Top 10 finish double on European Championship debut for Huthwaite truck race ace Mark Taylor

The Huthwaite-based team with their 36-year-old driver, Mark Taylor were well pleased with their performance at Marco Simoncelli World Circuit, Misano, Italy, that kicked their busy season off truck racing across Europe.

Driver Taylor and son of team boss Alan Taylor, the managing director of Taylor’s Transport Group said “The weekend has been fantastic for me and the team.

“I found it a learning curve getting used to a new truck, new racing and new circuits but by the ending of the last race was getting better and faster. We are thoroughly looking forward now to the next round in Slovakia, we have come away from Misano with some point and hope to carry on where we left off.”

With a new championship, new truck, new circuit and new challenges the whole team did a sterling job over the weekend, that saw them leave Italy, buzzing for the next round in Slovakia.

The qualifying session was wet but Taylor was flying and saw him finish in seventh spot and take a place in the Super Pole that followed straight afterwards that saw the top 10 placed fight it out for pole position.

But Race One saw one of the steering components fail, Taylor managing to control the truck and get it to a safe point on track.

At the end of the race the team had one hour to fix the problem, Taylor out on track just three minutes before the pit lane gates were closed.

The team started at the back of the grid due to not finishing race one, Taylor battled his way through the rain and traffic in a terrific race to see him take the chequered flag in ninth.

In warmer conditions the next day, Taylor lined up on the grid in 11th spot and by lap three Taylor was 10th, showing his ability to keep up with the leading pack and finished 11th.

The final race saw Taylor line up in 11th place, by the end of lap one Taylor was in P10 and by lap three was in eighth. Taylor remained there until a mistake on lap seven saw space for Sascha Lenz to get ahead and a lap later Clemens Hecker slip past and have to settle for a 10th spot across the line.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​