Truck racing favourite Dave Jenkins declared himself “elated” after recording three hard-fought podium finishes in South Wales – including a victory.
The MAN in Black has had a challenging season and though last weekend’s penultimate round in Pembrey was not plain sailing either, Jenkins was delighted to come away with a haul of points.
Jenkins, who is sponsored by leading oil blender Morris Lubricants, finished the second day of action in the best way possible with a first place finish.
The 38-year-old said:
“I was elated to finish on the podium three times, especially taking victory in the final race.
“The weekend threw some issues at us but the whole team did a sterling job, I wouldn’t be able to fight for victory without my team of mechanics, friends and family.
“The team has soldiered on throughout the season because we know we belong at the front, fighting for victory in all races, and it’s nice to see us get back to where we should be.”
Jenkins felt confident going into the first race of the weekend – and his gut feeling proved correct as he picked up a strong second place finish.
And the second and final race of the first day saw Jenkins on the podium again, this time in third.
The team started Sunday full of confidence – but the 9am practice session almost ended their day before it had even begun. In wet conditions, Jenkins came into Honda, the final corner before the pit straight, and hit some oil that had been dropped onto the track. Jenkins was travelling flat out but managed to yank the hand-brake, forcing the truck sideways.
“I somehow managed to miss everything and, despite almost ending up in the forest opposite, the truck came to a stop and didn’t have a mark on it,” said Jenkins.
Jenkins was sent in a spin in the first race after being tagged by Stuart Oliver’s Scania but pushed on to finish fifth. Victory in the second race looked a certainty until a brake disc exploded under hard braking, which saw Jenkins slip back into fourth.
But Jenkins was determined to put the bad luck behind him and made a move on leader Rick Collett heading into turn four of the opening lap of the final race – and never looked back.
Jenkins is now looking to sign off in style at the final weekend of the season at Brands Hatch on November 1 and November 2.
Jenkins said: “Changes we made to the truck during the season have worked well and I feel like we have a good balance now. The team are back to where Jenkins Motorsport Development should be: consistently on the podium. Nothing less.”
Jenkins uses specialist performance lubricants in his truck, which are blended at Morris Lubricants’ factory in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
