Last weekend’s BTRC round took place at the Convoy in the Park Event which was held at Donington Park Race Circuit in Derby. One of the most popular dates in the race calendar this event returned for another summer spectacular celebrating life on the road with massive display areas featuring hundreds of show trucks, live action arena, funfair, exhibitors and live music combined with racing which was headlined by the BTRC!
Thursday was practice day on the track where the team can participate in two test sessions to check the running of the trucks and make any final adjustments if required before the weekends racing. Both trucks were running well, and the team only had to make a few minor tweaks and they were set to race!
Saturday was day one of the race schedule and it began of course with a qualifying race. Both drivers ran some impressive lap times and looked strong out on the track with Stuart coming over the line in 3rd place and Michael 7th.
First race of the day was after lunch in the sunshine. A good strong race for both drivers which Stuart held a place in the leading pack throughout and eventually crossing the line to take that second podium spot to which he has become accustomed to. Michael also had a solid race mid pack and took a respectable 7th place.
Race 2 as always that battle began at the front for those top positions. Stuart again settled himself firmly in that second spot for the duration of the race holding off many an attack to pass him! A trip again for him to the podium for P2. Michael again raced well. A 6th place for him for this race.
Day two and the sun kept on shining! A reverse grid start for race 3 which meant Stuart had some work to do to get up front. Start of the race began with a little pushing and shoving which always pleases the crowd with Michael in the middle of a crush as the teams fought to get past one another. A two-truck spin off mid race at the chicane meant a yellow flag an overtaking ban at this popular spot for making a move! A close-knit battle at the front but it did not deter Stuart getting himself over that line in 3rd place with Michael not far behind in 5th!
Race 4 for the team was certainly an eventful race and mixed outcomes for both drivers! The first corner was definitely the low point for the team as 4 trucks tried to make their move to push forward at the same time all together. Stuart being one of these trucks was on the outside of the group and was forced off the track and slammed into the tyre barrier at high speed. Thankfully Stuart was ok and was able to walk away from the scene. The race of course was red flagged with Stuart given a thorough check from the tracks medical team. The same unfortunately could not be said for his truck which suffered major damage from the impact forcing Stuart to retire from the rest of the weekends racing. There was an upside to this race. A 10-minute restart race began after the track clear up and Michael put himself firmly at the front of the group leading for the entire race and managing to fend off any attacks for that lead. He crossed the line to claim his well-deserved first place on that podium.
Last race of the weekend was of course a solo trip for Michael with Stuarts truck out of action. He had a great start again and took his place at the front of the leading pack. Another excellent result for him as he crossed the line in 2nd place.
Although an eventful weekend for the team we had some great performances by the drivers. Stuart still sits strong in 2nd place in the championship and Michaels results have pushed him further up that table. Also, a great weekend for truck racing as the track reported a record crowd footfall for this event with excess of 20,000 visitors over the two days.
Stuart’s truck is now in our workshop in the expert hands of our mechanical team as they begin the major repairs so it ready for Snetterton in a few weeks.
We thank all our sponsors for their support, and we look forward to the next race!