DONG FENG POWER TRUCK ON SHOW AT SILVERSTONE RACE TO THE SKY
Chinese truck manufacturer Dong Feng expects to make a big impact at the Silverstone Race to the Sky at Easter with its new Power Truck.
The Dong Feng truck has been on stage at the event for the past two years. In 2003 it was driven by Australian Ross Dunkerton, and last year one of New Zealand’s leading Kiwi drivers Andrew Hawkeswood, was behind the wheel.
This year the truck will be driven by Mark Tapper who was the winner of the Group N class in the 2004 National Rally Championship.
General manager of Silverstone’s Motorsports Division Russell Palmer says last year’s Super Truck has been re-built and modified to create the Power Truck.
“The chassis has been shortened by a metre for better handling and weight reduction purposes and the engine has been modified for better power output. Disc brakes for front and rear are now included with slip differentials for the rear,” he says. “As far as tyres are concerned we are very happy with the performance of the award winning Silverstone MT 117 EX. There is no need to change.”
Mr Palmer believes the Power Truck will be a big crowd pleaser. The new look vehicle has been built to handle the conditions on the Snow Farm road, providing an overall improved performance.
He says the Dong Feng trucks which were showcased in 2003 and 2004 had only minimum modifications compared to this year’s model.
”In fact they were standard stock trucks running on standard Silverstone 4X4 tyres. It was more of an advertising and promotion strategy to provide exposure, mileage and testimony to Dong Feng and Silverstone’s standard stock products.”
Event promoter Grant Aitken says the Dong Feng truck adds another dimension to the Race to the Sky.
“It is not widely known that Dong Feng is the third largest truck manufacturer in the world. By way of comparison, many of the name brands of trucks in New Zealand are not even in the top ten,” he says. “We are looking forward to seeing the performance of the Power Truck. By all accounts it will get up the hill a lot faster and Mark Tapper should provide some thrills for the crowd.”
The 2005 Silverstone Race to the Sky is scheduled for Easter Weekend, March 26 and 27 at The Snow Farm in Cardrona Valley, close to Queenstown and Wanaka.
