Catching up with LCR Honda Team truck driver and crew member, Wilko Kleine

We’re firing up a new series of articles this week, where we introduce a truck driver from the motorsport world and get the lowdown on their life on the road.

The series starts with a very popular member of the MotoGP paddock, Wilko Kleine. Wilko drives the LCR Honda IDEMITSU Mercedes-Benz race transporter, which carries the Honda RC213V weaponry of Japanese rider, Takaaki Nakagami. And Wilko’s work doesn’t stop when he arrives at the track. Once all the gear is unloaded, he becomes a crew member for the LCR Team during Grand Prix weekends.

Wilko has been sharing his travels across Europe through a series of vlogs posted to his YouTube channel this year. And if he wasn’t busy enough carting MotoGP bikes around Europe, Wilko also runs a travel company, Fast Lane Travel. We’re exhausted even thinking about his schedule.

We caught up with Wilko in the lead-up to last weekend’s Aragon Grand Prix, where Taka Nakagami posted a solid top-10 finish.

Trucks at Tracks: G’day, Wilko! Can you tell us about your early life and where the spark for all things automotive came from?

Wilko Kleine: “I was born in Hoogeveen in the northern part of the Netherlands, which is actually very close to Assen. And I grew up in Hollandscheveld, a small place close to Hoogeveen, where my father had a bicycle shop. The technical gene came from him.

“At the age of 14, I started to work on mopeds and from there I started to study to be a car mechanic, which I did for seven years. Then I saw a job opening at a local Honda motorcycle dealership, which also has a very successful race team, Ten Kate Honda WSBK at that time, and there I worked on road bikes for another four years.”

TaT: How did you get into motorsport? And what was the first truck you drove?

WK: “When I was working at Ten Kate, one of the mechanics of the race team was sick and they asked me to fill in for him. After that, I got an opportunity to finish the season in World Supersport with Broc Parkes. And the next season, I was fulltime mechanic in World Superbike with Jonathan Rea. But to work as a mechanic with Ten Kate, they wanted the mechanics to be able to drive the trucks. That’s how I got my license.

“The truck I drove there was a DAF XF 106 460.“

TaT: What’s your favourite trip of the year on the MotoGP schedule?

WK: “In Europe I really like to go to Mugello because the atmosphere is incredible and the track is beautiful in the Tuscan hills. The drive over there is very nice, because usually we come from Le Mans and to go to Italy, we take the Mont Blanc Tunnel. That area is so nice to drive through.

“For the overseas races, I love to go to Austin and Phillip Island. Austin because of the beautiful track and very nice city and Phillip Island because it’s such a special place to go to. It truly is like nothing else in the world.”

TaT: What’s your favourite part of the job?

WK: “I really like the thrill and excitement I get when we work as a team to give the rider the best bike possible and to do this as fast as possible during a session.

“And there is zero room for error, which gives stress but also adrenaline. Also, the travelling I like a lot, to see new places and meet new people on this awesome rock we live on.” 

TaT: Do you have any favourite moments or stories from your truck driving career in motorsport?

WK: “I always say the best trips are boring because this means nothing bad happened and everything went as scheduled.

“But looking back on my truck driving career, I think of the time I went with WSBK to Russia. First of all, we passed some countries I’ve never been to like Lithuania and Latvia and then we went in a convoy from the Russian border to the racetrack with armed guards on something that barely resembles a road. It was quite the adventure.

“Another trip was when I had to go to Monaco for the MOT of the truck we drive with LCR. Because the truck is registered in Monaco, the MOT has to be done there as well. And let me tell you, driving in Monaco with a race truck low to the ground on the narrow twisty roads of Monaco is pretty stressful, but it’s very cool to say that I’ve successfully done it.”

TaT: What truck are you driving now? And what are you enjoying about it?

WK: “My current truck is a 2018 Mercedes Actros 1853 and it has an automatic 12-speed gearbox. I really like the comfort I get in this truck. The seats are very comfortable, wind noise is not so much and the bed sleeps well.

“Also, the adaptive cruise control works really well, to keep a safe distance and in an emergency, it applies the brakes. Also, the power and torque are really impressive.”

TaT: What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into transporter driving?

WK: “To work in racing, in most cases, you more or less have to do the same as what a race driver does. You start in the lower classes and get some experience and get to know people in the racing scene. Maybe someday, they need a driver for a higher class and like this work your way up. It works the same for mechanics as well.

“Don’t shoot for the stars and say I only want to work in F1 or MotoGP or something like this, because if you don’t have much experience driving a racing truck and you don’t know anybody in that scene, you’re unlikely to get the job.”

TaT: What are you most looking forward to for the remainder of the season?

WK: “Of course we want success, a podium would be very nice because we still haven’t achieved this with Nakagami. That’s my wish. But something to look forward to for me is the race in Austin and also the extra race in Portimão is very nice because the track is awesome and the Algarve is so beautiful.” 

If you can’t get enough of the behind-the-scenes side of motorsport, make sure you’re subscribed to Wilko’s YouTube channel. And if you need a hand booking some motorsport travel or a much quieter holiday, check out Fast Lane Travel.

Safe travels, Wilko! He’s heading east this week to Misano Circuit in Italy for a second consecutive MotoGP race weekend.

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