MV Truck Racing Charges Through the Field at Donington

From a tough, penalty-hit Saturday to a storming Sunday charge through the field, Tom O’Rourke and MV Truck Racing delivered a determined fightback at Convoy in the Park – before a dramatic final race was abandoned without an official result.

The British Truck Racing Championship returned to Donington Park on 8 and 9 August for rounds 21 to 25 of the 2026 season, with five races scheduled across two days in front of a huge Convoy crowd.

It was a weekend of two very different halves for O’Rourke and the #86 International Navistar. Saturday left the team with plenty of work to do, but when Sunday arrived Tom went on the attack, carving his way back through the Division 1 field and earning a front-row start for the abandoned finale.

Saturday: #86 Searches for Pace

Under bright skies on Saturday morning, the roar of the British Truck Racing Championship returned to the 1.979-mile Donington Park National Circuit. Tom pushed #86 to a best qualifying time of 1:28.578.

The lap placed #86 11th overall and 11th in Division 1, just 2.466 seconds away from pole position. Tom also had one lap time removed for exceeding track limits during the session, setting the tone for what would become a frustrating opening day.

When the lights went out for race one, Tom launched from 11th and immediately began finding more speed from the Navistar. His best lap of 1:27.038 was more than 1.5 seconds quicker than his qualifying time and showed that the pace was beginning to come alive.

However, repeated track-limit infringements brought a combined 15 seconds of time penalties. After completing nine of the scheduled 11 laps, Tom was classified 16th overall and tenth in Division 1.

There was another chance to fight back in race two, with Tom once again lining up 11th. He completed all 11 laps and wrestled the Navistar home in the same position, setting a best time of 1:27.491.

Further track-limit penalties added another 15 seconds to his race time. It was a frustrating end to Saturday, but the speed was there – and the #86 team knew there was more to come on Sunday.

Sunday Charge: Nine Places Gained

Sunday brought a fresh opportunity, and MV Truck Racing came out fighting. From the moment the race began, Tom was on the attack and produced one of the standout recovery drives of the weekend.

Starting race three from 16th on the grid, Tom charged through the pack, picking off nine positions on his way to seventh overall and seventh in Division 1.

It was one of the biggest gains made by any Division 1 driver in the race and a brilliant display of controlled aggression, pace and determination from the man behind the wheel of #86.

That charge was anything but straightforward. Tom became locked in a brilliant battle with Nathan Smith, with the two trucks running incredibly close as they fought their way up the order.

Smith piled on the pressure, but Tom refused to give an inch and held him off all the way to the chequered flag, taking seventh by just 0.198 seconds.

It was exactly the kind of close, hard-fought racing that makes the British Truck Racing Championship so entertaining – two huge race trucks competing flat out, with the result in doubt right to the line.

There was no slowing down in race four. Starting 11th, Tom again pushed forward through the Division 1 order and crossed the line eighth after 11 hard-fought laps.

A best time of 1:27.405 kept him right in the thick of the action and secured another valuable finish before the weekend’s final race.

Sunday’s second race produced another fantastic contest, this time against Neil Yates. Tom and Yates raced nose-to-tail as they battled over eighth place, with the MAN filling the mirrors of the #86 Navistar and keeping the pressure on through the closing stages.

Tom stayed composed, placed the truck exactly where it needed to be and won the fight to the line by only 0.371 seconds.

It was another hugely enjoyable and fiercely contested battle that had plenty for the Donington crowd to get excited about.

For the MV Truck Racing mechanics, led by former British and European truck racing champion Steve Horne, the Sunday fightback was a reward for the relentless work happening behind the scenes.

The crew kept #86 competitive through a punishing weekend programme and refused to let Saturday’s setbacks define the event.

Front-Row Drama in an Abandoned Finale

Tom’s charge to seventh in race three paid off in a big way, earning him a front-row starting position for the reversed-grid finale. With Nathan Smith alongside him, #86 was perfectly placed for one last attack.

Then came instant drama.

As the field thundered towards Redgate, Tom, Stuart Oliver, Simon Reid and championship leader David Jenkins became caught up in an incident. The red flags were thrown and the field returned to the grid, with #86 still in contention as the tension built for a restart.

The trucks were unleashed again, but the action was brought to another abrupt halt when Simon Reid found the tyre barrier and rolled his machine. A second red flag ended any prospect of the race continuing.

Crucially, the race was not completed and no official classification was issued. Although initial reports suggested that Tom had finished second, the result did not stand and must not be recorded as a P2 or podium finish for MV Truck Racing.

Race five therefore contributed no official result or championship points.

Even so, fighting all the way from a difficult Saturday to the front row of Sunday’s finale demonstrated the pace, resilience and never-say-die attitude running throughout the #86 team.

Full-Throttle Action Away From the Circuit

The racing was only part of an action-packed weekend for MV Commercial at Convoy in the Park, with plenty happening around the team’s display throughout the event.

Flat Out Flat Broke returned to the MV Commercial display and swapped horsepower for hydraulic power as he put his skills to the test on the HTF Lorry Loader Challenge, taking on the crane course in front of the Donington crowd.

Trucker Tim also joined the team for a special appearance, climbing behind the wheel of the MV Commercial pace truck and leading the thundering race machines around the Donington circuit.

The activation brought together MV Commercial’s specialist truck expertise, the Fruehauf brand and the excitement of British truck racing in front of one of the championship’s biggest audiences.

Alongside the influencer appearances, visitors were able to meet the MV team and get close to a selection of specialist trucks, trailers and crane units throughout the weekend.

A Fightback That Showed the Spirit of #86

Donington was a weekend that showed exactly what MV Truck Racing is made of.

Saturday’s penalties could easily have knocked the team back, but Tom and the #86 crew answered in the best possible way: a sensational nine-place charge, another top-eight result and a front-row start for one of the most dramatic races of the season.

The abandoned finale may have produced no result, but the International Navistar once again showed its ability to battle through the field and run near the front.

MV Truck Racing leaves Convoy in the Park fired up, full of confidence and ready to carry the fight into the next race weekend.

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