A while ago, we talked about how performance propshafts are a vital component within all racing vehicles, and that got us thinking about truck racing. Loads of people are well up on their racing lore when it comes to sleek and stylised F1 cars, but far fewer take much of an interest in the world of truck racing. That’s a real shame, so seeing as we regularly carry out propshaft repairs for trucks and the like, we thought that we’d take a brief look at this rather forgotten pastime…
Truck racing actually goes back all the way to 1970s America, when it first began to gain popularity in the wake of truck racing scenes in many movies. Pretty soon though, the rest of the world caught on and decided that the States was on to something good, and so it became a genuinely global sport.
Truck Racing Rules and Regulations
Regulated
We think that part of the problem with truck racing is a lack of publicity. Sure, you’ll get shows like Top Gear occasionally running the odd silly truck race, but that doesn’t exactly display that truck racing is a ‘real sport’ with a professional organisation behind it. The British Truck Racing Association has been on the go since 1984, and all of the races feature truck drivers with full racing licenses, so the haphazard antics of Jeremy Clarkson and company don’t quite do the reality justice!
In terms of the trucks, the first racing trucks were literally just standard models press ganged into service, but in the last 20 years that’s changed. Don’t get us wrong, customised trucks are a big thing in many circles, but in terms of professional truck racing the specifications are very tight indeed. For example, speed limits can’t normally exceed 100mph, and, even in cases where exceptions are made, trucks have to stick to divisions where all vehicles are well-matched in terms of capabilities.
Hopefully, you’ll now have more of a sense about just how truck racing tends to go on in society, and you can rest assured that performance propshafts are absolutely essential when keeping a 5000kg lorry on a track at speed! For most of us though, driving is a less adrenaline-fuelled necessity, but even so you’ll still need to ensure that your prop and driveshafts are properly maintained. For further information, contact us today by calling 01524 382262 or email info@propshaftrepairs.com.
