TRUCK RACING
Truck & Driver Summer 2019^95
Ryan Smith leads the charge in the Pembrey sunshineDivision One
As they had done at Brands
Hatch at the start of the season,
the battling duo of Ryan Smith
and Dave Jenkins reigned
supreme in the category’s top
tier. Smith, however, got the
better of the results as he scored
victory in three of the four races
in front of a bumper trackside
crowd in South Wales.
Entering the weekend tied on
points at the summit of the
standings, little separated
Jenkins and Smith in what
proved to be an ultra-competitive
qualifying session. Powering to
the top of the times early on,
Jenkins notched his second
successive pole position of the
season, finishing ahead of Smith
while the returning Simon Reid
completed the top three.Jenkins was unable to convert
his front row start into victory in
the first encounter, however, as
he found himself in the thick of
the action on the opening lap.
Dropping to the rear of the field,
the former champion was forced
to dig deep and salvage a fourth
place finish.
As Jenkins struggled,
three-time champion Smith
underlined his credentials with a
superlative performance out front
to make his escape and record
an untroubled victory. Behind,
John Newell and Mark Taylor
rounded out the podium.
Basking in the spring
sunshine, Jenkins bounced back
from his travails the day before to
ascend the podium and notch his
second win of the campaign in
race two. Drama ensued
immediately as the grid headed
into the first corner with Newell
and Taylor making contact.
While the order was shaken
up by the incident, Jenkins and
Smith emerged unscathed and
began to stretch their legs out
front. Try as he might, the current
title holder was unable to find a
way past Jenkins and
would ultimately hold
station to finish secondLong-time Foden driver John Bowler debuted his Daf LFSimon Cole in hot pursuit of Brad Smith