About PUT

Next ‘road circuit’ event

Brands Hatch

29 &30 October ‘11

Next ‘oval’ event

2012

dates to be released

Dates

Site Map:

Need more information?

Architectural drawings for extensions and loft conversions

www.vinnarry.co.uk

About Pickup Truck Racing -History and the vision:

The following text was first produced by Sarah Carnell in association with Pickup Truck Racing management

First launched in 1997, the Pickup Truck Racing Championship is for purpose-built 230bhp racing specials. A tubular spaceframe chassis follows well-proven SHP Motorsport principles and the racers are pushed along by a 2 litre multi-valve twin-cam engine. Weighing in at just 885kg, these dramatic machines place the emphasis firmly on driver ability.

The racing is fast and furious and the racing Pickup Trucks have won the hearts of race fans and drivers alike. Several of the leading drivers consider the Pickup to be the finest racing machine to date to be created at SHP. They are a joy to drive and simply beg the driver to give the throttle a further prod to kick the back end out of line. Progressive power over steer and beautifully balanced handling makes the Pickup a racer to be enjoyed, whether you are at the front or back of the field.

But the spectacle is not just about the racing Trucks. Onboard are some of the real characters of British Motorsport. Fiercely competitive on the track, they are friendly and approachable off it. They will sign autographs and pose with the young race fans for photos. They are the characters from which folk heroes are made and are always the real stars of the show.

Back in 1994 Sonny Howard first had the idea of proper racing Pickups but it was so radical at the time nobody would have done it. Sonny knew however that he could build a proper racing machine that people would be queuing up for. "We wanted to take a piece of America and transport it back to England, but we created something that could also work in Europe."

Some of the most pure racing is found in Pickup Trucks. Door handle to door handle with no quarter asked or given, Pickup racing is frequently breath-taking and the sturdy Truck is a great racing machine. There is a saying in America that goes along the lines of 'if you ain't rubbin', you ain't racin'. It was an expression that could have been coined for the Pickup Trucks. The sheer closeness of the racing ensures that the Trucks race mere inches apart, sometimes even closer, but this does not indicate poor driving standards.

The drivers have a mutual respect and they will give each other just enough room, but not an inch more than is absolutely necessary, of course!

This is the only championship to race on the 1.5 mile Rockingham Motor Speedway oval circuit while road circuits regularly visited include Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Thruxton, Pembrey as well as appearances in Europe.

Circuit Racing

Pickup Truck Racing doesn’t just keep the high, exhilarating action to the oval, a number of road courses are also used to form the Overall Championship.

Regular road circuits visited by the championship include Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Thruxton and Pembrey. Other circuits included in the calendar are Mallory Park, Snetterton, Silverstone and Oulton Park.

The championship has also ventured into Europe also with races at Mondello Park in Ireland, Nurburgring in Germany and Zolder in Belgium to name just a few which has given new audiences just a small insight into the exciting racing that is Pickup Trucks.

One example of this was seen at Mondello Park in 2008 where there was a ‘dead heat’ for Dave Briggs and former champion Mark Willis on times at the end of the second race, with the win awarded to Briggs after a gentlemanly gesture by Willis who admitted he had missed a gear exiting the last corner.

Oval Racing

In 2003 the Pickup Truck Racing Championship moved in to a new era with the introduction of rounds on the 1.5 mile oval circuit at Rockingham Motor Speedway.

Many of the drivers - past and present - cut their teeth in the short ovals including Hot Rodders Carl Boardley, Phil White, Pete Stevens, Steve Dance, Antony Hawkins, Dave Longhurst and our very own Lee Rogers. Simon and Damien Carr, meanwhile, came through BriSCA Formula One Stock Car route. This makes racing at Rockingham Motor Speedway an essential part of the calendar.

The pack is often covered by a single second, and even after 35 laps you can barely separate the Trucks as they go bumper to bumper in pure drafting style as seen in NASCAR in America. Multiple champion Steve Dance is the current lap record holder with a best lap time of 39.887 seconds set in May 2006.

Oval racing throws up a completely different concept for the drivers from road course racing. Once prospective drivers have undertaken the Association of Racing Drivers Schools (ARDS) test, which can be done at circuits such as Silverstone and Brands Hatch in order to gain the essential National B licence, all drivers must pass a ‘Rookie Training Course’ before racing on the oval.

The other essential element, initially only used on the oval but now at the road circuits also, is spotters. With all the protective head restraints required for safety reasons in case of a crash, the spotters are quite literally the drivers’ eyes and take their lives in their own hands.

Each spotter also has to undergo their own training course in order to gain a licence to be able to carry out this essential role. There are certain ‘calls’ which must be given to tell the drivers when they can make a move or if someone is approaching them to make a pass, plus cautions are communicated to the drivers from Race Control via the spotters.