Jenkins stars in Division 1 blockbuster at MV Commercial BTRA Championship at Snetterton
David Jenkins made a triumphant return to the top step of the podium this past weekend (September 7/8) as he kept his title aspirations alive in Division 1 of the MV Commercial BTRA Championship at Snetterton.
In what was another action-packed event for the heavyweight behemoths of British motorsport, reigning champion Ryan Smith and Richard Collett, who for the first time this year, also triumphed.
Jenkins kicked off the weekend with a scintillating performance in qualifying as he powered his MAN TGX to the top of the times, clinching pole position ahead of Smith by little under half a second.
As the lights went out for the opening encounter, Jenkins was unable to convert his front row start into victory as Smith launched himself into the lead with a stunning overtake and ultimately never looked back, going on to clinch the chequered flag by more than five seconds.
John Newell had a relatively lonely race in third place as he circulated his MAN around the challenging 2.99-mile layout without trouble.
After missing out in the opening encounter, Jenkins struck back in race two as he edged out Smith in a thrilling duel.
Finding their way past Collett in the early stages, both Jenkins and Smith soon set about putting distance between themselves and the chasing pack. As the laps ticked by though, three-time champion Smith gradually began to eat into the five-second advantage Jenkins had built up.
Separated by just over two seconds heading into the final lap, Mansfield-racer Smith closed onto the back bumper of the 2011 champion but was unable to find a way past, ultimately settling for second place whilst Collett rounded out the top three.
Race three was almost a carbon copy of the day’s early blockbuster as Jenkins once again got the better of Smith, narrowly taking the chequered flag to close the gap in the standings by just three tenths of a second.
Newell’s second rostrum of the weekend came in the shape of a consistent third-place drive where the former Division 2 champion was relatively unchallenged throughout.
The fourth and final race of the weekend for Division 1 of the MV Commercial BTRA Championship proved to be full of drama as the stars of Division 2 added to the spectacle for the Grand Final.
Unfortunately, a red flag stoppage after lap two left several trucks needing to be recovered and unable to make the restart, one of which was points leader Smith.
With a three-lap restart confirmed, Jenkins made the most of his title rivals misfortune to power his way through the pack and finish hot on the heels of Collett, who clinched his first win of the season.
Jenkins’ second place finish capped off one of his strongest meetings of the season so far and more importantly, allowed him to gain ground on the formidable Smith.
Ray Coleman brought the curtain down on proceedings as he picked up his first podium finish of the weekend by finishing third in class.
To view the full classification of results from Division 1 at Snetterton, click here.
The MV Commercial BTRA Championship now heads back to Pembrey Circuit on October 5/6 for the penultimate event of the 2019 season.
