Oliver splashes to Class A victory!

Hexham haulier wins eventful first race

01/11/2009 - Newly-crowned British Truck Racing champion Stuart Oliver battled against challenging weather conditions to secure victory in an incident-filled Class A truck race at Brands Hatch today (Sunday).

Front row starters Chris Levett and David Jenkins led the field initially with Oliver behind until lap two, when Jenkins' MAN ran wide at Paddock Hill Bend and he dropped down to fifth place. Terry Gibbon also went off at Paddock, his MAN TGA ending up in the tyre wall.

Oliver made his move for the lead at the start of lap three with a brave manoeuvre up the inside of race leader Levett at Druids.

Once he had lost the lead, Levett ran wide at Paddock and fell back to fifth, leaving Matt Summerfield's MAN ERF to challenge Oliver.

However, Summerfield also suffered an off-track excursion at Paddock on lap five. This left Oliver to clinch victory when the race was brought to an early end on lap eight, after Frenchman Manuel Rodrigues' Volvo spun out at Druids and damaged the tyre wall.

David Jenkins recovered to third position, ahead of Carl Brookfield's ERF in fourth. Richard Collett secured fifth place after taking a trip through the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend.

Roger Brookifield, whose truck was driven by Blue Peter presenter Andy Akinwolere yesterday, finished in sixth with Andrew Hardy the final finisher in seventh position.

The second Class A race will take place at 4.00pm this afternoon.

British Truck Racing Association Championship, Brands Hatch, Class A race one result:

1. Stuart Oliver (MAN TGS 18-480), 7 laps
2. Matt Summerfield (MAN ERF ECT 410), +2.726s
3. David Jenkins (MAN TGA), +11.690s
4. Carl Brookfield (ERF E14), +28.051s
5. Richard Collett (MAN TGA), +40.088s
6. Roger Brookfield (DAF CF), +56.629s
7. Andrew Hardy (ERF E14), +57.207s

Tickets for the Brands Hatch Truck Superprix on Sunday 1 November cost £20 on the gate for adults, with free entry for children aged 12 and under. For more information call 0870 950 9000 or click on the link below.