| TOP NEWS :: Brands Hatch - The Championship Final :: |
True to expectations, a crowd of thousands filled every corner of the prestigious Brands Hatch circuit over the weekend 4th/5th November to witness the thrills and spills of the final meeting in the 2006 British Championship season.
The beautiful late autumn sunshine and crisp air served to enhance the friendly tension between the teams who were determined to pull out all the stops and grasp the best of those final points on the Championship table. After the previous meeting at Pembrey, nothing could be guaranteed, with top places in both classes within reach of several of the drivers.
The qualifying race on the Saturday morning came to a halt when Terry Gibbon (Volvo White) and Garry George (Foden) left the track. After the restart it was Chris Levett (MAN TGA) who crossed the finish line first, just 25 thousandths of a second ahead of reigning Champion Ross Garrett (Foden). Leading contenders Mat Summerfield (Sisu) and Stuart Oliver (MAN) came in third and fourth respectively, with Dave Jenkins (Sisu) and Steve Horne (ERF) close behind.
The first Championship race saw one of this year’s newcomers, Chris Levett, sitting proudly in pole position on the famous Brands Hatch starting grid. Disaster struck early in the race for Oliver whose brakes failed, sending him across the gravel and into the tyre wall at Paddock Hill Bend. There must have been some attraction to this particular part of the circuit as several laps later, Oliver was joined there by Ian Gypps ((Foden) who sadly did not recover to race the next day. Jenkins’Sisu had gear selector problems causing him to lose speed and splutter his way around the circuit . He was flagged, and after some confusion, was disqualified, but subsequently allowed to race the next day. Meanwhile, the battle was on between the leaders, with Champion Garrett pulling ahead into Paddock Hill at one point, but Levett was determined to keep ahead and past him at Druids. Garrett then came under attack from Summerfield who kept on his tail to the bitter end. At the chequered flag it was Levett who triumphed, closely followed by Garrett, with Summerfield in third place. First of the Class B drivers to cross the line was David Ball (Volvo), closely followed by Garry George (Foden). Fastest lap was achieved by Levett in 1.000.879.
The result meant that the final round of the Championship on Sunday was to be an exciting one with front running drivers Summerfield, Oliver, Jenkins and Horne going all out for a place on the podium alongside Garrett and Levett. It was also an important race for young Class B driver Gibbon who needed to finish well. Both Oliver and Jenkins started from the back of the grid, but very quickly stormed through, proving just how much power can be achieved by these magnificant machines. Their determined performance was enough to see them cross the finishing line in fifth and sixth places respectively. Once again it was Chris Levett who lifted the first place trophy with Garrett in second place and Summerfield in third. David Ball (Volvo) was again the first Class B driver to pass the chequered flag with Terry Gibbon (Volvo White) close behind.
When the points were totalled for the 2006 British Championship it was confirmed that Ross Garrett had retained his crown with Chris Levett in second place and Stuart Oliver in third. In Class B Terry Gibbon was the victor, with newcomer Graham Powell (Ford Cargo) taking second place and David Ball in third.
The British Truck Racing season came to an end at Brands Hatch with a thrilling non-championship race around the Indy circuit. This was kindly sponsored by Sparshatts of Kent, the Mercedes Truck dealer. As in the previous races, the British teams were joined by two Dutch teams with drivers Cees Zanderbergen and Klein Nagelvoort, whose sportsmanship and jovial company were a happy addition to the paddock.
Once underway, Levett took the lead into the first corner as newly crowned Champion Garrett leaned on Summerfield through Paddock Hill Bend. Garrett dropped to third as behind him a determined Oliver took fourth by Graham Hill Bend, only to be passed by Jenkins and Horne at McLaren. As Levett pulled away at the front for a third time, Garrett took second from Summerfield at Druids on lap two, only to lose it as he slid sideways out of the corner and onto the grass. Behind them, Oliver took fifth place back from Horne. After dropping back, Garrett made his way past Jenkins before Oliver pushed his way through at Surtees, taking the outside line through the left-hander and then holding the inside through McLaren, cutting across the front of Jenkins on the finish line to hold the position.
It was a delighted Chris Levett who crossed the line first to take a triple Brands Hatch victory, having never won a truck race before this weekend. "I'm over the moon really," he said after the race. "This was the first year I've been doing truck racing and I've just been gaining experience through the year," he commented. "The first time I'd ever been here was qualifying and we didn't know how well we'd go, so it was great to get three wins."
Ross Garrett also enjoyed the weekend, commenting: "I came here just to go out and win the races, but Chris was on form today. Second place in the race but first in the Championship was what I wanted though." The Champion continued: "Brands Hatch is like a showcase for us We need to make sure we come here every year, possibly twice a year!"
Over the course of the weekend spectators were also able to enjoy racing in the Legend and Pickup Truck Championships, as well as Formula Renault, Track and Race Saloons and Classic Touring Cars.
Away from the track there was a fine show of about 150 trucks whose drivers had spent the weekend cleaning and polishing ready to be judged for the various categories in their competition. Standards were high and the judges had some tough decisions to make, but all the entrants’ efforts were much appreciated by the many visitors.
The whole event was a highly successful end to the 2006 season, and a tribute to the teams and everyone who had worked so hard to pull it all together
© Marion Jones – British Truck Racing Association. This article may be re-printed providing the credit line to the BTRA is printed.
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