4 minute read
MEET THE TRUCKIE
MEET THE TEAM TRUCKIE
The driving, the kit, loading and logistics involved in making sure Team BRIT’s four cars, equipment, and technology is where it’s meant to be at any given time in the racing calendar can’t be underestimated. We caught up with our truckie, Rob Willshire, to find out how it’s done.
Motorsport engineer Rob joined Team BRIT earlier this year – and his logistical, mechanical and motorsport expertise have proven invaluable.
“I’ve been in and around motorsport all my life: my dad and my uncle were involved in the sport, and it was something I grew up as a kid surrounded by, I was never far away from karts, cars, bikes, anything with wheels really.
“I was in the military for 12 years between 1976 and 1988 but that passion never left me and I got involved in rallying through the British Army Motoring Association, which gives members of the Army the chance to take part in motorsport.”
ALL FORMS OF THE SPORT
“It wasn’t just rallying that piqued my interest, I was into everything: superkarts, touring cars, Formula One, Formula 3000… I was mechanic to John Cleland when he won the British Touring Car Championship in 1989.”
The early 1990s saw Rob join Formula One teams Tyrell Racing and Jordan Grand Prix, as well as supporting Paul Stewart – Jackie Stewart’s son – in Formula 3000.
He then put his motorsport career on hold for a time, taking up the chance to work for the Government on international aid and relief programmes in the middle of the decade. He remained firm friends with the community, though, and often found himself willingly roped into “co-driving in rallies, some fun in superkarts, a bit of saloon racing – the motorsport bug never left me.”
A WORLD OF DATA
In the mid-1990s, Rob and colleagues merged their companies to found RG Racing, now the primary UK agent for data-logging equipment experts Alfano, as well as coaching kart drivers and providing specialist tyre engineering at races.
Rob explains: “Data is so important: the ability to look at all the parameters on your vehicle – wheel speeds, engine temperature, RPM, GPS location, to identify where a driver can improve, spot anything wrong with car, or optimise its set it up for the track and conditions.”
AN OPEN DOOR
It was in this role that Rob first met Al Locke, Team BRIT’s engineering director. “We got chatting one weekend,” Rob continues, “and I said ‘if you ever need another truckie or a
spare pair of hands, give me a call.’ I didn’t think any more of it, and then in January Al got in touch to ask me about test tracks I’d recommend.
“One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was driving the team’s truck on a 3,000 mile round trip from our HQ in Dunsfold, Surrey, to Portimão in southern Portugal. We took the McLaren 570S GT4 for testing, which now competes in the British GT Championship. It was the first time the car had turned a wheel.
“With different cars competing in different championships, it goes without saying there’s a lot of kit and logistics to sort out. The truck is four metres high, two and a half metres wide, and 18 metres long. It can take three cars and the associated equipment: tyres, wheels, pit change kit and so on. The tractor unit is supplied by our sponsors, DAF, and has a similar horsepower to the team’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4… it’s just not quite as quick!”
ENDURING LOVE FOR THE SPORT
“My involvement with motorsport isn’t going anywhere – my son designs racetracks for a living – so it’s fair to say it runs in the blood.
“I’m also hugely supportive of those coming into it: I’m a big fan of the fact you can still open doors without a degree: some of the best team managers work their way to the top from being a weekend warrior.
“I’m hugely enjoying my role with Team BRIT. They’re a great bunch and the way they have gone about things, their approach to inclusivity, is in my mind the very best way to make a difference.
“Enabling drivers with very different disabilities to race, with the cars adapted fairly across the board, I mean who can argue with that? It gives a lot of people the opportunity to get behind the wheel and go toeto-toe with some of the best drivers in the world.”
Photography courtesy of Mark Ballantyne #MYODYSSEY
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Al Locke, Race Engineer – Team BRIT
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