STEVE HORNE

BRITISH TRUCK RACER

2002 TRACK BATTLES

Back at the end of the 2001 Season, last Christmas, I decided my White Race Truck was already outdated for winning the Championship, in future years, and without major change we would only go downhill from there on. Anyway, after much debate, we decided to carry on with our faithful American Volvo White for another year, aiming to try and improve the rear suspension, improve the braking and handling, plus reduce the weight of the truck, and think about a new Truck for 2003.

We finished 2nd in the 2001 Championship, and hoped to maintain that position in 2002, but deep down I think we all thought that was a tall order, and would have to wait until early in the Season to see how it would all pan out.

The truck went down to Ernie's at Chertsey to have the rear axle removed and refitted onto new suspension, and to generally go on a diet to try and bring the overall weight down. She came back to me at Enstone around March, with a greatly improved rear end, and about 200kgs lighter overall - but still weighing in at 6,250kgs - against Mr. Oliver and Mr. Garrett at 5,800kgs - and on drum brakes, compared to their discs. I was already getting depressed, as I knew I didn't really have a chance.

While Ben, Roger, Gary and Ernie finished her off ready for the 1st meeting at Pembrey in April, I wasn't really getting revved up for the new Season like normal, and I think the boys thought I'd lost interest. They prepared the truck first class as always, but I didn't have my normal enthusiasm to add to their work. Instead, all the time I was thinking of how to find the solution to our pace on the track. Sure enough the improvements that had been made over the winter would increase lap times, but I was looking for a major advantage over my opposition, and, as any past champion will say - getting 2nd is good - but winning is what is important! My wife teases me and tells me it's only a hobby, sometimes I agree with her, but in my heart, my competitive spirit keeps eating away at me!

Every time I could find some thinking time, I was trying to think it through. Engine power!! Weight distribution!! Stopping the 6T thing!! Handling!!, etc., etc. I decided that engine power is the first thing required in the quest to create a new Race Truck for the 2003 Season, so would make this my first priority.

All the above was going on during March 2002, before the Season had even started. I'd put my sights on the following year to start making real improvements on our pace on the track. I remembered Ben had gone with team Oliver last year to Misano, in Italy, to a very hot Race Meeting, to be assistant mechanic, as their guest, and a bit of a learning curve. A certain foreign Race Driver held his 40th birthday party in the paddock where Ben just happened to gatecrash late on the Saturday night, and well into the early hours of Sunday, where he'd made friends with a group of foreign speaking truck mechanics - mainly communicating in sign language! He'd picked up their
Team's business card on his PR mission, and gave it to me last year to keep safe, in case we ever wanted to contact them….

Well, now I did! And do you think I could find that bloody card? Two days I searched my office, high and low, and eventually found it had fallen through my top drawer, and was behind my desk, hiding!

To explain a little further, this team had run a Detroit engine, similar to ours, last Season in Europe, but it was highly advanced in comparison to the unit that we were racing. I'd also heard on the grapevine that they had gone onto a different manufacturer's engine for the coming Season, and so I wondered what they might be doing with their old engine…

I punched the number into my phone with a spring in my finger, direct to the Eastern Block country. I had a name, but would anybody who answered the phone speak English? Or even understand what I wanted? Ah well, fingers crossed. Let's go for it!

A week later, I received a return call from their Team Manager, who informed me that the engine was for sale, and it depended on what package I required them to supply, to what the price would be!! He left me to decide what I wanted, and then he would give me a price, although I did get the hint that whatever I wanted, would not be cheap! Getting somewhere at last, I thought to myself!

Anyway, it was time to go to Pembrey in deepest Wales, for the first meeting of the Season, and see if we could improve on last year's times. An unlucky 4th and a 3rd came my way. We had improved our times by some two and a half seconds a lap on last year, but even so, Stuart and Ross were quicker by the same, if not a bit more…

After Pembrey, I started negotiating to purchase my new engine via E-mail, and I can tell you it wasn't cheap! Can't wait to get my hands on it, to see how fast it is!! Meanwhile, Ben's doing more mods on the old girl - still trying to improve, if only to stand still.

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