BELGIUM Delight for TEAM OLIVER at ZOLDER
Last weekend TEAM OLIVER RACING crossed the channel and made the short journey across mainland Europe to participate at the challenging Zolder race circuit. The team arrived on Friday morning and set up for the busy truck race programme. On Saturday morning Stuart and Martin went on track to qualify to decide the start grid positions for the first race of the weekend. Stuart posted the fastest lap time and Martin was not far behind in second.
Race one; on Saturday afternoon got underway in glorious sunshine, on the race start Martin managed to squeeze Stuart around the first left turn and then took the race lead into the right at turn two, this position he held for several laps with continuous pressure from Stuart who was very close behind. In the closing stage of the race Stuart managed to get a better drive out of the last chicane onto the start finish straight and pass to take the chequered flag, Martin finished in second to achie his first truck race career podium in his Giti sponsored truck.
Race two; on the Saturday evening started from a reverse grid determined from the previous race results, this was without doubt a race that kept the European truck race fans on their feet, with fifteen trucks charging into turn one and then off around the narrow and twisty 4 kilometre circuit. Lap by lap both TEAM OLIVER RACING trucks managed to pick off the opposition, by the closing laps Martin was up into second place and Stuart was in third, then at one of the many tight corners, the front positions changed Martin went up into second and Stuart went around both trucks ahead and into first place to go on to win the race, Martin finishing again in a very respectable second place.
On Sunday morning all the drivers went out to qualify for grid position for the third race of the weekend, the outcome was along the same lines as on the Saturday with Stuart posting the fastest time and Martin started alongside him on the grid on the second spot.
Race three; started again in glorious sunshine and was eagerly watched by the tens of thousands of truck race fans that attended the trucking event. This time Stuart did not give Martin the chance to slip ahead allowing Stuart to pull out a comfortable early lead. Unfortunately for Martin things were not so easy, on lap three his truck lost its air supply to the rear axle causing the rear brakes to automatically apply forcing him to visit the pit lane, after the team carried out a quick repair Martin went back out into the race, unfortunately he was too far back to catch the racing pack. Stuart however went on to notch up a three out of three-race win.
Race four; the final race of the weekend and was very possibly the most exciting one of the weekend, Martin started on pole position and Stuart was at the other end of the grid starting from the back. When the lights went out Martin was off into an early race lead, closely followed by more than a dozen other drivers wanting to take the last race win of the weekend. Stuart also had no intention to let the race win go without a fight, after several harts stopping overtake manoeuvres, by mid race Stuart was up into third place and with a clear track ahead, lap after lap he closed down the two trucks ahead, with only two laps to go he was up into second place with Martin only about 500 metres ahead. At the finish line Stuart had to settle for second but Martin was delighted to take the race win and his first trip of his truck race career to the top spot of a truck race podium.
The team now have a few weeks to prepare the trucks for the penultimate round of the British Truck Race Championship to be held at Pembrey on 13th 14th October.
Melanie Derflinger
