T Sport Racing MAN on home soil at Donington Park
Report from Melanie Derflinger:
“The weekend of 10th and 11th of August proved to be another successful weekend for the T Sport Racing team. The race of the British Truck Racing Championship in Donington Park was our first race of the year on home soil – only two hours away from our base. And Terry felt confident after racing at the European Truck Racing Championship on Nürburgring just a few weeks before.
It was also a busy weekend for the hospitality set-up again as we had numerous friends and family members supporting us at our first home race of the season – not to forget, our main UK partners and their customers from EMS&FP&S, PE and BPW UK. T Sport Racing were also happy to welcome the lucky social media competition winners from Ireland together with our partner Derry Bros Shipping. Our guests were treated to hot food and drinks as well as the new ETRC Truck Racing Game on Xbox One including the T Sport Racing truck – a hit for adults and children alike!
Donington Park is always an enjoyable UK event as it coincides with Convoy in the Park. This makes for a great atmosphere in the paddock, with lots of spectators, attractions and nearly 1000 show trucks at the circuit.
Race 1 got off to an interesting start with Terry starting from sixth position, until he was pushed off the track by his competitors at the first corner thus causing him to slide into the grass. Through sheer will and determination he managed to hold it as he drifted through the mud. Getting through the corner, he only lost two places – to Jamie Anderson and Mark Taylor. Terry fought hard and managed to regain the places he lost thus finishing in sixth place. Due to the reverse grid, this put T Sport Racing in a good position for the first race on Sunday morning as Terry is set to start the race from third position.
On Sunday morning, the T Sport Racing team woke up to blue skies – not typical for English weather. We were feeling good and eagerly anticipating the first race of the day. It got off to a good start with Terry keeping his third place. Throughout the race, he lost first a few places but fought hard with his competitors. In the end, he managed to finish in sixth position.
With very wet track conditions, the second race of the day was a little more action-packed. As Terry was fighting in fourth position by the first corner, his windscreen sustained severe damage after some offensive moves by Anderson. Considering the serious lack of visibility this meant, Terry was not able to hold his position. In the one-hour break between races, the team worked tirelessly to get the truck ready for the final race of the weekend.
The guests’ and the team’s expectations for the last race were high as it was our final chance for Terry and his truck to show what they are made of. The start was very promising again with Terry moving up. Being pushed out by another competitor on the same chase, Terry dropped far back and had to take up the chase a second time. We were all more than pleased with the result, when he finally finished on a highly respectable 8th place – overtaking his competitor’s trucks one by one.
Luckily, we got through the round without severe damage to the truck. And yet we will have a busy period coming up over the next few weeks as we need to ensure the truck is ready to race at the upcoming ETRC event in Czech Republic in two weeks. September will be a challenging month for the team as we will be racing at four consecutive events across Europe and expect to return to the UK after Jarama in the beginning of October for a short break prior to the final BTRC event at Brands Hatch.”
