MV Truck Racing Report – Brands Hatch: A Thunderous Start to the 2025 Season

With the roar of last season’s triumphs still echoing in our memories, Team MV Truck Racing rolled into Brands Hatch under blazing blue skies, hungry for more. The Navistar gleamed like a warrior reborn  -  draped in brilliant white and crimson red, the proud Saltire emblazoned across her grille. She was ready for battle. Or so we thought.

As the sun cast molten light across her polished bodywork and she thundered aaround the track on Friday’s testing session, disaster struck.

Just days after a promising pre - season testing at Pembrey, the gremlins returned. Engine trouble. Again. What we thought was fixed had only given way to a nastier surprise. A dead engine. With precious hours before the first race, we were faced with a brutal choice: admit defeat and pack it in, or do the impossible—an overnight engine transplant, trackside.

You already know which one we chose.

With the clock ticking like a timebomb, our team sprang into action. Tools flew. The spare engine was rushed in. The Navistar’s cab design made the job harder than ever—swapping out an engine on a bonneted truck isn’t a job for the faint - hearted. Add in the fact the spare engine was never meant to race at Brands Hatch and would need hundreds of wires, cables and connectors redone, and the challenge became monumental.

But then came the cavalry. Fellow racers, rivals even, pitched in. Wrenches turned. Wiring was stripped and rerouted. Pipes, bolts, sensors, connectors—everything was a blur of motion and focus. In the MV Truck Racing tent and under the cold glare of floodlights and into the early morning hours, the Navistar was reborn. Given a second chance at life. At victory.

Unproven.

Unshaken.

Unstoppable?

No time for a test. No warmup lap. Just raw nerve and trust.

Trust in the truck.

Trust in Tom.

Trust in the team.

Here we go. It is Saturday’s qualification race. The grid is tense. The crowds on MV’s hospitality stand cheer themselves hoarse to be heard over the gathered throng.  Engines grumble and growl. Tom Buckle grips the wheel. His only weapon: an untested engine and unshakable belief.

Would it work? Would it last?

Green lights. Thunder. The Navistar surges forward.

Fifteen white - knuckle minutes later, and Tom isn’t just holding his own—he’s hunting. Lap times dropping, confidence rising. He crosses the line with a best lap a mere 1.3 seconds behind Ryan Smith. Against all odds, the beast was alive—and hungry.

The remaining Saturday races saw the Navistar charge through the field. Tom was relentless, climbing positions, lap after lap. Something special was building. The air was electric. The impossible felt within reach.

And suddenly it is Sunday. The big day. The day which draws the biggest crowds and the hottest action. The track is dry, the stakes sky - high. Tom rolls onto the grid beside Martin Gibson, the sun glinting off their visors like sabers before a duel.

This wasn’t just a race - it was a reckoning.

For 14 brutal minutes, three titans - Tom, Martin Gibson, and Ryan Smith – fought for positions with surgical precision and raw aggression. Less than a second separated them. Then the call came through: Ryan was just hit with a 5 - second penalty. The battlefield tilted.

Tom made his move. Letting Ryan pass, his eyes locked on Martin. Two machines, neck and neck, launching into the final straight like 1400bhp monsters eating up the track. The crowd held its breath.

Tom edges the Navistar’ nose forward.

The chequered flag comes down.

Tom is 0.365 seconds ahead.

Victory!

The paddock erupted. Fists in the air. Cheers. Relief. Glory.

Until the cruel twist – the penalty is cruelly rescinded in the middle of the autograph session. Ryan takes the top spot back.

But no one could take that moment from us. The fire was lit. Tom had tasted blood, and the hunger will only grow fiercer.

Next Stop: Pembrey. Tom’s favourite turf. His hunting ground. Wet, wild, and unforgiving. The place where legends are forged in mud and madness. With momentum building and belief surging, the question is no longer "can we?", it’s "who can stop us?"

With 20 trucks in the championship and a grid stacked with talent, the 2025 season is shaping up to be a heavyweight bout every weekend. Limiters have been introduced for last season’s frontrunners, but the action has only intensified. Stuart Oliver, Ryan Smith, and now Tom Buckle are trading podiums like haymakers.

But MV Truck Racing has more in the locker. Just you wait. We’ll have a full set of silverware soon.

A thunderous thank - you to our incredible sponsors, friends, and fans who stood with us through every twist, wrench, and chequered flag. You made this weekend unforgettable.

The story has only just begun.

See you at Pembrey.