Borgudd wins Brands
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/ In a spectacular climax to last weekend's truck racing at Brands Hatch, Swedish driver Slim Borgudd held off Steve Parrish in the Mitchell Cotts Mercedes-Benz 1644 to win the Lucas CAV Superprix in his powerful West Coast Diesel-sponsored Volvo White Road Boss II.
After a start almost obscured by unburnt diesel, pole man Borgudd had gained first place by Paddock Hill bend, followed by Allen, Parrish, and a charging Richard Walker in the Century Oils Roadtrain, but it was the 1644 of Steve Parrish that did the trying from then on. On lap five, Allen shut the door very firmly as Parrish tried to move into second place at Paddock. The next time round Parrish neatly outbraked Allen to grab second place.
Borgudd's Volvo and the Mercedes were evenly matched around the circuit, but Parrish tried to get past for the whole of the rest of the race, and was often only a truck's length from the Volvo. The strain began to tell on the 1644's brakes and the two vehicles drew level when Parrish suffered massive brakefade, and as they lurched into Clearways the Mercedes' brake lights winked on long before the Volvo's.
At the line Borgudd took the honours, but the brave Parrish was only 0.7secs behind. Allen had a lonely race, staving off Walker, but never in contention for the lead_ Smith and Lindsey took fifth and sixth places respectively.
The only casualties were Heinz Dehnhardt's M-B 1644 and Dave Gray's Roadtrain 'Flo' which got entangled at Clearways with Flo coming off worst at the hands of the Armco.
Earlier in the day, Radio One disc jockey Mike Smith was the winner of the smallest up-to-224kW class in the Cummins-powered Ford Cargo. Gerard Cuynet was second in a similar vehicle, and Mel Lindsey's Perkins-powered Roadtrain was third.
In the 224-269kW class, George Allen triumphed in the Truck Align-backed Volvo White Road Boss DD, ahead of Willie Green's ERF E14, and Richard Walker's Leyland Roadtrain.
In the 270-373kW class, Borgudd came first in his Volvo from Parrish in the Mercedes.
Rolf Bjork, Borgudd's compatriot, came in third drawing a Scania 142.