Last weekend Thruxton the unique high-speed Hampshire race circuit, hosted Convoy in the Park along with the third round of the British Truck Racing Championship. Due to track noise restrictions the teams could not test on the Friday ahead of the event, meaning all repairs and or upgrades that were carried out following the last event were untested at speed.
On Saturday morning the race trucks went out to qualify for race one of the weekend, Stuart and Michael were in trucks that had both undergone major mechanical repairs and modifications following the previous event, however this didn’t cause any issues and Stuart just missed out on securing pole position by a mere three tenths of a second with a lap time of 1:37.997, an average speed of 86.54 MPH. Michael, with his trucks previous steering problems rectified, posted a lap time to secure a respectful ninth fastest with a lap time of 1:39,684, an average speed of 85.08 MPH.
Race one of the weekend got underway beneath clear blue skies and ever-increasing track temperatures. Both Stuart and Michael made great starts and Stuart kept the pressure on the race leader throughout the whole race but at the chequered flag he had to settle for second place. Michael was full of confidence after his qualifying session and had a great race battle throughout the whole race and crossed the finish line in tenth place.
Race two start grid was made up from the second fastest qualification times, Stuart again started from the front row and Michael started from ninth position. Stuart and Michael both again had good starts however in a challenge for the lead going through the complex on the first lap, Stuart got hit from behind which resulted in a burst rear tyre. However the ultimate professional this did not phase him and he managed to keep the charging pack behind and hold on to secure a fantastic second place. Michael, again growing in confidence, made early progress and was soon amongst the action and holding his own. He moved up the race order to secure a well-deserved sixth place finish.
Race three on Sunday started from a reverse grid format in front of a record number of spectators and again under clear blue skies and increasingly hot circuit temperatures. With plenty of high speed race action throughout Stuart and Michael both made good progress however at the chequered flag Stuart was awarded a five second penalty for exceeding track limits dropping him down to seventh place overall and Michael finished Sixth.
Race four in blistering heat, Michael started from the second row and Stuart from near the back. As soon as the lights went out Michael saw his opportunity and wasted no time getting to the front. Stuart also made good progress and by mid race Michael was setting the pace at the front and Stuart was up into fourth place. With nearly 4 minutes to go Stuart was into third and the team were holding their breath for a double podium. However due to an incident behind the red flags came out and the race was stopped. The final result was then declared from the previous lap’s positions, declaring Michael the race winner and Stuart in fourth.
Race five as always didn’t disappoint the thousands of fans that were spectating around the 2.3-mile circuit, Stuart started in second place on the front row and Michael from the row behind, as expected Stuart made a good start and immediately put the pressure on to gain the lead of the race, Michael also kept the pressure on and held his own among the pack, towards the closing stages of the race Stuart made it through into the lead and very soon started to pull a comfortable race lead, however a number of trucks behind the leaders came together on the exit of the complex causing the officials to bring out the red flags and stop the race, meaning the race result was declared from the previous lap positions awarding Stuart his third second place finish of the weekend and Michael another respectable fourth place.
In summary the team were delighted with the results of the weekend, Stuart with three second place podium finishes and Michael with his first ever division one race win.
The team are now busy preparing the trucks and support equipment ahead of the next BTRC round at Convoy in the Park at Donington Park on 20th 21st August.
