Autac’s Partnership with NAPA Racing
Going into Autac’s 60th year in British Manufacturing we wanted to have some fun and offer a form of celebration. We were lucky enough to be presented with the opportunity to support NAPA Racing with a sponsorship campaign for the 2024 season in the British Truck Racing Championships. We have held a positive relationship with the Automotive Alliance (who are part of the NAPA group of companies) for several years. Supplying coils and cables across the UK to their fleets which form part of one of our core markets, the CV market.
How does the British Truck Racing Championships work?
The British Truck Racing Championship is, quite literally, one of the biggest race series in the UK with drivers doing battles in astonishing machines weighing more than five tonnes and producing more than 1000bhp. Born in the USA in the 1970s, the British series is one of the most long-running having been organised by the British Truck Racing Association since 1984.
The championship operates across two classes, with the headline Division 1 trucks being the most technologically advanced and Division 2 machines being closer to the production trucks that you see on the road every day. NAPA Racing UK backs defending champion Paul Rivett in the Division 2 class, putting the brand right at the heart of the action across a seven round season that this year includes an overseas trip to the famous Le Mans circuit in France. The full calendar fixtures can be found here on the British Truck Racing Championships website (https://btrc.co/btrc-announces-2024-calendar/)
The man behind the wheel…
Few drivers in British motorsport cannot match Paul Rivett when it comes to experience. Having battled Jenson Button for title honours in karting, Rivett took his first career title in the Vauxhall Vectra Winter Series in 1998 before appearing on the BTCC support package for the first time in 1999 - scoring multiple wins in the Ford Fiesta Championship.
In 2001, Rivett made his debut in the Renault Clio Cup UK, kick-starting a long-standing relationship with the series that would see him win the championship four times between 2002 and 2018.
Following that fourth title win, Rivett swapped little for large with a move into the British Truck Racing Championship, taking a top-three finish in Division 2 in his rookie season. Having made long overdue outings in the BTCC in both 2020 and 2021, Rivett joined forces with NAPA Racing UK in 2022 for a one-off outing in the BTRC at the Convoy in the Park event at Donington Park.
It would be the pre-cursor to a full-time return to trucks in 2023 that resulted in huge success, as he took his NAPA Racing UK MAN TGS to the Division 2 title following a titanic battle with rival Adam Bint. Rivett now returns bidding to defend his title, whilst also continuing to offer his knowledge and advice to MINI CHALLENGE racer Cameron Richardson.
Everyone at Autac would like to wish Paul and very successful 2024 season and we have our fingers crossed that Paul can defend his title this season… Good Luck Paul.