Dave Jenkins: Engineering Excellence and Podium Success
Writer, presenter, automotive adventurer, and award-winning journalist Charlotte Vowden caught up with brand ambassador Dave Jenkins after another exciting British Truck Racing Season.
Yielding a podium finish in the 2025 British Truck Racing Championship, teamwork, trust and a new technical directive has kept truck racer Dave Jenkins at the top of the grid this year. Securing third overall in the standings, the Morris Lubricants brand ambassador asserted his reputation as a front-runner with victories in the last four meetings of the season. Three fundamental chassis developments, Dave says, have unleashed new potential in his 12,000cc MAN TGX.
“A race team consists of highly competitive, talented and motivated people,” he explains,
“We always strive for improvement because that’s what leads to results. That shared hunger to achieve boosts camaraderie and confidence and pulls you together as a team. Bolster that with the operational performance that Morris Lubricants’ products provide and you’ve got a winning formula.”
A new regulation brought in for Division 1 trucks at the beginning of 2025 set a series of significant changes to Dave’s MAN in motion. “To comply, we had to replace the front steering axle and increase its camber from standard to 26 degrees,” he explains. The MAN’s previous axle featured a 36-degree twist, but to reduce steering failures in the field, the new limit was set to 30.
“It was a significant modification, which comes with a significant amount of expectation.” Effective implementation would not only improve reliability, but gains in handling, responsiveness and speed could be awarded.
“There were times when I doubted what I was doing,” Dave continues, “to find out something doesn’t work when it’s late at night, minus three in the workshop and you’ve got a perfectly good £150,000 racing truck in bits is when the going gets tough, but, you go back to the drawing board and push through. The boys never doubted me, that 'in it together' mentality meant nobody lost sight of the goal.”
Keen to be involved with a project of such technical complexity, Alex Sharphouse, engineer, Morris Lubricants' brand ambassador, and star of the company’s new YouTube channel, Power and Performance, lent resources and expertise. “Alex has been a brilliant right-hand man because he came in and offered a fresh perspective and approach,” says Dave.
You can see what Dave and Alex did to the race truck in several of the videos on the Power and Performance YouTube channel. The videos show that to twist the front axle, Dave decamped from his base in Stone, Staffordshire, to Alex’s workshop in the Lake District. There he made use of equipment including a crane and 50-tonne press. “Working together on the truck has cemented what Power and Performance is all about,” says Dave. A complete redesign of the steering system, including the relocation of the steering box, followed. This enabled Dave to achieve a reduction in the truck’s overall weight and facilitated him with the ability to adjust its distribution. “Engineering a five and a half-tonne vehicle to go as fast as a purpose-built racing car is the epitome of out of the box technical thinking, and we’ve been able to push the boundaries even further.”
Taking the MAN race truck to Pembrey Circuit in March for pre-season testing gave Dave the opportunity to assess whether the theory behind the truck’s new specifications would deliver realworld results. “It immediately felt sharper and more stable, and the improved lap times were there,” he reveals. A new benchmark had been set. You can take a behind-the-scenes look at this as the testing session was recorded and can be viewed on the Power and Performance YouTube channel.
“The proof of the pudding,” he says, came during a test session at Brands Hatch race weekend in April before the first round of racing commenced. “You only get one chance to be impressed and this was it, this was the pivotal wow moment,” Dave explains. “My best ever lap time around Brands Hatch had been 58.8 seconds, but on that Friday morning we achieved 58.5 – an improvement of three tenths is huge.”
2025 may have been about the turnaround rather than title, but for Dave, this winter is about fine tuning the truck to optimise 2026 championship success. “We had a strong season, we fought all year and we’ve now got to maintain that belief in ourselves,” he says, “the team has been there through thick and thin. I’m really proud.”
From garage to paddock, pit lane and track, Morris Lubricants' products have a crucial role in Dave’s motorsport endeavours. Essentials include K383 Copper Anti-Seize Grease – which can be used as a thread lubricant on studs, pipes and casing – and Workshop Pro Solvent Cleaner – a degreasing aerosol that evaporates quickly leaving components free from residue – as well as Lodexol FS 75W-90 gearbox and differential oil, and Multivis MLR 10W-60 engine oil.
“To win, first you must finish,” he explains, “and reliability is key to getting there. During a race, every component and every system is subjected to severe levels of stress but I can trust that Morris Lubricants' products will help prevent failure which gives me even more of a competitive edge.”
Beyond the wave of the chequered flag, Dave sets an example of acrossthe-board excellence in his commercial vehicle repair business too. “The age of the vehicles we’re working on is decreasing all the time, which means we have to cater for the demands that new-generation technology presents. With the increased focus on emission legislation, changing engine designs, and increasing performance requirements, it is important that I’m using the correct specification products for all my customers. With support from Morris Lubricants and their fantastic technical team, we can accommodate the needs of ever-modernising fleets.”
The Morris Lubricants’ Versimax range features products that are ideal for the job, including the heavy-duty engine oil Versimax HD8 10W-40, that has been manufactured specifically for previous and current generation diesel engines, including those that utilise after treatment devices.
"I can always rely on Morris Lubricants' products. During the week as a long-established business, I must provide a consistent and trusted service to my customers, they rely on me servicing and maintaining their heavy-duty trucks correctly so that they don’t let them down. During the weekend as an experienced racing driver, I need to know that my truck can hack it when I’m pushing the limit. I’ve got absolute faith in Morris Lubricants to help me accomplish both. They formulate and manufacture premium products that never let me, or my customers down.”