FEATURE TRACKSIDE Ed Higginson joins Steve Richards Motorsport and the team DAF XF105

’ve driven between and Sydney many times SRM, racing the factory-supported BMW M6 GT3 and in lots of different trucks, but driving two up with Steve M4 GT4. He also partners with Craig Lowndes in the V8 Richards will definitely be my most memorable. The Supercars Endurance events for Triple 8 Race Engineering. Iride in his brand-new DAF XF105.510 with the Super Space cab, hooked up to his B-double transporter, made Richards, the son of seven-time winner it even more special. Jim Richards, is himself a four-time Bathurst 1000 winner. What many fans may not know of Steve is that he is also Many of you will undoubtedly know of Steve Richards and an owner/driver, taking the wheel of his team’s B-double his success over 21 years in motorsport. In 1996, Steve race transporter between events all over Australia. started his career in the V8 , driving for both the factory Holden and Ford supported teams. I joined him on a recent trip to Sydney from his base in the Yarra Valley, in his new DAF with just 5000 km on the Now Steve competes in the Australian GT Championship clock, for a BMW drive day experience that he hosts for series as a full-time driver with his own team, BMW Team his sponsors throughout the year.

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Steve started driving trucks after forming the race team Both Steve and his wife Ange comment that spending with his wife of 20 years, Ange. Steve explains, “After time in the truck is a great way to relax together without driving in the Supercar Championship, an opportunity the interruptions of emails or phones. With a fully-sprung came up with some of my previous sponsors. And we passenger seat and loads of storage, the DAF Super met Laser Plumbing and Electrical. So we started SRM Space cab is a great two-up truck. It’s also extremely Steve Richards Motorsport and went Porsche Carrera quiet to ride in, so chatting between each other is easy on Cup racing for the eight-round championship plus the the highway. extra three rounds in the Supercars. That was the small beginning, which has grown over the past seven years “I’m often driving with my wife or one of my kids onboard into a big business today with some stable partners. during school holidays. We are a family business so we all We always try to partner with quality brands as we see get involved. From our perspective, we need the truck to ourselves as a quality brand too”. be comfortable with loads of safety features, so it’s been a great partnership with DAF,” Steve added. The business started with just the single race transporter, built by Titan Trailers in 2012, which is now the B-double’s Prior to the DAF, Steve also had a CAT CT630, a Volvo rear trailer. As the business grew, Steve purchased a new FH540 and a Freightliner Argosy. “The DAF is great lead trailer in 2017 from Grove. This has enabled Steve to to drive, is comfortable and quiet, and unsurpassed also transport some of the other team’s equipment around compared with anything else I’ve driven,” he said. events, adding to the business’s workload. Sponsorship has always been an integral part of motorsport, Moving race cars and their equipment is a very specialised but like many aspects of the modern era, things have job, so Steve likes to pilot the truck himself, or with a couple changed substantially over the last 15 to 20 years. of his trusted contract drivers on the longer runs.

“Starting out as a small business, we had a tight budget, so I had to drive the truck myself. But I enjoy the time away from the office, driving up the highway and keeping my eye on the equipment. We could only buy our own trailers by transporting other teams’ cars, so I also took on the responsibility of driving myself to ensure everything was looked after and tied down well,” Steve adds.

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“Back when you had tobacco sponsorship, they just Some may think driving the racing team’s transporters wanted a sign on the car. Now it’s much more than around is a glamorous driving job, and it certainly gets that. We build a program around our assets and brand. you behind the wheel of some great looking rigs, but Customers want to use the sponsorship to engage with there is much more to it than simply taking the cars to the their client and staff, plus use you as an ambassador for race weekends. a product to get the full experience and value for their investment,” said Steve. If you hate having to pack and unpack your truck for a shift away, then consider that race crews spend around Laser Plumbing and Electrical has been Steve’s two to four hours at each event unpacking the trucks, foundation sponsor since forming the business. Today, the setting up the pit garages, then packing it all away again, team also partners with BMW Australia, BP Ultimate, DAF, again and again, week in week out, for race meetings plus Snap-On and Mosley Mining. all the events in between.

Driving Steve’s team truck had an added bonus when I got In terms of the DAF XF105.510, it is certainly a nice drive, the opportunity to take the BMW M6 GT3 ride experience but it really shines due to its size and more storage than for myself. As Steve only offers hot laps to their sponsors you can dream to fill. With two decent bunk beds with or through charity events, it’s not an experience you can ample space above each, both with driver restraints for buy. This is where I got to experience Steve’s true driving sleeping on the go, and with a passenger seat as comfy skills, taking the incredible BMW around Eastern Creek at as the driver’s, it’s the perfect space for two-up driving. near race speeds. It was a truly once in a lifetime ride, and, from the look on the faces of the other 50 corporate guests Steve’s truck has the PACCAR MX13, six-cylinder 12.9-litre jumping out of the car, I’m sure they would all agree. engine with turbo intercooler, giving maximum power of 510 hp (375 kW) at 1500-1900 rpm and peak torque of 1850 lb-ft (2500 Nm) at 1000-1410 rpm. Matched with the ZF-AS Tronic, 16-speed, overdrive, automated gearbox, it performs well.

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In the modern era where 540-650 hp is the norm on The DAF also gets the tick for its superb ride along the B-double and road train work, 510 hp sounds a little rough country roads. Storage options, underbunk slide- short, but it never felt so on the highway. We were running out fridge, comfortable beds and electric sunroof are all around 55 tonnes, which undoubtedly helped, but if it excellent, so, with the PACCAR support network, the DAF wore a 540 badge you probably wouldn’t notice. is a great option for many.

On the climb over the hill at Glenrowan in Victoria, which There are just a couple of areas were the DAF falls short, is one of my comparison spots, the DAF crested the top though. The XF cab has been around since 1997, so at 73 km/h, which is more than respectable north bound. it doesn’t have the sharp lines of the competitors, and On the way down the hill towards the BP, the engine and climbing into the cab isn’t the easiest, but the old radio exhaust brake, with 320 kW of retardation power at 2100 and computer set up really lets it down. After driving DAFs rpm, was able to hold its speed as we then slowed to most common rivals, it’s like going from your iPhone X to enter the service area for our first stop. an old Nokia 3310.

After a quick fill-up of fuel, with BP Ultimate Diesel of Europe has welcomed the new DAF XF106.510 to the course, and a decent coffee to help with the early morning market, with updated cab, modernised dash, decent Sunday start, we set off again onwards to Sydney. touchscreen radio and entertainment system, plus the Euro 6 engine with Eco mode. Over the drive from the Yarra Valley in Victoria to Eastern Creek raceway in NSW, and return, there were many Fingers crossed Australia will see the new features in the DAF that impressed. In terms of safety, the truck soon, so DAF can go head to DAF gets EBS, MX Engine Brake and exhaust brake, hill head with others in the market. start aid (with AS-Tronic only), vehicle stability control A 600 hp engine would (VSC), lane departure warning system, SRS airbag, anti- be nice too. slip control (ASR), drag torque control, and adaptive cruise control (ACC) with forward collision warning (FCW).

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“The DAF also gets the tick for its superb ride along the rough country roads”

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