The gripping finale of the 2021 British Truck Racing Championship (BTRC) saw Giti Tire’s Martin Gibson secure a hard-fought third place in the final overall standings ending a decisive season of highs for Gibson.
Gibson Ends on a High
Heading to a Brands Hatch capacity crowd in second place, Gibson secured fourth, second, fifth and third over the first four races, the last of which was shortened due to a red flag stoppage as he was making his way through the field. With all top three positions still up for grabs entering the last race, he was squeezed between a number of trucks heading into the Paddock Hill bend and a catastrophic hit resulted in him having to retire to the pit lane.
Ryan Smith of Smith Truck Sport won the Championship with 390 points, while David Jenkins of Jenkins Motorsport Developments finished second with 380 points and Gibson in third amassing 350 points, in a closely fought battle.
Tough Competition for Oliver
Stuart Oliver, Gibson’s Giti Motorsport partner suffered another frustrating weekend when his truck developed a major engine fault in race one which brought his season to an end.
Gibson, Giti Tire’s Manager – EU Testing Centre and Motorsport UK, said: “The season has been fought over 35 races across seven weekends, so to finish in third place, with all the highs-and-lows, is an amazing feeling. The one constant has been the Giti Race-Tuned v1, we achieved wins in both wet and dry conditions across tracks which all create their own challenges for the tyre, so it’s a true demonstration of its excellent performance capabilities. Most importantly thanks to everyone for their passion and support throughout the year.”
This year marked the first full season for Gibson to drive his fully race-prepared and Giti-liveried MAN TGX 18.480, which employs a 12.9 litre D26 engine capable producing 1,000BHP although limited to 160KPH. The truck, along with Oliver’s, raced on Giti Race-Tuned v1 global competition truck tyres in size 315/70R22.5.
