End of Season Thoughts & Plans for 2003

Back at base, Christmas is approaching, it's late December and I'm sat in the office reflecting on the past Season and the future as I am writing this.

I am very pleased with my 3rd place in the Championship, although half way through the year I thought even this would be a tall order. With the crash in Nurburgring, and the non-finish in Zolder I lost around 20 odd points to the, ever reliable two factory- backed Trucks that came in 1st and 2nd this year. With Dave being a real challenger for 3rd in the last half of 2002.

Most of my problems this Season have been self-inflicted by my impatience to win. The crash could have been avoided if I had only waited until the next Straight to overtake, instead of trying to win the Race on the first Lap. And, if I hadn't taken the decision to fit the new engine mid Season I probably would have finished both rounds in Zolder. But, I still feel that decision was right, to be able to test and get the engine settled down, and understood, for next Season.

Now, about next year….

We need to look back first…

During the 2001 Season, I decided my faithful Volvo White was at the end of its competitive days and my small budget was minuscule compared to the machinery and Teams that were now beating me on a regular basis. So this time last year I was thinking about 2003. I decided not to jump on the band wagon with my cheque book, purchasing a competitive ex European Championship Front Running Truck with the possibility of factory backing, (mainly because I had no sponsorship and not enough cash to go this way successfully) to contest the 2002 Season. Another reason was that I still think the factory Trucks are beatable, if I could build a competitive truck, to my specification, my way.

So I decided to wait, and spend 2002 obtaining the power unit for my new Truck.

Spend the winter of 2002/3 building my new Truck, and trying to get a sponsor to pay for it all!

We are currently building this truck and if all goes according to plan, when it comes out of the workshop in early April 2003, it will 'Whoop their Ass' by a considerable margin. I hope!

We have been given an eight year old ERF Truck that has covered 500,000 miles on the road, and was due for the scrap yard. Which we intend to mid mount our Detroit Diesel 60 Series engine into, and create the fastest, and best-looking ERF (British made) in the world!

The making of this Truck can be followed on my web site, if you are interested, in technical advances of Trucking. But we only have eighteen weeks to build it all successfully, and already its proving very expensive, and a struggle in the time window.

I still haven't found a sponsor but have made progress, by formulating a video of the 2002 Season. Found a friend who has done a bit of marketing, to try and promote myself, but I think this is harder than racing the truck, because I'm a Racer, not a PR man. But I have put getting a big sponsor, or lots of little ones (adding up to a shed load of cash) high on my list of priorities!

So that's the Truck half taken care of, and the start of trying to get the budget to complete and run the Truck all over Europe in 2003. Which I can tell you from experience is not cheap!

But what about the driver? I feel so tired, this year has certainly taken its toll on me. Ernie, who helped us last year, did some early Season preparation of the Truck, but then we haven't seen him at all this Season at our place or at the Meetings, through pressure of work at his own business, I've had to drive my 19 year old boneshaker Kenworth K100 60ft transporter to, and from all the Meetings this year, sometimes with all five of us up in the cab for the journeys.

The only real help I've had this year has been from my family, my son Ben, who is 19 prepared the Truck for each and every race, single-handedly, with help at the Meetings from Jessica, my daughter who is 13. Kylie, Ben's girlfriend who is 16, and my wife Jane who packed, and unpacked, cooked and organised us all, We're just an ordinary family up against the might of World-wide Truck Organisations, with multimillion pound budgets….

So - How are we going to beat them on the Track? Work has also been very stressful for me this last year. Cherwell is expanding, new contracts, more trucks, customer's expectations ever higher on service and price. Every time I go Racing for the weekend, I come back to find the piles of jobs and paperwork to do are nearly reaching the ceiling on my desk, taking me some two weeks to catch back up!

I'm 42 years old now, and I have been Truck Racing since 1986, so have just completed my 17th Season behind the wheel of a 6ton Truck. Roy Clarke has decided to finally retire this Season, so that leaves only one Racer left who started when I did, Paul McKumisky who has equal experience in years. Paul and I are the only ones left of the forty or so who were at Silverstone back in '86. Much younger, better looking, with accurate judgement and a no fear attitude!

What do you think I should do? Carry on, or hang up my helmet? Send me an Email, support me on steve-horne@cherwell-logistics.com if you think I should carry on!

I have decided to give 2003 my best shot, but it might be my last Season of Racing, making me skint in the process! I have just learned that there will be at least three factory backed Trucks on the grid for next year, maybe more!

Ben will be able to Race in 2004, so as a surprise Christmas present I've given him my faithful Volvo White Racing chassis. Only, and only after my new Truck is ready, can he build his Truck back up to practice within 2004, and hopefully take over the new ERF Truck in 2005 (If it's still in one piece!) So the ERF might be stood up in 2004 while he's learning and I'll be a Team Manager looking after him while he's learning, giving a few tips, and a hard time along the way! Telling him to 'Take it steady! Don't forget to turn your water brakes on etc!'

Jessica's now got a pony, and is well on the way to competition readiness for show jumping. So, I can see half my spare time taking Jess to events with her horse, while keeping an eye on Ben's progress! And, after 25years in the Trucking Industry, trying to spend some quality time with my wife, after 22 years of marriage. In, maybe a year or two…..

Help me to decide, send me an Email with your thoughts….

See you in 2003!

Steve Horne.

(Truck Racer)

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