An Interview with National Banger driver 95 Anton Martin
(interview published April 29 2015 in the lead up to the Unlimited Banger EA Team Championship and Mildenhall on May 9)

Age: 33
Home Town: Red Lodge
Family: Wife Sarah and three chidren
Occupation: Breakers yard owner
Racing career: Started racing in National Bangers at Arena Essex five years ago.

With the unlimited EA team championship coming up you actually expressed an interest in the meeting when bookings first opened but your team, Twisted Metal was one of the later teams to confirm their place, was this a meeting you were keen to take part in?
It was because I’m really enjoying my rear wheel drive and unlimited racing at the moment. Before I started racing at Mildenhall and was racing most at Arena Essex I never really got into that kind of racing very much but now I’ve started I’m finding that I’m really enjoying it but we don’t have too many meetings like that at Mildenhall so I’ve been quite keen to try and take advantage of the ones that are there. It helps that I’ve got a car (a Toyota Supra) already built and ready to go which made me even more keen to try and find a way of doing the meeting so it was then a matter of trying to sort a team out for the night.

You are racing for Twisted Metal on this occasion and it’s a somewhat unusual line up, can you tell us how the team came together and what your intentions and chances are likely to be on the night?
Well the guys I usually race with in Team Relentless weren’t able to do this one so I got talking to Dave Lewis to see if maybe he was having a Twisted Metal team and if I could race with him. He was in the same boat as me because he had a car, that old Yank he’s been using at the Mildenhall unlimited meetings and he fancied doing but he didn’t have a team either. So I said to him that me and him made two and we just needed to find two more (laughs). Matty (Butcher) had also mentioned to me that he was keen to do the meeting if he could find a team so when me and Dave got together I contacted him and he jumped at it which was cool and then we got Foxy (322 Thomas Fox) because he had his Granada still and that was it so in the end it all came together quite easily, just a little later than some of the others I guess (laughs). I don’t know what our chances are really, it’s not so much about that for us though, it’s just about having a good time and I doubt we will take too seriously, as long as we enjoy the night, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it. But we’ve a few solid cars for it, I’ve a Supra and I think they are pretty hard, Dave’s got his Yank and I think Matty is building a Previa and they are pretty hard as well so it’s probably poor Foxy in his Granada who will get squashed (laughs)!

Have you paid much attention to the entry for the meeting and if so have you any thoughts on it?
Yes, I have had a look and it looks pretty good to me. It’s not the biggest of entries but there are some good drivers and teams in there so I think it could be a good meeting. To be honest I always enjoy the unlimited meetings at Mildenhall so I’m pretty sure I’ll be smiling whatever happens (laughs). There is a pretty good mix of crashers and racers as well and I always think that is good because it spices things up a little bit and makes it more exciting and that’s what you want as a driver from a meeting, you want good racing. The (second British qualifier) was a meeting where I noticed how important it is to have a variety of drivers. I know you shouldn’t have friends on track but sometimes you can’t help it, you make friendships in the racing and then when you are on track together you are a little more hesitant to hit the guys you race against and that meeting was a bit like that for me and I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I have other meetings but that won’t be the case here. In fact I think most of the teams will be having a good go at each other, you’ve got some crashing teams who will just crash into anything and also there are a few good teams who will fancy themselves at winning it but will have to take the others out to do it. Hopefully if they all take each other we might have a chance (laughs).

It’s just been announced that the Gypsy Crew and Predators will be having a 10 on 10 head to head challenge at the start of the meeting, is that a race you will make a point of watching?
Of course, head to heads are always special and I can’t see any reason why this will be any different, especially in unlimited bangers because that is not something you see very often so it could be pretty special given the cars they will be using so it should be a good team race. I’m quite glad that I know my car is already ready so I shouldn’t have any of the last minute problems I’ve had lately so I can make sure I can watch that and if both teams get some cars back out for the team championship later on that should be good as well because I’m sure they will spice things up even more.

