The opening weekend of the British Truck Racing Championship didn’t disappoint at Brands Hatch with excitement aplenty throughout the weekend.

There were plenty of thrills and spills throughout the five races last weekend and the competition that no one really dominated the top step of the podium.

In fact all of the races were won by different Trucks except for races three and four, which were won by David Jenkins, after a penalty was rescinded.

The opening race of the weekend was won by Ryan Smith, with Jenkins on the charge and just being held off as the race came to a finish by Smith.

Smith made a great getaway from pole position, but fellow front row starter Stuart Oliver tried to dive past him at Druids. However, the ten-time champion locked his brakes and this let Jenkins through, whilst Steve Thomas and Mat Summerfield squabbled over fourth place behind.

In Division two it was Steven Powell took the lead with Paul McCumsky passing Ryan Colson for second place in class.

As the race progressed, Jenkins caught Smith and the two had a good battle for the lead. The pair entered lap five side-by-side and did the same on lap six, but Ryan wasn’t about to be intimidated by the 2011 champion and braved it out, taking a small lead as they approached to lap the slowest Division 2 trucks. This brought Oliver back into play as three trucks now battled for the lead.

Smith’s impressive skill-set extended to his abilities in lapping traffic, and he pulled out a useful gap to his immediate pursuers as Jenkins became increasingly preoccupied by the Volvo of Oliver. On the penultimate lap Smith made his only mistake of the race and ran wide at Surtees, and Jenkins attacked on the final lap. The two entered Clearways nose-to-tail, but whilst Jenkins moved over on the run to the chequered flag, he was unable to steal the victory.

Oliver completed the podium, heading Thomas and Summerfield, followed by Simon Reid, Richard Collett, Luke Taylor and Frans Smit, whose truck was promoted to Division 1 for the race. Powell won Division 2, ahead of Andrew Lovenberry and Paul McCumisky.

The second race of the weekend was arguably one of the most exciting at Brands Hatch in a while, with Bint racing in division two taking the victory, with plenty of incidents throughout the race.

Bint got the race underway, taking the early lead into Paddock Hill and as he came under attack, race one winner Ryan Smith took a huge risk at the Division 1 start and went straight into the barriers at Paddock Hill. This left him stranded and the race was halted whilst his truck was recovered.

From the restart Bint continued to lead as Luke Taylor grabbed the Division 1 lead, holding back Mat Summerfield. Jenkins was on their tail, and Summerfield grabbed the lead at Druids on lap two and pulled away as Taylor held back the rest. Jenkins and Oliver were through on the following lap and as the top three in class chased the Division 2 trucks, Jenkins was on inspired form as he chased the champion in his brand new truck.

As Jenkins caught Summerfield and looked for a way past, Oliver caught the pair and they spent the remainder of the race battling each other. Summerfield had every corner covered, but his defensive stance prevented the trio from catching the leading Division 2 trucks until late on.

In Division 2, Bint was able to lap clear of Ryan Colson in second place, whilst Andrew Lovenberry was trying his hardest to keep Steven Powell behind. On the penultimate lap, Lovenberry ran wide at Paddock Hill, finally letting the local man past, just as they were caught by the Division 2 leaders.

Then the drama really did unfold with the Division 2 drivers looked in their mirrors at the fast approaching Summerfield-Jenkins-Oliver fight, Lovenberry and Colson went off at Paddock Hill, and the race was red-flagged.

This left Bint as the winner, ahead of Colson and Lovenberry, with Summerfield the Division 1 winner in fifth place, behind Steven Powell. Jenkins and Oliver, who had also come a cropper at Paddock Hill, were tailed by Brian Burt, Jim Bennett and Steve Thomas.

Jenkins was to become the third different British Truck Racing Championship winner, with a hard-fought victory in the third race at Brands Hatch today.

Wayne Eason and Paul McCumisky battled for the lead at the start, which was settled in the latter’s favour, whilst Ray Coleman defended in vain from Steve Thomas in Division 1. Behind them, Jenkins and Smith were catching and getting ready to attack before the faster trucks started to catch the Division 2 runners.

