Goodbye David

11. July 2007Last Sunday, during the Truck Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, David Atkins was certainly deeply moved several times, when he informed first his team and later on his friends and acquaintances that he decided to retire from truck racing at the end of this season. And that this would not be easy for the longest-serving manager of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, was obvious from almost every word he said. Now a rather matter-of-fact official press release was also published on the team’s web site www.atkins-racing.net. Atkins was affected by the truck racing “virus” in 1984, and at the beginning he and his team took part solely in the British Championship. In 1989 Atkins Racing participated in the European Truck Championship for the first time, and over the years he won 5 titles in the SuperRaceTrucks competition with Steve Parrish in a Mercedes Benz truck and one title in the RaceTrucks contest with Stuart Oliver in a MAN in 2004. With a total of 6 European Championship titles – and innumerable national ones – David Atkins is the most successful truck racing manager ever.
In addition the learned baker manages a big Bosch agency in Great Britain, and has the reputation of being an indefatigable workaholic. Only the people who know him well were aware of his dream: New Zealand. Since he first went there several years ago he was fascinated by that country and he knew for sure that this was the place he wanted to live after his retirement. At the beginning of this year Atkins concerned himself more intensively with the immigration proceedings, and was surprised to learn that there is an age limit of 54 years.
In March next year David Atkins will turn 54. There were long and intensive talks with his family – after all, his two children are only 10 and 13 resp. After lengthy considerations they came to the decision: At the beginning of 2008 the Atkins family is going to move to New Zealand. The two companies will remain in the possession of David Atkins. The Bosch agency will be operated by the former employees in self-reliance, and Atkins Racing will continue, too, with the current main sponsor, the pilots and the team, only there will be another team manager.
Until the end of this season, however, Atkins will stay team manager and be present at all the races. After this season, the Englishman – renowned for his unusual, sometimes a bit scurrile hair-styles as well as his Bermuda shorts he even wore in the lousiest weather when standing at the circuit, will probably be seen only very sporadically in the paddock. But, as said before, truck racing is a bacillus people only very rarely can be cured of.