Ecodrive sponsors truck racing team

Ecodrive is pleased to announce its sponsorship of truck racing team LRS Racing.

Owned by vehicle recovery company Lantern Recovery Specialists, the team is led by driver and Managing Director Ray Coleman who currently sits sixth in Division One of the British Truck Racing Association (BTRA).

Ecodrive first got involved with the company when they were asked to repair the race truck’s gearbox.

And after seeing the team in action, it was an easy decision to sponsor them.

After the first race meet of the season, LRS already has a podium finish and the team is now targeting a win.

The action moves onto South Wales this weekend as the BTRA headlines a bumper racing weekend in Pembrey.

Before the end of the season, the teams will also race at Thruxton, Donington in Leicestershire, Snetterton in Norfolk and even at the Nürburgring in Germany.

The BTRA racing code centres around twin axle tractor unit trucks, like those that roll off manufacturer production lines, but with major performance modifications.

The minimum weight is 5.5Ts with a minimum of 3.2Ts on the front axle. Combined with no ABS, Traction Control or Auto Gearboxes, it makes for spectacular racing.

LRS switched to a ZF gearbox-equipped MAN truck after experiencing technical problems with their previous Renault racing rig.

Nine of the 12 trucks in the BTRA’s top division use MAN trucks, which are clearly one of the favourites for the best drivers.

Although some older models use different gearboxes, newer MAN trucks all tend to use ZF gearboxes.

What makes truck racing exciting?

Everything is bigger in truck racing, including the excitement.

The profile of truck racing and other motor sports has increased in recent years, especially as Formula 1 has started to be perceived as more clinical and less exciting.

Unlike Formula 1, which is largely concentrated around the fortunes of a couple of drivers and a couple of manufacturers, truck racing is very open. The first few races of this season were all won by different drivers.

It is most certainly a sport for spectators.

Seeing massive trucks barrel round circuits at speeds of up to 100 mph is exciting and scary in equal measures. And although truck racing is technically a non-contact sport, the size and speed of the vehicles means that minor collisions are inevitable. But serious driver injuries are relatively rare.

The BTRA is well established and has been running for more than 30 years. Their races attract more than 300,000 spectators every year and all of the meets are televised on Motors TV.

If you would like to learn more about the sport, or find out how you can attend a race meeting, visit the BTRA website.