The battle for supremacy in the British Truck Racing Championship ramped up at Donington Park this past weekend (August 10/11) as the UK’s super-sized race series took centre stage at Convoy in the Park.
Basking in glorious sunshine, a bumper crowd flocked to the Leicestershire venue to witness the latest chapter of what is turning out to be yet another storied season as the spoils were shared across Division 1 and Division 2.
While the titans of the BTRC and the returning International Truck Prix stole the show on-track, those in attendance had plenty to see and do away from it courtesy of the many attractions that were situated trackside.
More than 1000 show trucks, a live action arena, kids zone, driving experiences and musical performances – plus much more – all played their part in making it a weekend to remember at the world-famous circuit.
Smith and Jenkins share Division 1 bragging rights
Division 1 title contenders Ryan Smith and David Jenkins continued their tussle for the coveted crown by claiming a share of the spoils over the course of the weekend; with reigning champion Smith bagging three victories while Jenkins snared a brace of his own.
The weekend began in dramatic style as Jenkins wasted no time in establishing himself as the man to beat by topping the times in qualifying ahead of Steven Powell while Smith languished, ultimately failing to set a competitive time.
That result teed up a captivating opening encounter as Jenkins set off into the lead, all the while keeping one eye on his rear view mirror as Smith carved his way through the field. Before mid-distance he was up to second and the race was soon on for top spot.
Despite making a number of attempts to draw alongside on the run down to the final chicane, Smith was denied the opportunity to move ahead and it was Jenkins that claimed victory by just 0.052s. Powell rounded out the podium with a trouble-free drive to third.
Race two proved to be an almost carbon copy as Jenkins once again fended off the advances of Smith in the latter stages to clinch a crucial win whilst Powell guided his MAN onto the third step of the rostrum for a second successive race.
Motivated by coming so close to victory the day before, Sunday’s three encounters belonged to the Daimler Freightliner of Smith as he dominated proceedings to claim a trio of emphatic race wins.
Behind him, Stuart Oliver bounced back from a challenging past few events to make a welcome return to the podium, with Powell, Jenkins and Michael Oliver also picking up silverware.
Game on in Division 2
The wide open battle in Division 2 shows no signing of slowing down as Paul Rivett, John Powell and the returning Adam Bint all reaped the rewards of victory at Donington Park – setting up a tantalising next few events in the process.
After missing Pembrey due to injury, reigning champion Rivett has plenty of catching up still to do when it comes to the overall standings but his showing around the 1.64-mile circuit certainly helped his cause.
Pole position in qualifying was the perfect start for the NAPA Racing UK driver and he quickly backed that up with a pair of commanding race wins. Rivett’s winning run continued later in the weekend as he triumphed once more, although he was unable to complete a clean sweep.
Instead, former champion Bint – who was back in his Volvo White Aerodyne and competing in the series for the first time since the 2023 finale – didn’t take long to find his way back to the front as he scored victory in race three.
Championship leader Powell also tasted champagne as he recovered from some earlier travails to win the final race of the weekend.
Simon Cole was another leading light to continue adding to his trophy collection, however his wait for an elusive first win of the year continues. Despite that, his unmatched consistency has seen him re-take the lead at the top of the standings – underlining his quality behind the wheel.
Anderson sweeps away the opposition in Truck Prix
The International Truck Prix made a popular return for the second successive year at Convoy in the Park although the four-race spectacle arguably belonged to one man – Jamie Anderson.
Despite boasting a grid that included the likes of John Newell, Richard Collett, Martin Gibson, Simon Reid and Isle of Man TT legend John McGuinness MBE, the former British race winner was too much for the opposition as he claimed a clean sweep of victories in Neil Yates’ truck.
Anderson didn’t have things all his own way however as the likes of Newell, Reid, McGuinness and Gibson took the fight to him and all walked away with podium finishes in the process.
To view the full classification of results from all British Truck Racing Championship sessions at Donington Park, CLICK HERE.
All five races from the fourth event of the season are available to view on the British Truck Racing Championship YouTube channel HERE.
The British Truck Racing Championship is next in action on September 14/15 when the series travels to Snetterton in Norfolk.