With the extra customs, and laborious additional paperwork now required following Brexit the advanced party left the yard in Kent Wednesday lunchtime and headed to the “inland customs facility” and waited – full of enthusiasm and totally clue-less about what to do next ! A man in the office took our paperwork away and said he’d text us. We waited, all three trucks, the “JH Haulage” Unit and John with no 41 on our trailer, the “Povey Transport” Unit and Martin, with no 40 on our trailer, and the 7.5 tonne support truck with Colin and Toby along with three other team members Sam, Archie and Guy – waiting! A text, at last, after almost 2 hours, but what now ? We were free !… and off to Dover, to queue for the ferry – we “brits” do love a good queue! Safely over the channel and into France (yes, they did let us in, surprising I know, even Guy!) and to French customs for another “queuing” opportunity, in the rain, we proudly presented our precious documents. The documents were stamped (again) and thrust back into our soggy mitts with a wild gesture and the single word “go” – we needed no other instruction! We left the compound, along with John Powells team (who were on the same ferry crossing), after barely 10 minutes and in “convoy” headed southwest to Le Mans, 3 race trucks, 2 teams, ….for 7 hours of driving.
Best not to mention Rouen, save to say if you were there “you know” and if you’ve even been to Rouen then you probably still know ! |It’s a little like Dr Who’s Tardis, it looks simple enough looking at it from the outside, but once you’re in, you’re in, and getting out requires more “double sixes” than we had to hand!
With the statutory break needed by the professional drivers, we pulled up into the Le Mans circuit shortly after 7 am on the Thursday morning….and went to sleep. For those that know the team well our 7.5 tonne support truck has 5 beds in the back, and the two tractor units that we borrow from our sponsors (THANK YOU JH Haulage and Povey Transport) have beds too.
We had barely one hours sleep before being woken up – apparently, we’d parked in the wrong place – really? It’s what our map said, oh right the map was wrong – and that’s somehow “our“ fault. So, wake up, put our stuff away and start driving … again. This time right in through the front gates of Le Mans circuit, and straight into the paddock – which had opened at 9 in any case, and so day 2 began…or really the second half of day one!
On the Thursday we set up “camp” for the event, prior to the remaining team members arriving on the Thursday afternoon ahead of testing on the Friday.
Testing was productive, with a few minor issues being ironed out on both trucks, and some “experimentation” with suspension settings undertaken to improve the handling. No 41 “Frankie” was looking strong, with both trucks being deemed race-ready by their respective drivers – Archie and Simon.
The format of the meeting was a little different, as the British championship was taking on the European “schedule” for the weekend with a warmup, then qualifying, race 1, (reverse grid) race 2 and then rinse and repeat for Sunday. An all Truck weekend, the FIA European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC), the British Truck Racing Championship (BTRC) and the French national Truck racing championship too, plus a huge “show and shine” event and truck and accessory exhibition – 50 to 60 top notch race trucks heading onto the infamous Le Mans track – including a night race in the French series followed by fireworks.
Qualifying on Saturday went as we’d expected, with 41 turning in some excellent lap times against a slightly increased field of Division 2 competitors, and the ageing no 40 giving the opportunity for Archie to get in some valuable track time on this iconic circuit.
As to the races, both trucks performed admirably, with “Frankie” our Iveco handling better than ever before, following a year of “nip and tuck” development work, and Simon bringing her home for a 3rd and a 2nd place finish on Saturday and getting to stand on the infamous Le Mans podium – what a result! Archie had so much fun entertaining the highly appreciative crowd in the uncompetitive Volvo, his sideways style generating rounds of applause at every corner, as his lap times tumbled down relentlessly over the course of the day.
Personally, having had about 14 hours sleep in 4 days, it was all a bit of a blur, with the true significance of the occasion only really “sinking in” when watching the “live stream” on repeat a week later from a comfy armchair at home!!! (I can legitimately blame “the French” for my lack of sleep in part – having had a few beers with the French no 42 truck team on the Friday night – great lads!)
A few adjustments were made here and there with suspension settings, water pressures and tyre pressures between the Saturday and Sunday, with a few sets of tyres being used up on the front along with a new set of brake discs and pads.
Sunday started at dawn with the warmup and a further qualifying, then 2 more races on the iconic track. The slightly increased field of division 2 drivers pushed Simon off the podium on the Sunday with two 4th places and two 5th places for Archie, however as these drivers were not competing in the championship, even though they took the trophies, they didn’t take the championship points. So, while 4th and 5th on the day, the championship points recorded were those for 2nd and 3rd places. So, Cole Truck Sport (CTS) left Le Mans, with one meeting left, as 2nd and 3rd in Division 2 of the BTRC…. And of course, the silverware from Saturday with Simons 2nd and 3rd place trophies.
Then the journey home began, and another missed night’s sleep … but what a weekend. Thank you to all the knowledgeable spectators who came to see the racing and who came to meet us in the paddock,
An excellent result for the team, with no significant damage or mechanical defects to either truck. While we were at the track, the very friendly and knowledgeable FIA ETRC teams shared some of their vast experiences and engineering tips with us (THANK YOU Stephanie Halm and Norbert Kiss) and we hope to have a significantly improved “Frankie” at the next meeting and season finale at Brands Hatch… so watch this space….
Numerically we can’t lose 2nd in the championship … but we could win it still ……. and Archie could come 3rd in his debut season….EVERYTHING still to fight for…
See you at Brands Hatch for the fireworks and “Think Pink” ; November 2nd and 3rd – we suggest you buy your tickets ASAP – it’s the only event on the Brands Hatch calendar that sells out….
