The British Truck Racing Championship lifted the curtain on the 2024 season this bank holiday weekend. Held at Brands Hatch in front of a packed crowd it contained all the usual excitement and drama you have come to expect from these heavyweights of the motorsport world in a sensational five-race Easter extravaganza!
The weekend kicked off with a qualifying session. A mechanical issue at the start for Stuart set him behind, but he still crossed the line still in a very respectable P6! A good start also for Michael with a P4. These results set the grid for the first race of the day
The first race of the 2024 season’s grid saw Michael sat second row and Stuart third. The pursuit began from both our drivers to push to the front. Michael had a strong race and managed to position himself in third place which he held onto and claimed his first trip to the podium this year! Stuart also began to work his way through the grid. His persistence paid off and he crossed the line just behind Michael in P4. A great start to the season for the team!
The second race of the day was set from the second fastest qualification time. This put Stuart again on the third row and Michael on second. A couple of minutes in, the race was brought under a full course yellow due to a stranded truck. Back under green conditions, Michael made an excellent restart and positioned himself into P3. He had a great defensive race and held onto his place which earned him another trip to the podium! Stuart was also giving chase as he put on the pressure as he tried to push his way forward. He also had a good race and crossed the line P5.
Day two saw three more races for the team, the first of which was a reverse grid with the top eight from yesterday’s first race reversed. After a delayed start the race got underway and both drivers had a good start and began the pursuit to the front of the pack. Stuart worked his way into the leading pack of three trucks, eventually crossing the finish line in P3 and it was his turn to collect his first trophy of 2024! Michael also had a strong race, and it was a P6 for him.
The grid for race four was another reverse grid which saw the top eight reversed from yesterday’s second race. Stuart sat second row and Michael third. Just before the start of the race it was well and truly an April showers moment as heavy rain began which made the circuit extremely wet and treacherous. The teams tried to navigate the tricky conditions, but the drivers struggled as several trucks came off the track, one unfortunately being Michael Oliver, causing damage to his truck. The race was red flagged, and results were decided at this point. This meant Stuart was awarded P2 and his second trophy of the day.
The team worked their magic and Michael’s truck was fixed and ready for the final race of the weekend. The grid was the top eight reversed from the results of race three, which put Stuart on the third row and Michael on the second row. Although the rain had stopped it had left a very slippery track for the teams to negotiate which again caused problems throughout. Only a few minutes in and the red flag was out due to a truck coming off the track and needing recovery. A ten-minute restart race followed but again this only lasted a matter of minutes as another truck suffered the same fate. The final restart race was also short lived as again another team came off the track. This saw another red flag and the result was declared. In the short amount of racing, both our drivers performed well and achieved a P2 for Stuart and another trophy to add to the weekend’s collection and a P4 for Michael.
A fantastic start to the season for both our drivers and we now begin the preparations for the next round at Pembrey Circuit in South Wales.
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