At the turn of the twentieth century, James Kent Morris had an idea; to blend his own range of lubricants. He established a production plant in a converted stable block and mixed oils in a tub using a wooden paddle. It was a humble beginning, but the founder of Morris Lubricants set a new, and unrivalled, standard of industry excellence.
Today, the company’s state-of-the-art blending facilities – which are located at the iconic Castle Foregate headquarters in Shrewsbury – are fully-computerised and operate under strict quality control standards to ensure formulations are correctly followed. Producing over 750,000 litres of product a week, Morris Lubricants is one of the UK’s largest independent manufacturers of automotive and industrial lubricants.
The company’s ongoing relationship with British Truck Racing Champion and business owner Dave Jenkins is testament to the diversity and superiority of its products. Responsible for the service and repair of HGV’s that play a vital role in keeping Britain’s supply chain moving, Dave and the team of mechanics and engineers that run his commercial vehicle workshop in Stone, Staffordshire, use heavy duty, fully synthetic engine oils from the Morris Lubricants’ Versimax range – including HD8 10W-40 and HD9 10W-40 – because their performance can be relied upon for the long-haul. Manufactured specifically for diesel engines, these OEM-approved oils from Morris Lubricants are suitable for previous and current generation engines, including those that utilise after treatment devices.
“It’s in the garage where my work meets my passion for motorsport,” says Dave, as he tops up Number 69, his MAN TGX 12000cc racing truck, with the Morris Lubricants high-performance engine oil, Multivis MLR 10W-60. The wall behind him is decorated with two and a half decades worth of truck racing trophies and winner’s laurel wreaths. “I use Morris Lubricants in what I do for a living as well as when I’m competing; I can absolutely endorse it because I’m surrounded by it all the time. Their product – whether it’s engine oil, Lodexol gear oil, Multitrans ACV, or Workshop PRO MD4 – is fantastic, there is nothing else that’s as high quality in the marketplace.”
Following a “tense” battle at Brands Hatch in November 2021, Dave celebrated his 25th consecutive championship campaign with a second place, division one, podium finish. “To still be competing at the top level is something I’m proud of. We’d been in and out of the lead all season and to take it to the very last round in a thirty round championship shows how exciting it was. Everyone was racing hammer and tongs, but unfortunately an incident occurred; I was hit, I spun off the track and I was knocked out of the running. I went with the intention of having a fair fight, giving a good account of myself and there was no way – win, lose or draw – that I was going to come away upset because as a team we did the best we could.”
Driven by his ambition to win back the title in 2022, the father of three dismisses the idea of retirement following such a milestone year. A clear sign of his intention, the MAN truck was restored to race-condition within two weeks of returning home from the dramatic season finale. “I can’t not go and do what I’m good at, and I couldn’t bear to see ‘MANinBlack’ not looking its best. I get in from a 12-hour day, put the kids to bed and go down to the workshop. It’s my passion, it’s what I do,” says Dave. “It would have been a nice round number to finish it all off, but I can’t stay away. After twenty-five years I’m still motivated to go racing. The main thing is that my family, my team and my loyal supporters all enjoy themselves, but of course, what we really enjoy is winning.”
Reflecting on his role as a Morris Lubricants ambassador, Dave washes away remnants of grease and oil using a little Workshop PRO Premium Hand Cleanser before popping the kettle on. He has been wearing the company logo on his overalls and his race suit for the last decade, but the support, he says, is more important now than ever before. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help I’ve received from Morris Lubricants and their products. I even used them in the complex and sympathetic restoration of a Leyland Roadtrain truck for my father’s 80th birthday. It was quite an emotional process because it took me back to the beginning of my love affair with trucks as an eight-year-old boy. From the engine oil to the degreasers, everything I used had to be of the highest quality.”
Over a cuppa, Dave shares insight into how it felt to welcome guests of Morris Lubricants back beneath the Team Jenkins awning during race weekends. “I’m always surprised by the wide range of industries that customers who come along represent. From food, to building and road haulage businesses, it’s so interesting to engage with them all; sometimes we draw comparisons about the products we use, and other times I get to learn or share my own knowledge. You also get the mums, dads and kids that are just there to enjoy a behind the scenes experience and have a bacon sandwich with the team. It’s great.”
It’s clear to see Dave’s confidence and commitment to the independently run company and as the lights go out in the workshop for the day, he takes a last look and heads home, moving past the Morris Lubricants blue and yellow-branded workbenches, posters, oil drums and products that surround his championship-winning truck.