Ryan Smith claimed an astonishing eighth consecutive British Truck Racing Championship (BTRC) title at Brands Hatch today (Sunday) with two victories at the wheel of his Daimler Freightliner on the Indy circuit.
It was in the first of these that Smith sealed what always looked a likely crown, as he arrived in Kent with an already sizeable advantage. This was backed up with a strong drive through the pack to the top step of the podium and the serial title winner picked up where he left off once more on Sunday morning.
Following misfortune and damage for Stuart Oliver in yesterday’s opening BTRC contest, David Jenkins was left as Smith’s main challenger for the title, and the experienced racer did absolutely everything he could to try and keep the fight going in the first of today’s races.
Jenkins was a long-time leader, but he was only hold position at the front for so long before Smith hunted him down and took the lead with a decisive move at Paddock Hill Bend. They leading duo then held position until the end of the race with Smith’s result enough to seal the championship.
Smith followed this up in the penultimate race of the year with another charge through the pack, this time hunting down Bradley Smith to take the lead. Unlike Jenkins in the earlier contest, Smith wasn’t able to hold onto second with Simon Reid claiming the second spot on the podium for himself.
The final race of the season couldn’t be completed following barrier damage from an accident involving Steve Powell and Simon Reid. The meeting was halted following a joint decision by the BARC and Brands Hatch.
British Truck Racing Championship, Brands Hatch, Sunday Race 1
- Ryan Smith, Daimler Freightliner
- David Jenkins, MAN TGX, +2.908s
- Craig Reid, Iveco Stralis, +8.680s
- Richard Collett, MAN TGX, +16.359s
- John Bowler, MAN TGX, +19.294s
British Truck Racing Championship, Brands Hatch, Sunday Race 2
- Ryan Smith, Daimler Freightliner
- Simon Reid, Iveco Stralis, +7.034s
- Bradley Smith, MAN TGX, +10.786s
- Steven Powell, MAN TGA, +11.913s
- Craig Reid, Iveco Stralis, +12.570s
Click here to view full race results from this meeting.