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FEST!
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Page 85
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It's Commercial Motor Truckfest time again. On 30 April and 1 May, the East of England Showground will be packed with working, vintage and custom trucks, trade and industry exhibits.
• Commercial Motor Truckfeset '89 will be bigger and better than ever before. Europe's premier trucking event will take place on Sunday 30 April and Monday 1 May at the East of England Showground near Peterborough with more than enough hardware and entertainments to satisfy the most jaded CV enthusiasts.
Entries have been pouring in for the many competitions, including Commercial Motor's Best Kept Working Truck, Bandag Best Fleet, Shell Supertruck Challenge and Eminox Custom Truck of the Year.
SUPERTRUCK CHALLENGE
The Supertruck Challenge should be one of the highlights of the show, with the return of old favourites such as former winner Hans Witte and his metallic blue and silver Scania; ex-champ Fred De Boer, and Frans Tatenhove with his International Harvester.
Among the new boys will be Ederveen's Volvo F16 Globetrotter, Worldwide Globetrotter, and Willem De Kuiper's superb Blue Mack. The Globetrotter has already won several awards on the Continent, so it should be worth a look.
The British contingent will be spearheaded by Suffolk's Geoff Byford and his magnificent Western Star Lady Louise. Two supertrucks are coming over from Scandinavia — and they wouldn't be coming that far without serious plans to get among the awards.
They will be helped on their way by a free passage from Olau Lines ferry company.
Truckfest's 1986 CM Best Kept Working Truck winner, Kim Rolfe, aims to make history repeat itself with her pristin Mercedes tipper, while Sandy McCracken and his clan of stalwarts definitely mean business, entering seven Scanias in the competitions. The McCracken 'A-Team' of F-reg 113s will be looking for some silverware in the Bandag battle of the fleets.
To add some glamour, 'Page 3 stunna' Maria Whittaker, heiress to Samantha Fox's crown as queen of the glamour girls, will be CM's star celebrity on both days. Maria, who plans to add pop stardom to her other achievements, has 400 dance trophies to her name — which could come in useful at the Commercial Motor disco on Sunday night!
Human horsepower will be pitted against Mercedes-Benz G Wagen and caravan, as legendary tower of strength Geoff Capes slugs it out with 'Hawk the Slayer' — a leading British bodybuilder and a champion in the brutal sport of Golden Tiger kick boxing. Former Olympic contender Capes still holds the UK national all-corners record in the shotput and has competed for Britain in a record 67 internationals, so even the Hawk will have his work cut out.
Jimmy Savile will be arriving at Truckfest on Monday at lpm and you will be welcome to meet him on the Iveco Ford stand. Sunday night will be party time for drivers, with rock 'n' rollers Showaddywaddy joined on stage by TV personality Chris Tarrant and dance troupe 'Dansatak', well known for appearances on 'The Benny Hill Show' and popular quiz programme '3-2-1'. Admission for drivers is free, provided they have entered one of the competitions or booked for overnight camping or caravanning. Other celebrity guests include exworld boxing champ Alan Minter and Grandad, Aveline and Adrian from the top TV soap opera 'Bread'.
On the speciality vehicle front, Truckfest favourite Steve Murty is set to make a dramatic comeback after his horrific crash at Brands Hatch last year. Steve is fully recovered and his amazing wheelie truck
High Performer is ready to belch flame and dazzle the crowds again. His aim is a wheelie world record — and the toppling of a removals pantechnicon with one blast from High Performer's Rolls-Roycepowered Pirelli Pro-Jet engine.
Monster truck Sky High should also be a showstopper with its huge tyres, double steering axles and car-crushing antics. To protect the body shell, Sky High has 16 heavy-duty shock absorbers and a heavyduty undershell, bringing the monster Transit up to six tonnes. It now has enough bulk to flatten eight cars in one go; four times as many as last year.
HELICOPTER FUEL
A mighty MAN 8x8 off-roader which was used to carry helicopter fuel for ParisDakar rally officials will also be on display at Truckfest.
This tough vehicle survived the gruelling 14,000km event, thanks to its sand tyres, hardy MAN LXFG 265kW (355hp) engine and 16-speed gearbox. On the ral
ly, it was dubbed The Helping Elephant by grateful competitors because its on-board winches rescued many teams during the rally.
On Monday, we'll also be taking the time out to show off the CM/Leyland Daf 'Runnerthon' Roadrunner.
The only 360kW (483hp) Mack UltraLiner in the UK — a Tomlinson and White Special Types tractor — will be at the Peterborough Showground. You will be able to enter a competition with a trip to the States as first prize, courtesy of Mack and its UK importer Western Truck,
Not all the action will be taking place in the main arena, of course. There will be plenty of stalls and sideshows for the casual browser and you are always welcome to drop in at the Commercial Motor stand where there will be plenty of sweatshirts, T-shirts, badges and stickers on sale proclaiming your favourite magazine. As an added incentive, Maria Whittaker will be on our stand both days.