For Michael Oliver’s breakthrough season in the British Truck Racing Championship (BTRC) saw him finish an eye-catching eighth overall, earning him the trophy for Best Rookie of the Year in the process.
The 26-year-old has been part of his family brand Team Oliver Racing for years as a mechanic, but followed in his father Stuart’s (53) illustrious footsteps when he got behind the wheel for the first time in 2016.
And it is clear that the racing talent follows in the Bardon Mill family, newcomer Michael taking to the track like a duck to water to make the competition sit up and listen. From the nine rounds of racing, he finished just off the podium in fourth spot on three occasions.
Michael said: “I always liked doing the mechanical side of it, but I always thought I’d eventually start driving, although not as soon as I did.
“My dad bought the truck about four years ago and raced in it for two, and a sponsor fancied a year’s driving after that.
“But the truck became free this year and it was just sat there without a driver, so I got my licence in February and raced for the first time in March.
“There was no grand master plan to it. It just all fell into place.”
And from the moment of getting behind the wheel for the opening round at Brands Hatch, Oliver jnr was hooked.
Among torrential downpours, the rest of the competition struggled with the conditions. As Michael said in his own words, “I was going so slow, everybody else was going off!” As a result, he qualified in eighth and ended up ninth overall after his first round of racing.
His performance earned him his first ever championship point and, from there, he never looked back as a barnstorming year saw him comfortably in the top 10.
Among the many highlights, including appearing at the world famous Nurburgring circuit, in Germany, was a fourth place finish at Coupe de France at the Le Mans course.
He said: “Me and my dad had a great laugh at Le Mans, and it was so laid back even though there were 56,000 spectators there. In the first race, I finished sixth overall but over in France they reverse the top six so I was on pole position starting the second race.
“There was a serious crash in the race before so our race was delayed for three hours, turning it into a night race. There haven’t been many truck races under the lights before, and you couldn’t hear the engine because of the people screaming, and it was just an amazing experience.”
After such an impressive debut season, big things are expected of Michael whose immediate goals are to steadily improve up the rankings.
Stuart, though, is more open to saying that his son will be challenging for the British crown within a number of years.
He said: “I can see it on the cards that he can achieve a lot in the sport, and I can see him move into the top three in the championship very soon.
“In fact, I can see him winning a championship, or more than one. When he has nine under his belt, I’ll start to get worried about him beating my record!
“Michael has had an incredible first year because truck racing is not easy. When you have 20, five-and-a-half tonnes vehicles doing 100mph it can very easily go wrong and you need to have your wits about you.”
With Michael breaking through to race alongside father Stuart, 2016 has been a year to remember for the Bardon Mill-based racing team.
Their teammate Shane Brereton has enjoyed a second racing season by finishing fifth, improving on his seventh position in his debut year in 2015.
Stuart finished the season as runner-up in the BTRC for the second year running. But he is determined to go one step further and make it 11 titles in total.
He said: “2017 is looking really good for all concerned within the team, and we are looking forward to the new season.
“We are a family team based at our family home, and we are really proud to put Hexham down as our home town on race entries across the UK and Europe. We feel we are flying the flag for the Tyne Valley in motorsports, and we are proud to have supporters across the world.
“I was unfortunate not to win the past two championships, but that is racing for you. With the improvements we are doing to the trucks, hopefully we can clinch the title again, whether myself or Michael.”
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