The Ford Transit Custom Nugget camper is worth its weight in gold on a wet and windy race weekend

The good old British weather provides a tempestuous test for Ford’s quirkily-named camper van.

Finally, I feel like a proper racing driver.

It’s the fourth race of the season but only now that I have my own motorhome parked up in the paddock at Snetterton circuit in Norfolk, do I really look like I might deserve a spot on the podium.

Given that I’m racing one of the smallest cars around it makes sense to opt for a relatively compact camper rather than a full Formula 1-style affair and the Ford Transit Custom Nugget is also perfectly on brand next to the little EnduroKA. As the name suggests endurance racing is the name of the game and this particular race is the longest of the season at 12 hours.

On other events I’ve pitched a tent or stayed at a cheap hotel, but the Nugget won’t just be my bed for a couple of nights, it’s going to be AFK Racing’s catering van and drivers’ lounge.

So, with its fridge packed full of burgers, sausages and energy drinks, I head off on the 100-mile trip to Norfolk. What’s quickly apparent is how un-van-like the Nugget is to drive. Yes, one sits very high but it’s got a smooth turbodiesel engine, a slick six-speed gearbox and at motorway speeds it’s pretty quiet. There’s even radar cruise control, a big touchscreen that works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a powerful stereo.

The front seats are like captains’ chairs, each with adjustable armrests, while rear passengers have limo-like leg room and a laminate wood floor that wouldn’t look out of place in an apartment. As a home away from home the Nugget can sleep four people comfortably: two in the bed made from the folded rear seats and two in the bunk that drops down from the pop-top.

Arriving in the paddock, the first thing I do is to unlatch the roof which means that there’s standing height inside and so easier access to the kitchen. A decent-sized fridge sits in the worktop, there’s a sink with hot and cold running water and a decent amount of space to prepare food, plus a double gas burner to cook it on. Assorted cupboards provide storage as well as space under the rear seats/bed.

There are also two features that I think better of trying in my rather public parking space behind the pit garages: a chemical toilet (with a sliding privacy screen) and an outdoor shower.

I do, however, unwind the awning, effectively doubling the usable space and protecting the BBQ from the torrential downpour that turns qualifying into a series of pirouettes and our pit garage into a pond.

Having cooked up a storm to feed the team, family and friends, I unlatch the top bunk and settle in for an early night in preparation for the next day’s marathon. Despite the lashing rain I stay cozy and dry and am only woken by the sound of power tools in a nearby garage in the morning.

Rotating the front seats around and fitting a table makes the transformation from motel to drivers’ lounge, where I get togged up for the race. If the van’s rockin’ don’t come knockin’ as you’ll catch me in my fireproof underwear, I warn my teammates.

Over the next 12 hours we battle ever-changing weather conditions, each driver taking two stints of around 90 minutes, and popping back to the Nugget for a cool down and recovery. By the end of the race we are in 11th place, slightly battle-scarred but still running well. It’s our second-best result of the season.

As we scoff take-away pizza and pack up our tools and equipment I’m delighted that I don’t need to make the journey home, I can just make my way back to the Nugget and collapse.

Words Nik Berg
Photography Nik Berg & Ford

---