Truck racing

[marcus]

Ive just finished watching a round of the Oz truck racing series on Tv and was wondering who here also has a bit of a watch every now and then or maybe there are some dead keen fans of this racing out there.

Ive been several times and think trucks are pretty awesome things to watch ..they slide they lurch around and lock brakes and are generally pretty exciting to watch..

so whats the best series..is the Euro series a good one..i dont get to see much of it but it looks pretty godd..and whats it like in the USA..

here in Oz we have a reasonably good series..but really only 2 or 3 guys that win every time ..but the others are getting closer to them every year..we also have 2 classes from the big A grade trucks down to what is called the SBR class for light commercial trucks..which are great through turns but just dont have the grunt down the straights..

so come on whats truck racing like in your neck of the woods ????

[Craig]

Only actually seen one truck racing meeting - and that was a national meeting at Donington on 5th November. Huge fun! Certainly intend to do some more in 2001.

The idea of the 'pace truck' was novel, but I guess that no-one was brave enough to take the usual Daewoo (yes, no kidding...!) pace car out in front of those machine.

It was cold and damp all day but, as the trucks were coming out for their second race of the day, the heavens opened - and the drivers seemed to endulge in some sort of end of season party - I don't think any of them were concerned with the racing - they were simply out for a laugh... and they got it!

Most of them (with the exception of one who had serious trouble keeping the thing on the track on the straights, let alone the bendy bits...) were sideways from the end of the pit straight, through Redgate and Hollywood, up to the Craners... awesome!

And then, of course, there was the never to be forgotten clown who was intent on parping his airhorn at the same time as trying to negotiate aforementioned corners sideways...

Class - if anyone gets the chance to attend a truck racing meeting, do so... we're not talking Eddie Stobart here - these guys are kkerrrraaazzzzzyyyyy....!!!!

[DAVID PATERSON]

The truck races were an annual attraction at Lakeside Raceway for several years until the track licensing committee decided it just wasn't safe for them to return. Oddly enough, there were no really major accidents in the time they were here. The racing was good, somehow they actually managed to pass each other, and when it was wet, boy did they put on a show. Talk about powerslides, from Bryan Byrt corner, well past the crossover almost to the start line.

The huge crowds (beaten only by the ATCC) were testament to the fact that they really put on a show trackside, but I faul to find them interesting on TV, i wonder why?

[Craig]

They probably struggle to find camera men who are brave enough to go anywhere near the circuit when these trucks are racing...!

And has anyone else noticed that they only seem to appear at the last meeting of the year - wonder why that could be...? I'm glad we saw them at Donington - I would have been petrified watching them somewhere like Oulton Park - there is no way in the world that the barriers there would have stopped them going out onto the main road... the safety there is horrendous

[DAVID PATERSON]

Craig, one of the most famous bits of footage of Aussie Truck racing is at Oran Park, after two trucks clashed one spun to the infield and charged head first at maximum speed towards a large concrete pillbox, which served as both the flaggies' post and the TV camera mount. As the truck charges directly at the camera you see flaggies jumping left and right, then you see nothing but truck grill, then shattering glass and black, followed by static.

[Craig]

ooops... That's the sort of thing you hope that someone is mad enough to have loaded up as an video file and stuck on the internet...

[marcus]

Ive seen that footage David..and it is quite scary..dont know if the cameraman stayed or not but if he did I would say he would have been injured in some way by the flying glass..

I wonder if that is on the net ..because it is great footage..i will try and hunt it down..only if I knew where to start.

they are great to watch in the rain..remember a downpour at Winton once and all hell broke loose..I seem to recall them racing on the the oval down at Calder which is quite scary.

the one thing I dont like is the smoke..it takes away from the viewing to much but I believe in Europe they have a system in place where the smoke is cut down..but Im not sure if we have it here in Oz as yet.

[kev]

At some tracks in NZ they pull all the Marshals off the track for the Truck races. After all, if you cant spot a spun truck ahead oy you, you have a serious eyesight problem. I've never seen truck racing live, but I've seen Oz vs NZ 'Test Matches' on TV. They are pretty spectacular - twice as many top drivers as we don't have many either.

[Warwick]

Last year in NZ at levels (Timaru) they ran the trucks for the first time in about 4-5 years,they had the biggest crowd i have ever seen,and they are back again this year.

About 1993-94 i had a go in the passenger seat of a B class truck at Ruapuna (Christchurch)it was similar to being in a rally car,they shake,bounce and slide,for a 5 tonne vehicle they have quite a short braking distance,and when they hit the brakes you are hard into the belts,at 160kph down the straight bits it feels quite slow,although i think thats to do with the height you are sitting at.

I was part of the tyre service crew for 5 years at the south island rounds and got to see quite a bit of it.
At Ruapuna they lined a Commodore SS and a turbo Saab up against one down the 1/4 mile,and the truck wasted both of them.

They are resticted to 160kph for safety reasons,but i've always wondered just how fast they would go,after all you are talking 1200hp+ for the A grades.

[Crash Test]

This is the first year i have ever been to a truck meeting, one at Queensland Raceway, one at Oran Park. The QR meeting was an absolute snooze fest....but Oran Park...wow! Iwthout doubt some of the best racing I have ever seen. Check out http://www.uq.net.au/~zzgwalke/oct00/truck/truck.html for some of my photos of them.

David: From what i gather, one of the biggest concerns about Lakeside was a truck taking out the bridge!

[DAVID PATERSON]

Yeah Crash, you're right there were several concerns re Lakeside and trucks and certainly No.1 was the bridge. The exhaust stacks on the Class A trucks were clearing it by just 6 inches, that's 15cm to a young feller. Also, can you imagine what would happen if two trucks touched wheels as they went under the bridge, well CAMS did. Also the bridge was closed and there were several spectator areas that were closed off when the trucks were on the track.

[Crash Test]

If i remember correctly, they had to put some of the Gold Coast Indy's concrete walls in front of he armco in some areas...