At the weekend’s British Formula One (F1) Grand Prix in Silverstone (won by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton), 14 JCB Loadall telehandlers played a special role in the event.
JCB recently announced that it would be providing support at the race circuit in the form of the 531-70 machines for the four-day event – for the efficient recovery of cars crashed during the races.
The Loadalls – capable of lifting up to 3t – were modified for the occasion, with a special jib attachment developed to optimise car recovery.
To work the telehandlers, five JCB employees were on hand and a further nine qualified operators were provided by Silverstone for the Grand Prix, which took place from July 13 to 16.
The Loadalls were on standby for the full list of races, including F2 and GP3 classification races and F1 practice, qualifying and the main F1 race event yesterday, July 16.
Loadall Development Engineer George Cooper worked on the development of the modified telehandlers for six months prior to the event and was one of the five JCB operators at the race.
Commenting on the Loadalls, he said: “The main benefit of the new jib attachment is that it moves the lifting point of the car away from the actual machine, so it makes it easier and safer to recover a vehicle from the track.
The 14 machines will be strategically located around the circuit on bends and at points where the likelihood of a car spinning off is higher.
The Loadalls were not kept idle; three of the 20 cars in the main event did not finish – Â one of these did not even manage to start.
As well as the telehandlers, JCB also provided an additional six machines for the Grand Prix, including a VMT260-120 roller, a 8026 mini excavator, a site dumper and a backhoe loader.
