An Interview with National Banger driver Joe Ninety 90 Adrian Harboard
(interview published April 23 2014 in the lead up to the Unlimited Banger EA Team Championship and Mildenhall on May 10)

Age: 48
Home Town: Lincs
Occupation: Fabricator
Family: Fiancé Angie, daughters Amber, Jade and Charley and four step children
Racing career: Started racing BriSCA F2 Stockcars at Skegness aged 23

This is the first time the Chicken Edz have entered a team for the unlimited EA team championship at Mildenhall, what brought about that decision and are you looking forward to it?
I’ve done the meeting quite a few times before but obviously in other peoples teams and it’s always been a meeting I’ve enjoyed a lot and so I wanted to do it again this year but this time (daughter) Amber was keen to race so we felt it would be nice to get our own team together and race in our usual colours. I think that is always the best option when it’s available, putting in your own team rather than racing for someone else. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with that, I just think it’s better to have your own team and it will be nice to have the Chicken Edz team out there again. We’ve done the Good Friday team meeting before and had a great time and I’m sure this will be every bit as good. We know we are not likely to be contenders for the title at all but that’s not what it is about for us, it’s just about having fun and enjoying ourselves and I’m pretty sure we will at this meeting.

Alongside you and Amber you’ve a couple of drivers who are far from known for their unlimited outings, in fact this will be their unlimited banger debuts, is that something you are looking forward to?
Yes I am, they are really excited about it and looking forward to it so I think that will make the night even more enjoyable. It won’t be their first time racing unlimited cars though as they are doing an unlimited rookie banger event at Scunthorpe to get a bit of practise in first! But it will be their first unlimited National but hopefully if their rookie meeting goes ok it might help them out a bit and they will have a better idea of what way to point the car in!

This meeting is something of a family affair for you as your son in law (Amber’s husband, 282) Bobby Daniels has entered a team of Mr Men into the meeting, could we see a bit of a family rivalry between you?
(laughs) Yeah, you could as it goes as I would love nothing more than to smash him up and he’d say the same about me but in all honesty I doubt we will, well maybe in the DD perhaps. We’ve been doing a few rookie meetings in between our National meetings lately, just to get a bit more racing in and it’s always fun when we take each other out. I guess we are that kind of family and it’s a great buzz setting about each other and for us there is no better way to enjoy yourselves. I still say that one of my greatest memories in banger racing was in the DD at last year’s pre 70 meeting when me and (daughters) Amber and Jade were all in the same pile-up, laughing and waving at each other, that was just fantastic and one of my best moments ever.

You recently competed at the Unlimited Supreme Championship at Mildenhall, a meeting some are still talking about, did you enjoy the evening?
I loved it, I had a great night. For me it was excellent because I had a good race to start with in the last chance race and then got to smash it up later on which to me is how banger racing should be. Even though I didn’t qualify for the championship I was really pleased to finish fifth in the last chance race because I got taken out early on so to get a good result was fantastic and then I just went crashing like everyone else did later in the night. There was a fantastic atmosphere that night, a real buzz in the air and it made the whole meeting so much more enjoyable. The only disappointment was that when I had my head-on with Nutty Nige (421 Nigel Riley) it broke something in the engine, otherwise I would have done another race at least. It was just one of those strange ones, nothing in the engine got hit but something inside broke which was a shame but that’s racing.

You are a regular supporter of the unlimited meetings at Mildenhall, do you like Mildenhall as an unlimited banger track?
I think it’s excellent. Mildenhall is far from local for us, it’s about three hours away which perhaps shows how much we like it but I think it’s fantastic for unlimited bangers. It’s not so big so it means drivers with fancy equipment and stuff don’t really gain that much of an advantage and also because it’s smaller you get the pile-ups and you have to force your way through and that for me is how banger racing should be. I don’t think there is a better feeling than being in a pile-up with the noise and the smoke and steam and feeling the shudder when someone goes in at the back of the pile-up and finally breaking out and doing a lap and going back in, it’s the best feeling.

As a regular in unlimited bangers, what are your thoughts of the recent rule changes, in particular the allowance of manufactured drive shafts and the eventual banning of Toyota Previas?
I really don’t know and I tell you what I would not want to be a scrutineer or a promoter that’s for sure (laughs). With the drive shafts I can see the point. Cars, especially unlimited ones are not cheap now so by the time you get a car on track you’ve probably spend a few hundred quid and while you accept it can get wrecked in a lap you don’t really want to have a little tap in the wrong place and break down, so I can see why people want (fabricated drive shafts) but the other argument is that if a car has a weak spot then tough and where do you draw the line with what is overbuilt and not. I really don’t know the answer on that. It’s the same with the Previas, I can see both sides. It’s supposedly a car you can build in your back garden and I’m all for that but being mid-engined it does give them a massive advantage, especially with a big water tank. Maybe policing the water tanks in them so they could be raced is a better option, I’m not sure but I do think they look awful (laughs).

Have you many plans for the rest of the season?
It’s pretty similar to a normal yeah really. I’m doing the pre 70 again and so are the girls as well and hopefully Bobby so I’m looking forward to that. I’ve got a Riley 4/72 which will be my first Farina and I’m very much looking forward to building and racing that. I love the pre 70, it’s one of my favourite meetings of the year, it’s a proper Mouldy old Dough night (laughs). Honestly you are on the grid with all the old rubbish and you hear Mouldy old Dough being played and the hairs stand on the back of your neck, it’s fantastic. We’ll be doing the (2litre) rear wheel drive meeting too, me and Amber have Mk3 Granada limos for that so that will be cool. I love that weekend and the first race on the Sunday with the few RWD survivors against the FWD stuff is honestly my favourite race of the year. And I’ve also got a Mk3 Granada hearse for the Granada meeting, I’m pleased it’s not Mk1 and Mk2s only again because I don’t have anymore Mk2s!

Mentioning the pre 70, what are your thoughts on the outlawing of turning round at this year’s meeting until the last race of the night?
I think it’s probably for the best. The cars you get that night aren’t really made for that kind of thing anymore and hopefully it will mean more people can get a few laps in before wrecking them which is really what that kind of meeting is all about, you enjoy building your car and then it’s nice to have a few laps or a race and then smash it up.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
Anyone who supports us but especially my girls and in particular Jade who does an awful lot with my cars, Rick and Steve and I’ve not got a couple of young lads who help out, Aiden and James but everyone who helps I’d like to thank because it all makes a difference.