Big Guns Thunder Into Pembrey Circuit For This Weekend’s Convoy Cymru Truck Racing Festival

The British Truck Racing Championship heads to Pembrey Circuit this weekend (May 17-18) for the second instalment of the 2025 season, which coincides with Wales’ biggest and best truck show, Convoy Cymru.

One month on from serving up a spectacular season-opener at Brands Hatch, the titans of truck racing make their annual pilgrimage to Wales with many wondering who will be the drivers to beat in both Division 1 and Division 2.

Five blockbuster races will provide the answers to that question however the super-sized series is just one of many attractions that fans can enjoy over the course of the weekend at the Home of Welsh Motorsport.

Alongside two full-throttle days of racing, Convoy Cymru is poised to boast a glittery array of show trucks, monster truck shows and passenger rides, tractor pulling, a trade village, live music, fairground and much more.

All to play for in Division 1
The introduction of air restrictors for the top-three drivers this year has certainly closed up the field in Division 1 however nine-time champion Ryan Smith showcased why he is approaching a decade of dominance in the championship by digging deep and picking up three crucial wins.

Smith will be eager to build on that momentum in his Daimler Freightliner this weekend although as he found out at Brands Hatch, the competition is as fierce as ever this year - meaning that there is no margin for error.

Ten-time champion Stuart Oliver was the other winner last time out in his rebuilt Volvo VNL. He, along with his Team Oliver Racing stablemates Michael Oliver and Martin Gibson, have already shown that they have the potential to be serial front-runners.

Former champion David Jenkins may not have won at Brands Hatch but a number of podium finishes has meant that he is another driver to look out for. The MAN racer will be all guns blazing to stand on the top of the rostrum come Sunday evening.

Tom O’Rourke, David Smith and John Bowler were responsible for some standout performances during the opening weekend of the season and with a spring in their step, they’ll be hoping to go even better at Pembrey.

Virtue of his strong start at the annual Easter curtain-raiser, Bowler will join multiple champions Smith and Oliver in running an air restrictor on his MAN TGX throughout this coming weekend.

Hoping for better luck is 333 Motorsport who endured a rollercoaster opening round. Neil Yates came oh-so close to a maiden podium however mechanical gremlins scuppered Steven Powell’s chances of making an impact - something he’ll want to change immediately.

Elsewhere, Adam Bint will look to progress further with his brand-new Mercedes whilst John Powell will give a debut to his recently completed DAF. Completing the Division 1 entry is Richard Collett, who was an unfortunate absentee from the season-opener.

Experience versus exuberance for Division 2 honours
Division 2 looks to be just as strong as the premier class this year with a blend of new and old faces battling for supremacy; a theme that was there for everyone to see when the season blasted into life at Brands Hatch.

Debutant Jake Evans wasted no time in establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with as he charged to a pair of wins before last year’s runner-up Simon Cole reminded everyone of what he’s capable of by snaring a hat-trick of his own.

Both Evans and Coles are expected to be in the mix for silverware this weekend however they aren’t the only ones that will be looking to bolster their trophy cabinets.

WDE Motorsport’s Callum Eason was the epitome of consistency on his truck racing debut last time out and he, along with Finnish star Sami Ojanen, has the potential to compete for outright wins on a regular basis.

Another emerging star from Brands Hatch was Weaver Motorsport’s Bradley Harvey. Flashes of brilliance were balanced with misfortune so he’ll be hoping for a smoother run of things.

That will undoubtedly be the target for Graham Poole too as he looks to bounce back from a challenging debut which ended in him barrel-rolling down Paddock Hill Bend. Thankfully he walked away unharmed however it left his team with a mountain of work to carry out.

Scott Williams: ‘Truck racing’s a real eye-opener’
Scott Williams tested a racing truck at Pembrey Circuit a few years ago, and it turned the acclaimed 34-year old rugby player into a fan.

Williams also runs his own highly successful Scott Williams Motorsport rally preparations and fabrication business, and whilst trucks are the polar opposite to the light and nimble rallying Escorts that he is more accustomed to driving, the WRU ace certainly enjoyed being a fast trucker and has kept a close eye on truck racing ever since.

“It was a real eye-opener driving a racing truck – the speed and the handling were incredible – but most impressive of all was when I came down to Pembrey to watch them race,” says Williams.

“You have twenty trucks weighing five tonnes each racing at speeds of up to 100mph on the track together at the same time and the racing is brilliant. 

“The Convoy Cymru Truck Racing Festival at Pembrey is great. It’s a really big family day out. There is so much going on for both kinds and adults to enjoy and I’ll be down at Pembrey again in May for the race weekend with the family.” 

This weekend at Pembrey
There are two full days of entertainment at Pembrey Circuit this Saturday and Sunday, with five British Truck Racing Championship races, three 2CV Racing Club Championship races (including a 90 minute endurance race), MG Owners Club races and action from the Classic Saloon Racing Club featuring Thunder, BOSS, Pre-93, Pre-03, Pre-83 and Pre-66 cars. 

There will also be a Monster Truck Show, Monster Truck Rides, Tractor Pulling demonstrations, a race simulator, food village, funfair, trade stands and live music!