An Interview with National Banger driver 622 Jack Baker
(interview published November 25 2015 in the lead up to the Micro Banger Best Pairs meeting)

Age: 20
Home Town: Gresham
Occupation: Mechanic
Family: Single
Racing career: At the Micro Banger meeting in December 2014

We are looking forward to the first round of the Mildenhall Winter Series and the Micro Banger (Best Pairs) meeting on December 13, is this one you are looking forward to?
Yes and for a lot of reasons. Firstly it should hopefully be a good meeting. The Micro meetings usually are good wherever they are and I think a big part of that is because the cars are pretty much all the same and that is even more the case at Mildenhall, especially if it is a little wet like I suspect it will be in December (laughs). No-one has a particular good car at the meeting and everyone is in the same boat really and I think that is why they are so popular and also so good so I’m looking forward to it for that reason and already it looks like there is going to be a big turnout again so that should make it good, it’s always better being at a meeting where the pits are packed full of cars, it makes for a better atmosphere as well I think. I think that’s also part of the reason why the meetings are so popular because when a meeting looks good and popular it automatically attracts more, it’s like a snowball effect. I’ve some other reasons for looking forward to the meeting though because it’s also going to be a year since I raced for the first time so it will be cool to complete my first year of racing at the same meeting it started at. I’ve had a great year, it’s been so much better than I could have imagined and I’ve really enjoyed it and already looking forward to next year and also I’m teaming with my cousin (Jim Baker) which will be cool.

Tell us a bit more about your team mate?
Jim is a bit older than me, I think he is 27 and he lives in Dorset so we don’t get to see him very often but he made the effort to come up for last year’s meeting when I raced for the first time and he didn’t tell me he was coming so it was a surprise and that was really cool of him. He races as well and does most of his racing at Ringwood, pretty much in bangers, both National and the Rookie types of bangers and I’ve always wanted to race at the same meeting as him so we suggested doing this one and we are building him a car for it. It will be his first time racing at Mildenhall and having come up to visit and watch me last year he is really looking forward to it.

You mention you are building a car for Jim as well as yourself, how difficult is that proving?
It’s been ok. The great thing about these cars is they can be fairly cheap and easy to get and usually are quite easy to build, all being well there should be a good few of us from the (TPL) team which again is because these meetings are among the easier ones to do. Me and Jim have both got Micras and the cars only cost £100 for the pair. I think with (the price of) crap being a bit low it helps because these cars aren’t worth too much anymore so you can get them a little cheaper. What has also helped with these cars is they are the older Micras so they are still running on a carb and not fuel injection which means a lot less work to get them ready to race. We’ve already started on them and should have them done pretty soon all being well.

As you mentioned you are coming to the end of your first season of racing, how well do you think it has gone?
It’s been great and I’ve had a great time and hoping to have an even better season next year. I’ve been quite fortunate because I’ve been able to do all sorts of different meetings from Micros up to Unlimited Vans and so I’ve done all sorts of different things and that’s been good and I think I have enjoyed that a lot more than if I had stuck to doing the same kind of racing and cars all year, the variety has been really good and hopefully next year I might be able to try some new things. One of them will the pre 70 meeting as I’ve got a car, a Vauxhall Victor and that is one I am really looking forward to doing because the pre 70 is always a good meeting so it will be great to actually be out there (in 2016) although I suspect the car might be a bit more work than the Micros we are building at the moment (laughs).

Speaking of the variety of National Banger formats we have seen you in, this includes several RWD meetings, have you enjoyed those ones?
Yeah, I have. It was really good to do some RWD meetings, my first was the unlimited van meeting so that was quite a jump up from what I had been racing but I had a great time and really enjoyed it and the van was ok after the meeting so we put it in the yard and will dig it out to race again next year. In some ways the van meeting is a bit like the Micro meetings, they are all about having van and it’s nothing too serious and also a lot of drivers race their cars the way they find them, rather than changing engines and doing other things to make them more competitive and that’s how banger racing should be. I think it’s part of the reason why the van meeting has become more popular again at Mildenhall and I think it should continue really because everyone wants to have fun when they race don’t they. The other RWD meetings were good, I had the Omega at the 2litre RWD meeting and Volvo at the RWD Championship and I enjoyed them a lot. Again they were just so different to what I was used to and it’s good to do different things so I’m hoping to do some more meetings like this next year, depending on what cars come my way, hopefully I will do a proper unlimited at Mildenhall as well. The RWD Championship was almost like an unlimited (laughs) but then I did the Halloween meeting at King’s Lynn which was a blast and I loved that so if I’m able to do more meetings like that in the future I will. I’m also really looking forward to the (1400cc Suffolk Open team championship on Good Friday) again, that was great last year, again I think it’s that buzz from being at a meeting with loads of cars in the pits.

You also supported the remaining Winter Series meetings last year, is that the plan again this year and if so what are your thoughts about the final round on January 31 which is now non Focus and Vectras as well as Mondeos?
I really enjoyed the Winter meetings last year but then again I was just starting and everything was all new and really exciting for me so I guess I would do (laughs). But again the great thing I think about the Winter Series is you almost expect the track to be a bit wet and that means everyone racing is on the same level, there is no advantage from good cars or engines or tyres or anything like that and to be fair I don’t think anyone bothers because they know it won’t get them anywhere. And again the emphasis is very much on fun. I’m not saying other meetings aren’t less fun but when I did my first meetings in the main season you did notice the atmosphere was just a little more serious than I found it at the winter meetings. I have every intention of doing the winter meetings again this year but typically I’ve got a Focus leftover from another meeting which I was going to use (on January 31) but now they are not allowed so I will have to find something else (laughs). To be fair I think (excluding Focus’ and Vectras) is probably for the best, these meetings are becoming more and more Focus based and it’s good to have variety of cars at any meeting and I think by not having them there you might get more drivers race their cars from the previous rounds if they are ok to race again.

Going back to your comment about the Suffolk Open team championship, you have raced your first season with the TPL team, is that something you enjoy doing?
Absolutely and to be honest I probably wouldn’t be able to do it all without them. I’m very grateful to DS who played a massive part in getting me into the racing in the first place, again without him it’s unlikely I would have even started racing in the first place and without him I certainly wouldn’t have done anywhere near the amount of racing that I’ve been able to do this year. But everyone in the team and at the yard helps. It’s a real group effort and everyone is willing to lend a hand and offer advice when needed which is especially helpful for me because I’m still so new to this. They are a great bunch of lads as well and racing with them makes a meeting so much more fun because you are surrounded by great people which can be just as important as the racing itself, that’s why I really like the team meetings because everyone is there for those ones.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
Again DS especially for everything, especially driving the lorry to get me to and from the meetings and for everything he does, fixing the cars as well because I’d be lost without him on that one (laughs) and everyone in the team and at the yard for all their help.