The British Truck Racing Championship produced a feast of blockbuster bumper-to-bumper action at Donington Park this past weekend (August 8-9) which culminated in four different drivers charging to glory in Division 1.
Taking centre stage in Leicestershire as the headline act for Convoy in the Park, the UK’s biggest and best motorsport spectacle wowed the crowds with a quartet of races that were won by Stuart Oliver, Steven Powell, Michael Oliver and Craig Reid.
Heading into the business end of the season, every on-track session is now more crucial than ever and that point was demonstrated during Saturday morning’s qualifying session, where a captivating battle for pole position took place.
Several drivers would stake their claim for top spot but it was ten-time champion Stuart Oliver that ultimately prevailed, with his time of 1:26.112s in the final minute of the session being the lap to beat.
Finishing just 0.034s behind Oliver was 333 Motorsport’s Steven Powell – who had led the way for a large portion of the session – while championship leader David Jenkins completed the top three in his MAN TGS.
Taking his spot at the front of the field, Oliver converted pole into victory in race one although he was made to work for it. Race-long pressure from Jenkins kept the wily veteran on his toes however he was able to cover off any challenges from the former title winner in his Volvo VNL.
Despite making a sluggish start after getting caught out by the lights, Powell battled back to complete the podium in third. Further down the order, a number of drivers including Nathan Smith, Neil Yates and Tom O’Rourke found themselves in strife due to fluid being dropped at the Old Hairpin.
Race two would somewhat mirror that of the day’s earlier contest, however this time it was Powell that reigned supreme. Converting pole position into the race lead, the former Division 2 champion was wheel-perfect as he staved off the advances of Jenkins and Oliver.
Sunday’s opening encounter proved to be a race of attrition as Michael Oliver surged to a second win of the season. Craig Reid had led the way for a majority of the contest – providing a resolute defence to Oliver – before misfortune struck late on.
Exiting Redgate, the Reid Trucksport driver’s Iveco suffered a mechanical failure which pushed him into the gravel. His demise opened the door for Oliver to streak past and onto victory ahead of John Bowler and Simon Reid.
In true truck racing style, Craig Reid bounced back in spectacular style just a few hours later as he fended off almost the entire field to lead home a historic 1-2 for his team, as his brother Simon finished in second.
Unfortunately, both drivers would then be involved in separate incidents that meant that the final race of the weekend was unable to be run due to barrier damage.
Next up for the British Truck Racing Championship is the annual pilgrimage to mainland Europe, as the world-famous Le Mans circuit in France stages the penultimate event of the season on September 26-27.
