Morris Lubricants backing 'man' in black's bid for the top

The Shrewsbury-based company has agreed to sponsor Jenkins in this year's championship, which began at Pembrey, South Wales last week weekend, where he claimed overall second place after five races.

Satisfied with the Pembrey opener, the Jenkins Motorsport Racing team plans to make further performance improvements to the truck before the next round at Brands Hatch on April 20-21.

It promises to be a closely contested championship with three British champions and a European champion vying for supremacy. There is no hiding place this year in the British truck racing series, said Jenkins, who lives in Stone, Staffordshire.

He was champion in 2011, runner up last year and is determined to regain top spot this season in his distinctive new all black livery. Underlining the power at his disposal, the MAN truck accelerates from 20 to 100mph faster than a Porsche 911.

Following Brands Hatch, the remaining championship rounds are at Thruxton in June 1-2, Nurburgring on July 12-14, Donington Park on August 17-18, Snetterton on August 25-26; Pembrey on October 19-20 and Brands Hatch on November 2-3.

We are proud to be associated with Morris Lubricants and pleased to endorse the company's quality product range, which we have tested to extreme levels, said Jenkins.

We are looking forward to using the company's expertise and product range to help sustain reliability in this year's championship. Morris Lubricants has a very positive approach to UK motorsport and we are excited about this new, mutually beneficial partnership.

Jan Trocki, Morris Lubricants' general manager of marketing and technology, said: We are delighted to be associated with Dave Jenkins and the Jenkins Motorsport Racing team.

Truck racing is a very exciting motorsport series and has a strong following from the commercial vehicle industry. This new partnership is part of a targeted campaign to reinforce Morris Lubricants' commitment to commercial vehicle fleets and workshops with quality products and service.

Jenkins' main sponsor is Digraph Transport Supplies and other supporters include ATE Truck & Trailer Sales Ltd, Tyre Tracks in association with Alcoa Wheels, and MAN, the race engine provider.

Morris Lubricants has recently announced a sponsorship partnership with MSA British Rally Championship contender Tom Cave from Aberdovey. In addition, it is sponsoring the Morris Lubricants Rally North Wales, which is being rearranged after being postponed due to snow and ice last weekend.