THE Big Guns of the motorsport world are thundering back into Pembrey Circuit on 17/18 May, when the heavyweight British Truck Racing Championship (BTRC) headlines the 2025 Convoy Cymru Truck Racing Festival.

At five tonnes and speeds of up to 100mph, these super-sized goliaths of motor racing make a spectacular sight – so it’s not surprising that the Convoy Cymru Truck Racing Festival annually attracts the biggest race day crowd of the season at the Home of Welsh Motorsport.

This year there will be two full days of high-speed behemoth battles – complete with a full support race package and entertainment for all the family, including monster truck rides, fairground rides, truck displays and live music.

Gary Jones got behind the steering wheel of one of the 100mph trucks after being treated to a spin around the circuit with ten times British Champion Stuart Oliver in a tracing ruck
Gary Jones got behind the steering wheel of one of the 100mph trucks after being treated to a spin around the circuit with ten times British Champion Stuart Oliver in a tracing ruck (Gary Jones)

Ahead of May’s Convoy Cymru Truck Racing Festival, the BTRC teams and drivers were at Pembrey Circuit for a pre-season test day.

The test attracted the biggest names in British truck racing, including 10-time BTRC champion Stuart Oliver in his iconic bonneted 12-litre, six cylinder 1200bhp Volvo VNL.

Team Oliver Racing’s new recruit Martin Gibson was also at Pembrey testing his MAN TGX.

Nine-time BTRC champion Ryan Smith was out for the first time this year at Pembrey in a brand-new Worldwide Truck Racing Daimler Freightliner, as was Tom O'Rourke in his MV Truck Racing International Navistar, which has been rebuilt from a bare shell up over the winter.

The 2024 Division 2 champion John Powell has moved up to Division 1 and was at Pembrey Circuit for a pre-season taste of his brand-new JP Racing machine, while Dave Smith (DS Racing) and Dave Jenkins (Dave Jenkins Racing) were both testing their powerful MAN machines – to name but a few.

A very interested guest at Pembrey Circuit for the BTRC test was Scott Williams.

The acclaimed 34-year old former WRU, Scarlets and Ospreys player, who runs his own highly successful Scott Williams Motorsport rally preparations and fabrication business, has tested a British Truck Racing Championship truck at Pembrey Circuit before.

And whilst it’s the polar opposite to the light and nimble rallying Escorts that Scott is more accustomed to driving, he 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 Scott.

“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.”

“The Convoy Cymru Truck Racing Festival is the biggest motor racing weekend of the year at Pembrey – and in more ways than one,” says Phil Davies, Pembrey Circuit Manager.

“At speeds of up to 100mph the racing has to be seen to be believed, and will a full support package and all the family-friendly attractions that we have throughout the venue, like monster truck rides, a funfair and live music, the truck event attracts the largest racing crowd of the season.

“There is a real carnival atmosphere at the Convoy Cymru Truck Racing Festival and if you haven’t been before, we can guarantee you a great and memorable day out.”