seen the pendulum continue to swing so far and at Snetterton it was WDE Motorsport’s Callum Eason that came to the fore as he enjoyed his best weekend of the season, one which culminated in him scoring a popular maiden win.
That victory, along with a hat-trick of podiums, ensured that Eason sits atop the standings going to Le Mans however he is far from comfortable out front as trailing him by just four points is Jake Evans.
Evans has shown pace and potential this year but recent mechanical issues have scooped his charge slightly. Two wins at Snetterton though has brought MAN TGX driver into the mix and he’ll be one to watch as he makes his Le Mans debut.
Meanwhile, Finnish star Sami Ojanen has been quietly going about his business and a faultless weekend at Snetterton has allowed him to enter the title conversation. He’s ahead of Bradley Harvey and Simon Cole, two drivers that both endured mechanical torment last weekend.
Completing the Division 2 entrants, and with a spring in their step after they both scored their first podiums of the year, is Archie Handy and Graham Poole. Dutch racer Willem Breedijk will also join the fray for his first appearance of the season in his Volvo F12.
Le Mans: Timetable, Live Stream & Tickets
Saturday 20th September
Practice – 08:20 / Qualifying 1 – 10:20 / Race 1 – 13:55 / Race 2 – 16:40
Sunday 21st September
Warm Up – 07:00 / Qualifying 2 – 08:05 / Race 3 – 12:00 / Race 4 – 14:45
*All session times are GMT+1
All four races will be streamed online via the official British Truck Racing Championship YouTube channel, where Pointy will be on commentary duties.
Ticket and visitor information for the event can be found by visiting the 24H Camions website, HERE.