THANK YOU to ALL our wonderful sponsors; to the businesses who help us out in kind, or with cash (although we accept cheques too of course!), we could NOT do this without you ALL – no matter how big or small your help – this team of family and friends could not do this without YOU. YOU made it possible for Simon, and now Archie, and put father and son on the track as much as the rest of this family and friends based team. THANK YOU. (but we always need more help of course).
Come and see us all, cheer on Archie and Simon and “THINK PINK” at the Circuit if you can – we are always happy to chat and show you our race trucks – unless we are repairing them of course, in which case best to give us some space to work safely.
If you cannot visit the track, then remember to check out the “BARC” live feed on YouTube – or of course on “catch up” later.
CTS#41 and CTS#40; Simon, Archie, John, Conner, John, Colin, Sam, Toby, Martin & Guy
This text really captures the chaos and humor of post-Brexit logistics! I can’t believe how much time was spent waiting and queuing—it’s almost comical. The way you describe the customs process, especially the “wild gesture” and the word “go,” made me laugh. It’s impressive how the team kept their spirits up despite the delays and rain. I’m curious, though, what was the most unexpected challenge you faced during this journey? Also, how do you manage to stay so positive in such frustrating situations? I’d love to hear more about the teamwork and how everyone kept each other motivated. And Rouen—what’s the story there? It sounds like it deserves its own chapter!
Hi – I’m Colin!
Sorry for the delay in replying to you – but we were racing a Pembrey over last weekend and having had four days away it’s taking a little time to catch up!
Thank you for your kind comments and your appreciation of my odd humor !
We will certainly “do” Le Mans differently this year, but it is further complicated by being the weekend immediately following the Snetterton race meeting – so some of the team are considering going straight from “Snet” to Le Mans – and some of us have proper jobs……
It’s a great hobby, as that’s what it is for us, with the Team being “bank rolled” by Simon and Archie and any “cash” jobs that we can do in between “fettling” the race trucks!
For us we are naturally motivated, or we just wouldn’t do it, every Saturday and 8 weekends away (the team leave Thursday before a meeting) equate to around 2½ months a year spent racing.
The most “unexpected” thing? Well, we always try to get away early – so after the penultimate race we repair and prep the tucks for the last race and immediately start packing away. Usually, we are packed up by the time the race trucks hit the track for the last race. Especially at Le Mans we were on the ball due to the long journey home so we were done and away fast – until the main gate, where we were stopped for over 2 hours – so the spectators could leave. Like 3 trucks really made a difference to traffic congestion given the 1,000’s of cars !!!! At Calais we missed the last boat by minutes and had to wait hours for the first on Monday morning!
This may make you giggle! So, two artic trucks and a 7.5-ton box truck (usually I drive that) at Callais in the queue for the ferry. Two people in each Artic and 3 in the box truck, but here you need to remember that on the rear end of the box truck, it’s a “box truck”, but the first part of the body actually as 5 beds in it. So, because of the wait 3 of the team had jumped into the back of the 7.5 to sleep.
Then we got called to load – as the truck is short (compared to artics) we were called up first and the security / loader pulled us out of the middle of the line with virtually no warning – I was literally the first on the ship…. but the others were asleep in the back! So, we parked on the ship and given the current “immigration” issues it then looked like 3 people jumped out of the side of the truck and literally ran away – or be it half asleep – actually they were heading to the restaurant from breakfast and not illegal migrants!
I need to add some pics from Pembrey and a write up on that – but the year is looking good for Si, but not so much for Archie as he really needs a different engine – if you know any way to get “Volvo” bits then let me know (liners, gaskets etc), or a MAN rear axle !
So far Si has got 4 pole positions (out of 4), I think 3 fastest laps, 6 first Places, 1 second place, 2 dnf’s (Gearbox selection failure, suspension failure) and a “not placed” (rear damage repaired in the pits but lost too much time – 3 laps down) out of 2 meetings (10 races).
Colin (CTS#41)
This post truly captures the chaotic yet adventurous spirit of post-Brexit logistics! It’s fascinating how a simple journey can turn into such a saga of paperwork, queues, and unexpected twists. I can’t help but laugh at the quintessentially British humor about queues and the French customs experience. The resilience of the team, especially through Rouen (which clearly deserves its own book), is commendable. The camaraderie between the drivers and support crew really shines through, making it feel like a shared mission rather than just a job. And the nod to JH Haulage and Povey Transport is a nice touch – sponsors like them make such efforts possible. But I have to ask: with all these challenges, would you do it all again, or has Brexit permanently changed how you approach these trips?
Hi – I’m Colin!
Sorry for the delay in replying to you – but we were racing a Pembrey over last weekend and having had four days away it’s taking a little time to catch up!
Thank you for your kind comments and your appreciation of my odd humor !
We will certainly “do” Le Mans differently this year, but it is further complicated by being the weekend immediately following the Snetterton race meeting – so some of the team are considering going straight from “Snet” to Le Mans – and some of us have proper jobs……
So far Si has got 4 pole positions (out of 4), I think 3 fastest laps, 6 first Places, 1 second place, 2 dnf’s (Gearbox selection failure, suspension failure) and a “not placed” (rear damage repaired in the pits but lost too much time – 3 laps down) out of 2 meetings (10 races).
Colin (CTS#41)