Jenkins took a while to demote Coleman as Smith and Stuart Oliver closed in on him, leaving Thomas to get away. By the time he reached the front of Division 2, Steven Powell was catching McCumisky at the front. Thomas made easy work of it as Powell took the class lead along the main straight, but Jenkins, Smith and Oliver were gradually catching the new race leader.

Thomas was caught on the penultimate lap and seemed to suffer a loss of pace as he was swallowed up by the leading trio. The positions remained to the flag, giving Jenkins the win. Smith had fallen foul of the stewards for exceeding track limits, so fell from second to 15th overall.

Oliver inherited second place, with Thomas holding on to a podium position. Coleman kept ahead of Mat Summerfield, with Luke Taylor in sixth place. Powell took the Division 2 win in seventh, ahead of McCumisky, Frans Smit and Brian Burt.

Jenkins then went on to win the penultimate British Truck Racing Championship round of the weekend at Brands Hatch, after initally losing the victory to rival Mat Summerfield.

When the race got underway, Eason off to a good start, but he was soon passed by Luke Garrett and Bint. Meanwhile Simon Reid got to lead Division 1, but not for long as Summerfield and a fast-starting Jenkins were soon past, with Oliver joining in the battle soon after. It wasn’t such a good start for Smith, whose second place from the previous race had been reinstated pending an appeal.

Jenkins tried to take the Division 1 lead from Summerfield, but lost out to Oliver as they approached the slower trucks, where Bint was closing on Garrett, with both chased furiously by Powell, determined not to let them get away.

Whilst they were working their way through the slower Division 2 trucks, Jenkins forcefully retook second in class, but Oliver then slowed. Powell also claimed second in class at this stage, as the two lead battles merged.

In a tense couple of laps, Summerfield was bumped by Bint at Druids as he tried to take the lead, then the champion got very sideways into Graham Hill, handing Jenkins second place. Summerfield came back on the main straight and then passed Bint to take the overall lead, with Jenkins still hard in pursuit.

Jenkins forced himself though to lead at Druids on the penultimate lap, but he’d been given a five second penalty for exceeding track limits, so Summerfield initially claimed the win, his second Division 1 victory of the day. However Jenkins appealed and his finishing position was reinstated, giving him his second win in a row.

Steve Thomas was best of the rest in third place, just over five seconds off the leaders on the road, whilst Smith took fourth place ahead of Bint, the Division 2 winner. Ray Coleman, Luke Taylor and Simon Reid followed, ahead of Division 2’s Luke Garrett and Jim Bennett.

OIiver took a well-deserved victory in the final race of the British Truck Racing Championship’s opening weekend.

Again Eason led Garrett for just the one lap as Powell fought his way up the order. Oliver led Division 1 from team-mate Taylor, with Smith and Summerfield also having a good start, in contrast to Jenkins at the back.

Powell took the race lead on lap four and Jenkins and Steve Thomas collided at Druids, to the latter’s deficit. Meanwhile Oliver was having his strongest race of the weekend as he headed the Division 1 trucks and began to catch Powell for the lead. Smith and Summerfield were a little further back, with the reigning champion catching Smith.

When Oliver took the lead, Smith had his mirrors full of the reigning champion, and in an echo of yesterday’s opening race, had to keep the more experienced driver behind. However, unlike the fearless Jenkins, Summerfield used a more calculating approach, chose his moment, and planned a move that started at Paddock Hill, where he gained as much momentum as possible, challenged around the outside at Druids, and finally passed into Graham Hill bend and into second place.

Meanwhile, Jenkins had finally gathered some speed and was up into fifth place, closing in on Simon Reid, who was driving Jenkins’ old truck. For the final two laps they circulated nose-to-tail, but Jenkins could not find a way past, and finished ahead of Taylor, Coleman and Thomas. Powell won Division 2, finishing ninth overall and ahead of Garrett.

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