This must be the most bizarre mode of transport I’ve ever seen racing around Brands Hatch after an 11 year absence. And these 5-tonne, 12-litre trucks are mean – very mean – what with 1000bhp and a limited top speed of 100mph on the straight. Crikey, if one of these monolithic monsters lost it big stylie, it’d probably take out half the grandstand and then the village of Fawkham. Over the wet and very slippery weekend at Brands a few did aquaplane off the circuit, making the marshals very twitchy.

Local hauliers had come out in force to support the truck racing, creating their own Show ‘n’ Shine event at the trackside and all were proudly allowed a parade lap on the circuit during the lunch break to the surround sound of air horn rivalry. Unfortunately as there were so many of them, it turned into more like a go-slow convoy on the M20. Me, Gaz, Sarah, Mark and Stu had discovered whilst on a walkabout that we should forget neons and lambo doors, the key to winning over the truck Show ‘n’ Shine judges is to have the top-of-the-range tassled curtain - with tie-backs - up in your cab. Red seemed to be all the rage, although a few hauliers had pushed the boat out and gone for lace.

After picking myself up off the floor for laughing so much on qualifying day watching the race trucks awkwardly co-ordinate the twisting Indy Circuit and hearing myself saying out loud, ‘is this for real?! This is mental!’, I was warned by Garry George, competitor in his white Class B Foden truck that they were always tame on qualifying day. I hadn’t seen nothing yet. Bring it on!

Racing had to be viewed through a cloud of thick black diesel smoke on every gear change with steam clouds from water being sprayed onto the brakes and the smell of raw rubber and burning clutches made the atmosphere pretty toxic. But the jeering crowds loved it, especially when the crowned champion of 2005, Ross Garrett in his Foden, was tapped into a spin at Paddock Hill Bend in the final race at such furious speed that he nearly toppled over in the gravel trap. During race two Richard Walker in his turbocharged MAN, spun off so gracefully at Graham Hill Bend onto the grass that it looked like he was auditioning for a truck version of the JCB tractor dancers.

The main top three race competitors, Richard Walker, Ross Garrett and Dave Jenkins spent most of the three races swopping places but some competitive jostling rivalry saw each of them in turn spinning off at some stage during the race day, including Dave Jenkins’ 16-speed Kenworth lookalike Sisu truck clipping Steve Horne at Druids Bend resulting in a visit to the gravel trap for both, leaving spectators and marshals diving for cover. Horne’s red ERF truck came off worst with damaged back wheels and an early retirement from the finals.

Serious respect is due to these drivers who pushed their trucks to the limit around the circuit which turned into a river in areas during the final race, with even a successful unplanned drifting competition going on around Druids Bend. This was just brilliant racing, brilliant. And, I’m not surprised at all that they know how to handle these rumbling diesel monsters as most of the competitors are full-time HGV drivers. Which leaves me to warn you, next time you’re thinking about cutting up a truck on a motorway think first - it could be one of these guys. And they have no mercy.

Sezza
Series - British truck racing association championship/Formula Renualt UK Winter series/Legends cars Winter series/Renault clio winter series/Ginetta Winter series