How did you find Brisca F1 Stock Cars?
Brothers friend took him to Rochdale one Saturday night, then Hyde Road, in 1978. They then took me to Odsal. My first meeting in my 14th year. Went on from there doing 90+ meetings a year, when you could. Watched racing at Long EatonCovLeicester rather than Blackburn etc. on Saturday nights, even though ˝ hour journey to BBurn. Better standard of racing and more cars down there. Massive Smithy fans always.
What gave you the incentive to race
Having watched for so many years just thought it was time I had a go so I could say I’ve done it. I was sponsoring 515 and 212 at the time (through the shop where I worked) so ’92 was the time to go for it fully backed by my wife Dawn. Just one meeting and that would be it!!! Yeah right.
First Car - Built, Bought or Borrowed
Hired a Frank car for Bolton meeting, had my own bonnet painted up with sponsorship etc. Decided to go from the front rather than the back, after all it was going to be my only chance of racing. Recall spinning coming out of turn 4, hitting the fence head-on down the straight. Fired her back up and carried on. Small fire melting my boots while I was mid way through but still carried on. Graham Blundell came up to me after and said “You’ve done it now mate.....when you carried on after that shunt, I knew you were bitten....” Raced 4 or 5 meetings after that in ’92. Frank built the ’94 car for me after further “investment” by me. In which I earned my Yellow roof and had a “real” season being far more competitive. (Don’t get me started on the whole “Money Talks” topic, please!!!) Fairly sure that the car went on to be used by Stu Milnes 390 the following year.
Memory of your first race.
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Best Racing Memory
Managing to hit Kev Smith hard in the GN at Hartlepool in ‘94. He’d buried me in the same fence post each of the three races previously that day. Heard the crowd cheering big time when I did it. He managed to keep it out of the fence however. One of my best memories.
Worst Racing Memory
Worst memories were the bloody car not starting two races in a row at Odsal in ’93. I had a strop the full length of the rugby pitch. Helmet throwing the lot. Dawn slapped the back of my legs like a sulking child before I managed to make it back to the pits to have it out with Frank.
Reason for Retiring
Didn’t actually retire........kept my racing number for ’95 but never raced again. Job changed and I also discovered that I had damaged my spine quite badly and my discs were corroding. Married Dawn, had two fabulous girls Nicole and Georgia, changed jobs a few more times. Been working with pretty much the same company for the last 15-20 years.
After Retiring - What Then?
Get to watch every now and then but not as much as I would like. The racin’ is every bit as good as it was, sometimes even better. The buzz is still the same, the people are just as amazing and BriSCA F1 Stock Car Racing is now in Nicole’s blood. She’s like the proverbial chip.......God Bless everyone involved in the racing family there’s no-one quite like them and there’s nothing quite like the butterflies when the F1’s start up.....
