An Interview with Bangerstox driver 8 Sean Cooper
(interview published April 16 in the lead up to round three of the Bangerstox points championship on April 21)

Age: 32
Home Town: Sittingbourne
Occupation: Buy and sell cars
Family: Wife Leanne and two children
Racing career: Started racing Bangerstox in 2013

You were the top points scorer at the first Bangerstox meeting of the season at Dover on April 6, no mean feat especially considering there was the biggest entry in the formula in over two years, were you pleased with how well the meeting went for you?
Yes I was really chuffed, I had a great day and it was a brilliant start to the season for me. After finishing second in the Masters Championship last year I said to myself that trying to win that this year would be my goal for the season and I’ve made a great start which is fantastic. Since I’ve moved up to the blue grade I find the racing a little different because now I’m chasing the car in front rather than being chased and it’s pretty cool and I enjoyed that on Sunday. The race I won was excellent because I was able to lap a lot of the other cars and that was pretty great, that race went about as well as I could have hoped for and I was really pleased to have won.

Your success on Sunday puts you up to the red grade for the first time, are you pleased about that?
Yes I am, that’s really good to get up to the top grade even though I haven’t been racing a whole year yet and I’m going to be doing my best to try and stay in the (red grade) for the rest of the year but I suspect that will be hard work, I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do from the back of the grid. I really enjoyed the challenge of starting in the blue grade so I’d imagine it’s going to be even better going from the red grade.

Given your results at the weekend, is challenging for the points championship something on your radar?
I don’t know really. Unfortunately I can’t do all the meetings this year because of other commitments but I’ll be doing my best at every meeting I race at so you don’t know, we’ll just have to see how it all plays out. Like I said the Masters (Championship) is the one I really want to try and go for this year. Finishing second last year was fantastic, especially because I didn’t do a full season so I didn’t do all the qualifying rounds and started about eighth or ninth so it wasn’t easy. After I came second I said to my wife that trying to win (this year) would be my target, I’m hoping I can get a better grid position this year which I think could make a difference.

After Sunday you are currently top of the qualifying points, how important do you think a good starting place is?
I think it will be very important because if you have a top driver on the front row they can be very hard to catch, especially as they have the benefit of starting with a clear track in front of them which helps you get away from those battling in the pack. In last year’s race I think I was one of the fastest but by the time I’d got through the traffic the front cars had pulled away from me so it was too late. I’m aiming to try and qualify near the front this year, I think if I could get on the front row would be brilliant and I think I’d have a good chance in the race itself.

Your debut in the Bangerstox last summer marked your first on track experience, how did you get involved in the sport and what attracts you to the Bangerstox?
I had a friend who raced and he encouraged me to come and watch and that was the first time I’d even been to watch and I just loved it and straight away wanted a go for myself so I found a car, got it built and started and it’s really escalated from there. My wife and daughter really enjoy it as well, just as much as I do, maybe even more and so that’s brilliant because it’s something we can enjoy together and that helps but I’ve also got a lot of other friends who race as well now. It’s really snowballed from where I work and there is a large group of us racing now which makes it even more enjoyable as we all get on so well and it just makes the meetings that much more fun. I like the formula a lot, it’s fairly easy and a lot of fun but the racing is still exciting and challenging, there is such a buzz from knowing someone is on your tail trying to get past you and you’re driving your hardest to stay in front. And I like (Dover Raceway), it’s a unique little place and I’ve just started to get the hang of the place. It does catch you out though as I struggled with the first race on (April 6) as we’d not raced there for so long but I managed to get back into it. It’s a challenging track and I like that, it adds to the fun.

You recently raced a Micro Banger at Mildenhall did you enjoy that and would you consider racing something else other than a Bangerstox?
Yeah, that was great fun and I really enjoyed it and I think we will all do it again this year at the Micro meeting. It was something different and again it helped that there was a group of us so it was a lot of fun. I don’t think I would ever race bangers full time though but the odd one here and there would be great. To be honest the Bangerstox are ideal for me so I think I’ll just stick with them but hopefully do a couple of banger meetings as well when I can because I enjoyed the Micro one a lot.

Speaking of Mildenhall, you raced your Bangerstox there in January, did you enjoy that and are you looking forward to the Suffolk Championship in June?
Yeah it was good but it was a shame it was so wet and I really struggled, I was happy to just finish the races but I still enjoyed it because again it was a challenge and a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to going back in June and really hoping the weather is better because everyone I’ve spoke to about it says it’s great racing there when the track is good and I’d love to have a good go at that.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
Just my wife and kids for their support, they really enjoy the racing which helps a lot, they’ve not missed a meeting I’ve raced at yet and they look forward to it and enjoy it just as much as I do and their support is a big help.