The sun was in the sky as the team arrived at Pembrey circuit, the home of Welsh motorsport for the second round of the British Truck Racing Championship. With Stuart already sitting second in the leadership table the team were keen to continue this success. In testing sessions on the Friday both trucks were running well, and the team were ready for a good weekend of racing.
First up Saturday morning was qualifying. Both drivers had a nice clean run with Stuart coming in 2nd place and Michael in 8th. These positions set the grid for the first race of the day.
In the first race Stuart was front row on the grid and Michael 4th. Straight away there was a tangle on the first lap. This unfortunately resulted in damage to Michael’s truck which forced him to retire from the race not long after. Stuart went on fighting a close battle at the front of the pack with less than a second between the front runners. Some back marker traffic cost him some time, but he kept constant pressure on all around and crossed the line in a strong second place.
The team worked their magic again getting Michael’s truck repaired in time for the second race of the day. The second fastest lap time of all participants from qualifying set the grid which gave Stuart pole position and Michael a row 5 position. Stuart again had a strong start. He kept in the leading pack throughout and claimed himself another second-place trophy. Michael also had a strong race. He managed to avoid all the incidents mid pack and he pushed his way forward to cross the line in 5th position.
The first of Sundays three races was a reverse grid. The top 8 were reversed from yesterdays 2nd race. A 4th row position for Stuart and 6th row for Michael. This meant a battle to get to the front for both drivers and Pembrey is a notoriously tricky track to overtake on! Stuart did very well and got up to 5th position. Unfortunately, he had to make a trip to the pits at this point with an issue with the water tank which of course cost him time. He crossed the line in 13th place. Michael stayed consistent and crossed the line in 8th place which was a good result as this race determined the grid positions for race 5 later in the day, this meant that Michael secured pole position for that.
The grid was set for race 4 with the top 8 from yesterdays first race reversed. Stuart sat row 4 and Michael second row. The race started as it meant to go on with a bump at the first corner involving some of the trucks who go bottled up at the back of the grid. Luckily our drivers both escaped this collision and the race continued with the group of battered and bruised trucks. The pushing and shoving carried on throughout the race with Stuart coming off onto the grass. He made an amazing recovery and came back on the charge. He pushed through to the leading pack and the top 3 crossed the line 3 tenth of a second apart with Stuart claiming the 3rd place trophy. Michael also had a very strong race. Avoiding most of the major bumps he crossed the line just after Stuart in 4th place. This race was certainly a crowd pleaser!
The final race of the day was another reverse grid. The top 8 reversed from race 3. This meant Michael was on pole but unfortunately Stuart was on the back row due to his pitstop. At the first corner on the opening lap approaching the hairpin Stuart had a heavy shunt which resulted in his truck losing its bonnet. Thankfully this did not affect him, and he continued the race. Starting at the back he had quiet a task ahead to get through the pack ahead. He crossed the line in 8th position. Michael on the other hand certainly made the most of his pole position start. He had an excellent race and kept a solid lead the whole duration. He took the win of the race much to the team and crowd’s excitement!
All in all, it was a great weekend of racing for the team in sunny South Wales and a few trophies to add to the collection too! Again, a great crowd turned out for the all action, heavy weight truck racing and also to enjoy the growing off track entertainment of Convoy Cymru.
Thank you to all our sponsors for their ongoing support.
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