New European challenge for Huthwaite’s Taylor truck racing team

The team with their ace racer 36-year-old Mark Taylor will challenge all nine rounds of this prestigious FIA Championship that stretches across most of Europe during the season.

It’s the biggest, most imposing racing series in the world, the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship is a truly unique motor sport spectacle and the pinnacle of global truck racing with the most professional teams and drivers competing in a pan-European series.

This season there are nine rounds to contend, the most in the series history with the extra round in Pozan, Poland.

They will take in World class circuits that have hosted many FIA Formula One races such as Hungaroring in Hungary, Nürburgring, Germany and Zolder in Belgium. In September the team will travel to Le Mans in France home of the famous Le Mans 24 hours.

Taylor said: I’m thoroughly looking forward to a new challenge in the European Championship.

“It will be a learning curve for me but putting to use my experience from my years in the British Championship.

“It was the right time to move up a league - there will be new circuits to race on and are looking forward to our fans following us now that we are in this new series.

“New challenges in anything are good but in motorsport it's exceptional with so much to learn, I can’t wait to get out there.

“I’m sure that our fans will miss us in the British Championship, but will be able to follow us live around Europe in the new championship and see how we get on and still be there with that support the team love.”

The team have also had a new racing truck built since the end of last season where they finished the British Truck Racing Championship in fifth place.

The new truck, a highly modified M.A.N TGX purchased from European Champion Sasha Lenz and re-built is like Taylor’s previous British Championship racing machine and ready to go sporting an exciting brand-new Taylor’s Trucksport Racing livery for the 2023 season and for Europe.

Weighing in at around 5.5 tonnes, with 1,100bhp and a top speed of 160 km/h the truck is a breast. The six-cylinder 12000cc race tuned engine delivers power through a 16-speed manual gearbox with a locked rear differential, special race tuned tyres and water-cooled brakes.

Taylor is no stranger to truck racing with the last five years under his belt in the British Championship, before that he had never raced.

Using his experience from the UK rounds things will still be a steep learning curve with new race circuits, more experienced competitors and new rules and regulations for racing in an FIA championship in Europe.

Taylor’s track record usually sees him finish the season in the top end of the championship points, he began truck racing at the end of the 2018 season and finished the 2019 season fourth overall, fifth in 2021 and fifth again in 2022.

The whole team have been working tirelessly and tight lipped since the end of last year on the new venture and are just as excited, this has involved planning a lot of the work in Europe and planning their busy five-month race season across Europe.

There will be a lot of work for the team this season, working in Europe as well as back home.

They have planned a return to racing in the UK for mid-August in between a busy European calendar for their fans in the popular Convoy in The Park at their local circuit, Donington Park contending in the International Truck Prix, featuring nine truck races over the weekend, the usual five from the British championship and will see Taylor’s in action for the four international events.

The team are now concentrating on a three-day test in mid-April at Autodrom Most Circuit in Czech Republic and the first round of the season kicks off at Marco Simoncelli World Circuit, Misano, Italy on 20th and 21st May.