The winners – Simon Ellis from Sainsbury’s and Iceland’s Les Burkey – will now go on to represent the UK at the Optifuel Challenge international final to be held in Lisbon, Portugal, 6—8 October 2015.
The UK final, a two-day event at the Millbrook Proving Ground from 12—13 August, saw the best drivers from some of the country’s biggest fleets put through their paces behind the wheel of a 32-tonne Renault Range T460 tractor unit.
Adhering to the Highway Code at all times, competitors undertook a series of challenges around the Millbrook Bowl, One Mile Straight and Hill Loops 1 and 2, a course designed to replicate mixed terrain and road types.
Ellis and Burkey were declared joint first for driving efficiency and each received £2,000 to spend in the Renault Trucks’ Reward Store, as well as a free two-month rental of the Range T for their companies.
They will now take on winners from 20 countries at the all-expenses-paid Optifuel Challenge international final, where the overall champion will be awarded £6,000 and their company will have the use of a Range T for a year.
“When the Renault Range T was crowned 2015 International Truck of the Year, fuel economy was identified as one of its major strengths,” comments Nigel Butler, Renault Trucks’ UK commercial director.
“The Optifuel Challenge showcases the Range T’s exceptional efficiency as well as the skills of the best professional drivers on our roads.”