Last weekend 9th 10th September at Snetterton in the heart of Norfolk was the date and time of the latest round of the British Truck Racing Championship. When Stuart, Michael and the team arrived on the Friday evening many teams had spent the day in what had been very heavy rain, setting up their trucks for the weekend.
Qualification
Saturday mornings qualification session was the first time this year for Stuart and Michael to go out on the fast and technical three-mile race circuit. Stuart immediately made his presence known by posting a lap time that secured him a front row grid position for race one. Michael did not disappoint and within a field of 24 trucks posted a lap time to secure him a place on the fourth row of the grid in eighth.
Race One
on the Saturday afternoon got underway as planned, unfortunately on the opening lap a truck ran off track and into the armco, causing a red flag stoppage. Immediately after the re-start another incident this time involving Stuarts truck being hit hard from behind at the first turn, the offending truck then became stranded in the gravel trap and the red flags came out again. Following a re-shuffle of the timetable the race finally got underway later in the afternoon, this time the race went the duration within what turned into very wet conditions. Stuart managed to cross the finish line in fourth place and Michael in seventh overall.
Race Two on the Sunday morning started with the reverse grid format, Stuart started on the second to back row with Michael two rows forward. When the red start lights went out like normal the field of trucks roared off, at the first right turn Stuart unfortunately was pushed off track to the left. At the same time Michael was pushed off track to the right and hard into the armco, both managed to re-join and continue until the chequered flag, Stuart managing to work up to finish fourth, Michael with his heavily damaged truck crossed the finish line in tenth.
Race Three of the weekend started again with a reverse grid, this time Stuart and Michael had a good and trouble-free start, by the second lap Michael was in second place and Stuart was very close behind in third. Unfortunately, once again following a multi truck collision further down the field the red flags came out again and the race was subsequently declared as being abandoned.
Race Four of the weekend, which due to the circuit time curfew restriction, was to be the last of the weekend. With twenty trucks on the grid the bumper crowds were treated to the spectacle of an all action truck race from the start of the chequered flag. Stuart this time had a text book start and worked hard throughout the whole race, unfortunately the race winner got away from the pack early on and Stuart did not have enough laps to catch him therefore had to settle for a second place at the finish line. Michael did not hold back in his heavily damaged truck and crossed the finish line in sixth place.
The team have now only a few days to repair and prepare both race trucks, before they head off to race at a European Challenge race event at the world famous Le Mans circuit in France on 22nd 23rd September.