SsangYong Musso Pick-Up Racing Is The One-Make Series You Definitely Weren't Expecting

If you just don’t fancy racing a sports car, a single-seater or even a rallycross machine, how about a SsangYong pickup?

This slightly bizarre new racing series really is a thing, already established in New Zealand, of all places. The Musso One-Tonne pick-ups are standard apart from Proflex racing dampers, Speedline Corse wheels with Avon tyres and the regulation safety kit.

That means you get a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine, sealed so you can’t tweak it, rear-wheel drive and enough load-lugging capacity for plenty of ballast, should BTCC-style rules ever be introduced.

The series has just kicked off with a three-race event at Snetterton circuit, with a field of 12 Mussos contesting the win. There’s a qualifying session, rolling starts and a 15-minute race format. Four of the six rounds, including Snetterton, Silverstone (National), Knockhill and Brands Hatch (Indy) will have three 15-minute races, with Oulton Park and Cadwell Park offering two-race shows instead.

SsangYong says the series will run roughly monthly until the last weekend in October, with no races in August but two events in July followed by a two-month break before the end-of-September races. We have to admit we weren’t expecting this to appear on the scene. We’re sure the chaps at WTF1 will be keeping an eye on whether it’s any good.