Easter Sunday was an occasion to celebrate for the veterans of the British Truck Racing Championship at Brands Hatch, with long-time series stalwarts Stuart Oliver and Ricky Collett sharing the three available victories.
Stuart Oliver won the first of these in the morning at the wheel of his Volvo, settling into the lead early on before being hunted down by fellow 10-time title winner Ryan Smith. The chasing driver threatened to pass his rival for what would be a record-breaking 11th British Truck Racing crown, but was forced to settle for second, just under three tenths behind. Surprisingly, that would prove to be Smith’s second and last trip to the podium of the weekend.
Another former champion, David Jenkins, joined them on the podium, just over five seconds behind the victor. Neil Yates was fourth, ahead of Michael Oliver, son and teammate of the race winner.
British Truck Racing Championship – Race 3
- Stuart Oliver, Volvo VNL
- Ryan Smith, Daimler Freightliner, +0.272s
- David Jenkins, MAN TGS, +5.424s
- Neil Yates, MAN TG, +7.947s
- Michael Oliver, MAN TGS, +9.166s
The penultimate race of the weekend also went Stuart Oliver’s way, though this time it John Bowler who crossed the line in second position as his nearest rival. Jenkins produced a repeat trip to the podium in third however, one place ahead of Smith. Michael Oliver secured a second top-five in as many races as he continued his strong weekend-long showing.
British Truck Racing Championship – Race 4
- Stuart Oliver, Volvo VNL
- John Bowler, MAN TGX, +1.164s
- David Jenkins, MAN TGS, +1.695s
- Ryan Smith, Daimler Freightliner, +2.056s
- Michael Oliver, MAN TGS, +2.620s
The final race of the weekend produced a popular victory for Ricky Collett, a regular on the British Truck Racing scene since the early ‘90s. The experienced campaigner was forced to fight for it though, facing race-long pressure throughout the entire 16-lap distance.
Collett was hounded by the chasing pack throughout the contest, but negotiated slower lapped traffic ably to just keep his yellow MAN truck at the head of the field. He passed the chequered flag just over three tenths ahead of Michael Oliver, who kept his rival honest right until the line.
Craig Reid completed the podium, ending the weekend on a high after his Saturday victory, with Jenkins and Smith completing the top-five.
British Truck Racing Championship – Race 5
- Ricky Collett, MAN TGX
- Michael Oliver, MAN TGS, +0.372s
- Craig Reid, Iveco Stralis, +0.719s
- David Jankins, MAN TGS, +1.713s
- Ryan Smith, Daimler Freightliner, +1.748s
Click here for full results and timing from the whole event.