A sixth place finish was some consolation for Relssert Racing’s Neil Tressler in what transpired to be a gripping weekend of Pickup Truck Racing action at Lydden Hill International Racing Circuit (13-14 July).
After a ten-year absence, the Pickup Truck Racing Championship returned to Kent’s undulating Lydden Hill circuit for Rounds 12, 13 and 14 of its hotly contested 2013 season.
The sun-baked spectators were rewarded with a trio of calamitous races comprising of spectacular collisions and mechanical failures that heavily depleted the field.
Tressler’s Isuzu truck sustained extensive front-end damage after being caught up in a sizeable pile-up at in Round 12 – the first of three Pickup Truck Racing Championship encounters to be held at the charming Kent venue.
The Warwickshire-based racer had little time to react when he arrived at the scene of the incident, which began with spins for two of the leading contenders at Turn 1.
Broken wishbones, a bent chassis and significant cosmetic damage left Tressler with a substantial repair bill and a mammoth restoration job in the short interval between races.
However, several rolls of sticky tape and some elbow grease later and the Relssert Racing contender was back in the fray for the final two races of the weekend.
Tressler’s priority was to keep his nose clean thereafter. He wrestled his debilitated Isuzu truck home to tenth and sixth place finishes in Rounds 13 and 14 respectively, despite suffering a puncture in the latter.
“I am quite pleased to have taken two solid top ten finishes from what were races of attrition at Lydden Hill,” said Tressler. “The weekend promised so much for my Relssert Racing team, but I’m not convinced the circuit is suitable for Pickup Trucks, as we all spent more time sliding sideways than we did going forwards – it might look spectacular, but it was hard work!
“My truck undoubtedly came off worst in the crash during race one – I drove underneath the back wheels of one of my rivals so the damage was extensive. However, we got the sticky tape out, replaced the wishbones and some of the body panels and just concentrated on maintaining position in the second race. To get sixth in the final was amazing. The truck wasn’t handling correctly as we hadn’t had time to set the cambers, so I have to be pleased with what we achieved.”
The Pickup Truck Racing Championship’s next halt will be the Donington Park circuit on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border in approximately one month's time (17-18 August).
For all information regarding Neil’s racing activities, please like Relssert Racing's Facebook page or follow @RelssertRacing on Twitter.