RIVETT SUFFERS SETBACK AFTER BLISTERING START AT SNETTERTON
16 Sep 2024
Driver Paul Rivett went into the weekend looking to maintain his climb back up the Division 2 standings, and with confidence high on the back of a hugely successful meeting at Donington Park that had seen him secure three Division 2 victories from the four races.
QUALIFYING
Things started in positive fashion in qualifying as Paul stormed to the Division 2 pole at the wheel of his MAN TGX.
It marked the second successive season in which Paul had powered the striking NAPA Racing UK-backed machine to class pole at the longest circuit on the BTRC calendar, with his lap being quick enough to see him outpace two of the more powerful Division 1 machines.
The lap, which was half a second quicker than the one used to take pole twelve months earlier, also set a new benchmark for Division 2 trucks around the Norfolk venue.
RACE 1
Given the pace shown in qualifying, confidence was high going into the opening race as Paul looked to try and replicate his strong Donington display, with his target being to try and at least match the four wins from five at Snetterton that had played a key part in his run to the 2023 Division 2 title.
Lining up in eighth place for the start, and with the buffer of two Division 1 trucks between him and rival John Powell, Paul got away well at the rolling start to retain his class lead and was leading Powell on track when an incident involving Division 1 leader Ryan Smith at Coram saw the race red-flagged.
The field lined up for the restart once recovery work had been completed and Paul once again retained the Division 2 lead when the action resumed, running ahead of the Division 1 truck of Neil Yates and well clear of Powell and the remainder of his class.
However, with one hand on the victory as the timer counted down, Paul suddenly slowed and pulled off-track with the MAN having suffered a catastrophic engine failure. Once back in the paddock, the damage was deemed irreparable trackside and he soon confirmed his withdrawal from the meeting.
“We were in the lead with fastest lap when unfortunately, the engine decided that it didn’t want to be an engine any more – and that was it for the weekend,” he said. “It’s hugely disappointing but that is how it goes sometimes with racing, and we can only focus on making sure that we come back even stronger next time out.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Due to the engine trouble sustained during the British Truck Racing Championship round at Snetterton, NAPA Racing UK will not be attending the penultimate round at Le Mans race circuit.
Don’t worry! The team will be back with a bang for the season finale with a newly built engine at Brands Hatch in November.
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