Lorry racing comes to Britain
Page 26
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Thirty years ago I was alarmed by the spectacle of vehicles in the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition sliding with all wheels locked and rocking and rolling as drivers tried to beat the stop-watch. That was soon stopped as highly inappropriate as a road safety contest but there are no such inhibitions in the lorry racing that has become popular in America and on the Continent.
Now the sport is coming to Britain in the first Multipart Truck Grand Prix at Donington Park on September 29-30. The British Truck Racing Association has been formed to draw up rules covering vehicles in three classes: up to 300bhp, 301350bhp and over 350bhp. Safety regulations will be stringent.
Apart from the grand prix itself, there will be a van race, a car-transporter event to include loading and unloading — a fearsome thought — a "Convoy d'elegance" for "customised" vehicles and other entertainments.
Writing of van racing reminds me that a Ford Transit said to be capable of more than 185mph has been produced. Its Ford DFL V8 3.9-litre 590bhp racing engine is mounted in a special honeycomb aluminium and carbon-fibre chassis and takes up much of the body space. The van has already lapped the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit at an average of more than 103mph.