MAN drivers on top in truck racing championship
MAN trucks are dominating the top division of the British Truck Racing Association’s (BTRA) 2017 championship, as the drivers prepare for the third race meet next weekend.
After ten races at two race meets, seven of the top eight drivers are competing in a MAN truck. This includes sixth-place Ray Coleman for LRS Racing, which is proudly sponsored by Ecodrive Transmissions.
With two wins at the latest race meeting in Pembrey in Wales, MAN driver Ryan Smith tops the driver leader board, closely followed by Shane Brereton and Mat Summerfield.
Pembrey also saw first season victories for David Jenkins, Terry Gibbon and Oly Janes. This makes it seven different winners from the first ten races. When you compare this to Formula 1, where 19 of the 21 races were won by two drivers last season, it is easy to see why truck racing is increasing in popularity so dramatically.
Ray Coleman, whose LRC Racing rig is sponsored by Ecodrive, has had a consistent run of good finishes and sits just behind the leading pack in the race for the championship.
Steep competition at the top and in the middle of the table mean that the championship is perfectly poised heading into the next race meet at Thruxton race circuit in Hampshire on the 3rd and 4th of June.
Before the end of the season, the teams will also race at Donington in Leicestershire, Snetterton in Norfolk and even at the Nürburgring in Germany.
| Position | Driver | Truck | Points |
| 1 | Ryan Smith | MAN | 72 |
| 2 | Shane Brereton | MAN | 64 |
| 3 | Mat Summerfield | MAN | 63 |
| 4 | Stuart Oliver | Volvo | 60 |
| 5 | Dave Jenkins | MAN | 58 |
| 6 | Ray Coleman | MAN | 39 |
| 7 | Luke Taylor | MAN | 33 |
| 8 | Terry Gibbon | MAN | 31 |
| 9 | Oly Janes | Buggyra | 24 |
| 10 | Michael Oliver | Scania | 10 |
| 11 | Frans Smit | Scania | 9 |
| 12 | Richard Collett | MAN | 2 |
MAN trucks top for racing
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.
Within this race code, MAN trucks have set themselves apart as the top, most reliable rig for the best drivers.
LRS Racing’s own experience is revealing. The team chose to switch to a ZF gearbox-equipped MAN truck after experiencing technical problems with their previous Renault racing rig.
ZF gearboxes come as standard in new MAN trucks and although drivers could switch to another brand, our experience suggests that ZF would be more reliable in a race situation.
If you would like to learn more about LRS Racing, you can visit their Facebook page.
To learn more about truck racing, or to find out how you can watch the next race meeting, visit the BTRA website.