Tuesday, September 15 2015

At least 15 drivers are set to contest the British Truck Racing Championship rounds at Snetterton this weekend (19/20 September), with a strong chance that further entries will also compete on the Norfolk circuit's 300 layout.

The nine-event championship for the 5-tonne, 1,000-horsepower leviathans is heading into its final third at Snetterton, and just 12 points covers the top four in the standings for Division 1, which contains the most powerful trucks on the grid. The quartet includes three former champions, with Mat Summerfield gunning for a fourth consecutive title against ten-time champion Stuart Oliver and David Jenkins. The group also includes class newcomer Ryan Smith, who finished as runner-up in Division 2 last season, his rookie year.

Also set to battle at up to 100 mph on Snetterton's Senna and Bentley Straights this weekend will be fifth-placed Steve Thomas, who will be aiming to hold onto his championship chances, whilst reigning Division 2 champion Simon Reid and Richard Collett will also be fighting for wins in the five races at Snetterton.

To encourage overtaking and close competition, the trucks will start each round in reverse order to the result of the previous one. The Division 1 contenders will also get underway several lengths behind the slower Division 2 machines and will have to overtake them to secure victory.

Division 2 is currently led by former class champion Steven Powell, who holds a strong advantage over Luke Garrett. However, truck racing is renowned for unpredictability and plenty of incidents, so it's not inconceivable that the gap could close dramatically this weekend.

With Division 2 drivers having scored overall wins on several occasions, local driver Jim Bennett will be a popular contender this weekend. The Bungay-based man started racing in his 60s just a few years ago, and he'll be aiming to keep his Seddon Atkinson ahead of the rest to improve on his current fourth place in the standings.

In addition to five British Truck Racing Championship races, there's a huge support programme that includes pocket-rocket Legends Cars, Classic Touring Cars, MaX 5 Championship for Mazda MX-5 roadsters, Clubmans sportscars and Formula Ford 2000 single-seaters.

The event also includes a host of family entertainment on Sunday, including a free VIP-style Truck Racing grid walk and autograph session at lunchtime, Red Dragon monster truck rides, Wildcats aerobatic display, and children's entertainment featuring bouncy castles, an adventure playground and face painting.

British Truck Racing Championship Snetterton entry list

Division 1
1, Matt Summerfield, Summerfield Trucksport, MAN TGS
2, Ray Coleman, Lantern, Renault
7, Stuart Oliver, Team Oliver Racing, Volvo RH 13
22, Oly Janes, Janestrucksport with Briarwood, Freightliner MKR 08
33, Steve Thomas, Team Thomas Racing, MAN TGX
69, David Jenkins, Team Digraph, MAN TGX
88, Ryan Smith, Truck Sport Racing, MAN TGA
89, Simon Reid, Reid Trucksport, MAN TGX
95, Richard Collett, MAN TGX

Division 2
3, Steven Powell, Foden Alfa
5, Adam Bint, Bint Racing, Volvo White
19, Trevor Martin, Martins Motorsport, Scania
28, Jim Bennett, Team Bennett, Seddon Atkinson
41, Simon Cole, Cole Truck Sport, Mercedes
42, Luke Garrett, Ross Garrett Truck Racing, ERF

Tickets for the British Truck Racing Championship at Snetterton on 19/20 September are available online from £18, with free admission for under-13s and a special rate for 13-15 year-olds. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or click here.