Pickup Truck campaign a “test” for Thunder Saloon race winner Gent as entries pass 30

Thunder Saloons race winner Dale Gent will compete in the Pickup Truck Racing Championship in 2018.

The 33-year-old will dovetail outings in his modified Subaru Impreza with the Pickups, racing both on the same weekend at Croft and Rockingham.

“I’ve been looking for a new challenge,” said Gent, who will race both cars, run by Relentless Performance. “Thunder Saloons has gone well, but I wanted to test myself.

“Pickups is close racing and I’ve always liked that. Bumper to bumper, side by side and having to battle for it. I’d like to be in the top 10, but there’s a lot to learn and some of the boys in it have been doing it a long time.”

The Pickup Truck Championship has had an influx of entries for 2018, with numbers rising from below 20 to above 30.

Scott Bourne, the reigning champion, will return with the number one on his door, while leading National Hot Rod racer Steve Dudman returns after a 17-year gap.

Twilight oval races at Rockingham and a ‘dash for cash’ oval race with a pitstop, at the same Rockingham venue, has helped to increase interest in the series.

After racing at Brands Hatch last year, British Touring Car Championship frontrunner Andrew Jordan confirmed he would like to return with his father Mike, who competed in the championship’s first season in 1997. They are yet to register.