G-TRUCK & UAN TRUCK support Rooster in the unveil of "King Klaus" ahead of new racing season

G-TRUCK and UAN TRUCK are proud to announce that they will once again partner driver Luke Taylor and the Rooster truck racing team for the British Truck Racing Championship 2017 season, which opens at Brands Hatch 25th/26th March.

G-TRUCK is the commercial vehicle parts distribution arm of GROUPAUTO and UAN Truck is the commercial vehicle arm of UAN. Both trading groups are owned by Alliance Automotive Group, a European leader in supplying parts and related technical knowhow to more than 25,000 car and commercial vehicle repairers, garages, fast fit outlets, body shops and specialist and DIY chains. Alliance Automotive Group is active in France, Germany and the UK.

At a special event for Rooster Truck Racing and its partners G-TRUCK & UAN TRUCK, Rooster unveiled to sponsors a powerful and perfectly turned out new racing truck as part of the team’s preparations for its second season in the championship.

The MAN racing truck – dubbed "King Klaus" in deference to its German origins - replaces the Renault that driver Luke Taylor raced to a mid-table finish in his rookie season.

"It was called Klaus in Germany where we bought it from, and we added the ‘King’", says Rooster team manager David Taylor. "The name Klaus means something like ‘Victory of the People’ in German and we’re confident that the truck can bring a few victories for Rooster in 2017."

Rooster calls 2016 its ‘acorn’ season, a time for both Luke and the support team to get used to the demands of top level truck racing. The experience should help Rooster become even more competitive in 2017.

"The season is still two months away but our preparation is already better," says Luke. "I only properly got into the cab of the last truck during the first practice lap at Brands Hatch, just before the first race of the season! This year the new truck is ready well ahead of time and we’ll be booking a weekend at Pembrey in advance of Brands Hatch to put it through its paces on a racing circuit."

Mechanical issues with the truck held Luke back in a number of races last season and the team point to the difficulty in sourcing parts as one of the reasons it made the decision to invest in the one-year-old, 12 litre, 1150hp MAN. Luke expects the lighter truck to be quicker into corners, while the suspension, a problem that dogged the team throughout last season, should be considerably easier to manage.

"It’s a more modern truck," agrees David. "That should make us more competitive right from the start."

"We went into last season wanting to win but really being happy to just race. We had a lot to learn and we still do, but the whole team – not just Luke – will be better prepared this time."

Luke adds: "Everybody will know their jobs and what they have to do in different situations, far more than at the beginning of last year."

The team will also be more fully exploiting the potential of new technology. Rooster will use in-cab video and data to analyse performances during race weekends. The information should help Luke and the team fine-tune racing tactics and take a more strategical approach to race planning.

It’s all a marked step up from the raw and inexperienced team that headed into Brands Hatch just over a year ago. Luke and David agree that none of these advances would have been possible without the support of the partners and sponsors who turned out in force for the unveiling of the new truck and a chance to catch up with the Rooster team.

"We know it wouldn’t be possible without them all and we’d like to thank them again for their support," says Luke.

Martin Sangster, CV Commercial Manager for G-TRUCK, who has been involved with Rooster Racing since??? confirmed that although Rooster will be a more professional operation in 2017, the team’s philosophy will remain the same. "We’re not a corporate team – we’re very friendly and down to earth and we’d like everybody to come and see us on race days, bring friends and family, and enjoy themselves. That’s a big part of the appeal of Rooster."