We’ve seen a noticeable improvement from you recently on the results front including a pair of podium finishes in finals this year at Mildenhall but you are still looking for that first win. Is that a source of frustration for you at all or are you more pleased with the results you have had and is there any specific reason for this recent increase in fortunes?
I admit I have been trying just a little bit harder. Not so much that it’s got too serious because racing is all about having fun for me but a few of my friends, Craig and Brett Osborne in particular, having been giving me a fair bit of stick about never qualifying for finals so I kind of decided to try a little harder at doing that just so I could give them a bit of stick back and I’ve been having a fair bit of luck with it and some really good results which I’ve enjoyed and (Mechanic) Kev really appreciates it when I have a race rather than a crash because there is a lot less work for him to do on the car in the pits after the race (laughs). I’m not too worried about not having a win yet, it’s not what I go racing for and if it happens, it happens. Don’t get me wrong it would be great for it to happen but it’s far from the end of the world but it has been nice to qualify for some finals and have some good races. The closest I came was at the Accumulator championship meeting last year when I was winning and Darren Fendley came past me and I thought I’ve got to have a go back so I managed to stuff him into a dead car and take him out but Craig (Osborne) came past me instead and I still finished second. Craig still won’t stop going on about that (laughs)! For me, my target now usually is to do the first 10 laps of a race and when the lap boards come up I go from there. If I think I’ve a chance of qualifying I usually keep on going and try and get in the final but if it’s all gone wrong then I might have a crash instead. Whatever happens it’s always good (laughs).

You have recently relocated to the Mildenhall area, how have you found things since the move and how are you enjoying the switch to shale racing?
The biggest difference I have noticed is how friendly people are this way and things seem a lot more laid back and relaxed, not just at the track but in the area as a whole and I really like it. I’ve made a lot of new friends and I’m glad we made the move, it’s been excellent for the whole family. I really wasn’t sure how I would get on racing on shale, having pretty much only ever raced on tarmac but I’ve found I’ve really enjoyed it. The first meeting I did at Mildenhall was the Good Friday team meeting which was a real case of being in at the deep end but again it went well and I had a really good day and that was it from there, now I have little interest in racing on tarmac, all I want to do is race on shale but whenever I go to King’s Lynn I always have problems so that’s something to try and get better on!

Speaking of shale, we’ve had some rather difficult conditions at Mildenhall this season, how have you found these challenges?
It honestly doesn’t bother me, it’s just part of the fun and also part of the appeal of a shale track to me because it’s always different to the meeting before. Even when the track is good, it’s still different to the race or meeting before and that’s great. I even enjoy the wet meetings usually. There was one where it was just too wet for me but even things like the pre 70 meeting last year, I know it was a shame with the weather but I still had a great time and really enjoyed it. The holes and bumps we’ve had at some meetings this year at Mildenhall have been interesting but again that’s just part of it, it wasn’t so much fun when I got rolled over at the (first British qualifier) but that’s one of those things, it’s still good fun (laughs).

Have you made any plans for the remainder of 2015?
My intention at the moment is to do all of the meetings at Mildenhall or at least as many of them as I can. Things are a bit easier for me in May because I had the Supra left over which I’m using at the team meeting and I’m using my Mk1 Cortina from last year for this year’s pre 70 and I’ve already pretty much got that ready so that’s given me a bit of a head start but I’m hoping to do some different things this year like the Siamese meeting. I’ve never done it but it looks like so much fun so I was pretty keen to do it and Nat (Cohn) has agreed to do it with me but on the condition that I go in the top car, the trouble is I think he’s forgotten that I’ll be doing the steering that way (laughs). And I’ll also be doing the (unlimited) van meeting as well. Again my van is already because I had it built for last year but the engine blew up the day of the meeting. It was a shame really because the meeting looked really good but it’s just made me look forward to doing this year’s meeting that bit more.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
Sarah for all of her support and help and for driving the lorry as well and Kev for all his help with my cars.