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British Truck Racing Championship – Nurburgring, Germany
Added: (Fri Jul 15 2005)
British Truck Racing Championship – Nurburgring, Germany
The weekend of July 8th, 9th and 10th at the Nurburgring got off to a damp start for the British racing teams who drove through Germany in thunderstorms and torrential rain. As the workshop areas were set up and supplies unpacked, previously unidentified leaks in trailers were discovered, but this did nothing to deter the spirit of the drivers and their support crews who are well used to coping with the adverse conditions of South Wales! Friday was a day of tinkering with the trucks and getting out on those all important practice laps which would secure grid positions for the races. Some of the drivers found the wet conditions to their advantage. Brian Burt in his bonneted Volvo White was hoping that there would be some rain held over for the main races, whilst Rickie Collett in the ERF was hoping to build on his previous success on the wet surface at Pembrey earlier in the year. For Mat Summerfield who has spent the last couple of months competing in the French Championship getting the Seddon Atkinson into prime race condition the practice day went well and he secured good grid position.
On the Saturday, after a misty start, the sun broke through to give a sunny and warm day. Spectators enjoyed a continuous programme of truck racing, Formula 3 racing, novelty car racing and a custom truck cavalcade. Those British drivers who are registered with the FIA took the opportunity to test their trucks by participating in the FIA qualifiers.
At the end of the afternoon sixteen BTRA drivers lined up on the grid to compete in race 1 of the ADAC Truck Service Cup which counts towards points in the British Championship. There was a dramatic start when Prinz Leopold of Germany in the MAN veered across the track and collided with Steve Horne’s ERF, causing him to swerve into Mat Summerfield who crashed into the concrete wall and had to be towed off. After a restart, it was newly returned driver Richard Walker in the MAN who was the first British driver across the line, achieving the fastest Class A lap time (2:05.434) and taking second place overall, giving him ten points for the British Championship. Nine others finished with Dave Jenkins in the Sisu points. Having been made to restart from the pit lane Steve Horne in the ERF ran an excellent race to finish in on eight points. The remaining five drivers retired with various problems including Rickie Collett’s ERF gearbox sticking in high range, Ross Garrett’s Foden bursting a compressor pipe and the engine of Terry Gibbon’s Volvo White overheating. The fastest lap time in Class B was achieved by Max Dawson (2:10.147) who took the ten points in that class. After the race officials judged Prinz Leopold in the MAN to have driven dangerously causing the initial incident. Close inspection of Mat Summerfield’s truck revealed a crumpled cab floor, suspension and steering linkage damage, and a very contorted bumper. However, Mat and his heroic team worked throughout the evening to ensure that Mat would be back on track the next day and no doubt a few beers were consumed in relief!
Away from the track there were trade stands to visit, headed up by some of the main manufacturers such as MAN and Mercedes-Benz, and free gifts to collect. Other stall holders sold memorabilia and encouraged passers-by to enter competitions for a wide selection of prizes. Lively music provided by roving jazz bands added to the vibrant atmosphere and had everyone tapping their toes. There were plenty of catering outlets offering everything from the traditional German sausage and piping hot chips to the more cooling choice of ice-creams. Refreshing beers were also on tap all day – much needed to keep the dehydration at bay – and it was available free from the Mercedes Benz tent! Meanwhile, back in the paddock area the busiest kitchen was probably in the Hardy camp where Teresa kept a good supply of food and drink going all weekend for several of the teams. As always, refreshments were on offer in all the team encampments – a good cup of coffee or a beer was never far away!
On the Saturday evening, once all the repair work was done, the teams were able to relax and enjoy the entertainment around the bar areas. Rumour has it that whilst some of the drivers were tucked up in bed at a respectable hour, others were still roaming round the paddock at 2.30a.m! Meanwhile, further round the circuit crowds of people armed with chairs, picnic hampers and trolleys of beer flocked to the arena to enjoy live Country Music from a vast stage and supporting screen. The dress code was varied, but appeared to include every type of cowboy hat and boots imaginable! As darkness fell there was a spectacular firework display, culminating in the appearance of a banner with the words ‘We are the Champions’. By this time the atmosphere was magical, with the lights from the fireworks, stalls, stage and custom truck enclosure emanating across a vast area. The music then resumed taking the party on into the early hours.
Sunday was yet another hot day drawing in the crowds to bring the weekend total to 179,000. There was another full programme of events to watch before the second race of the ADAC Truck Service Cup. Once again the race was full of excitement, firstly being halted after three laps when Dave Jenkins’ Sisu stalled causing an obstruction. For the restart Steve Horne’s ERF was pulled off the grid with tyre problems and after a quick change once again he found himself starting from the pit lane. Apparently the shock of having to buy a new tyre caused Steve to send his daughter Jessica out busking with her saxophone – it seems she managed to raise the magnificent sum of 28 euros!
After the restart Stephen Armstrong’s MAN collided with Ric Collett’s ERF and sustained brake failure – realizing the seriousness of the situation Stephen chose to do a dramatic spin off the track rather than hit the corner crash barrier at 100m.p.h! Once again it was Richard Walker in the MAN who took the most British points, with Dave Jenkins in the Sisu driving the fastest lap in Class A (2:05.396) and getting second place points. Dave lead the race but was penalised for the earlier incident. Steve Horne in the ERF took third British place, holding his points lead in the British Championship. Andrew Hardy in the Ford drove the fastest lap in Class B (2:11.695) taking first position. Unfortunately Roy Taylor in the Ford was unable to complete the race due to steering difficulties and Max Dawson in the Seddon Atkinson had turbo problems which was disappointing after his success of the previous day. Young Terry Gibbon in the Volvo White had a good enough race and shows promise for the future whilst slightly older participant Roger Brookfield had a very enjoyable weekend in his ERF. Paddy McCumsky in the Volvo had good races over the weekend giving him valuable points in the Championship. Steve Fell made a welcome return in his Volvo after technical problems earlier in the season and newcomer Elton Boocock also in a Volvo crossed the finish line in race two.
There was some compensation at the end of the event for disappointed Stephen Armstrong when his truck was towed back to the paddock area under the supervision of the only (and very attractive blonde) female working on the recovery team! Steve Horne’s frustrating but consistent performance keeps him in the lead in the Class A Championship with 42 points. However Matt Summerfield with 30 points and Dave Jenkins on 29 points keeps them in touch for the Championship. The season is still wide open with Richard Walker’s welcome return to truck racing - if he can continue his performance the fight for the Class A Champion with be fierce. Class B is wide open with only 15 points separating the top 5 teams. Andrew Hardy joins Gary George on equal 45 points in the lead.
© Marion Jones – British Truck Racing Association. This article may be re-printed providing the credit line is printed. Images are available on request.