TRUCK RACING CHAMPIONSHIP FEATURE
Championship History
The British Truck Racing Championship( BTRC) was launched in 1984, with the first race at Donington Park, and it quickly grew to become a highly competitive racing discipline.
The presence of motorcycle heroes Barry Sheene and Steve Parrish made it popular with fans but it was Richard Walker who won the first title and went on to become a three-time European Champion. As the BTRC progressed into the 1990s, with regular TV coverage on BBC Grandstand, the technical regulations became more refined, safety standards improved and performance dramatically increased. This led to the creation of the Division One class for advanced trucks and Division Two for more production-based vehicles.
Stuart Oliver is one of the most successful names in the sport’ s history and was a dominant force from the late 1990s into the 2000s, winning ten BTRC titles and also a European crown, but recently Ryan Smith has taken the spotlight with his incredible run of consecutive championships.
Introducing … Phil Davies – Pembrey Circuit Manager
The British Truck Racing Championship heads to Pembrey this month, so Revolution asked Circuit Manager Phil Davies about the legendary Welsh venue, where he has steered from the front for thirty-five years!
The former RAF airfield turned chicken farm at Pembrey was being run by Llanelli Borough Council as a venue for bike racing and Rallycross when the British Automobile Racing Club( BARC) signed a long-term lease to take it over in 1990. One of the first through the door was Circuit Manager Phil Davies – and he has remained at the helm ever since.
Davies had initially been involved in motorcycle racing – his father raced bikes at Aberdare Park in the 1950s and he started to get involved himself in the late 1970s. When he spotted an advert for the job at the track, he decided to go for it, and he recalls:“ I was the country’ s youngest Clerk of the Course at the age of 21, but I was only ever involved with bikes.
“ I was 35 when I applied for the role, having already been organising the National‘ Prince of Pembrey’ motorcycle racing events at the circuit between 1985 and 1989. I only really did that so I could see the new people who had taken it over! I never expected to get the job, so I was very surprised when I did – and all these years later, I am still here now!”
Phil Davies has been Circuit Manager at Pembrey for 35 years
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There are two classes, with the modern highest performance Division One trucks leading the way, and the older Division Two machines running restrictions on engines and suspension castor and camber. Newcomers must gain experience and race for a year In Division Two before moving into Division One, unless they have an exemption based on ability.
Although these trucks sound astonishing, it turns out they are relatively close to the cabs you might see on the motorway, trailing their heavy loads from place to place. To be eligible to compete, there must be at last 50 of the same chassis in production for road use, and the engines are derived from a standard unit.
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Revolution- May 2025
Graham Holbon
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