An Interview with 2015 Unlimited Banger Spedeworth World Final runner up 122 Mark Cooper
(interview published February 17 2016 in the lead up to the 2016 Unlimited Banger BBA Supreme Championship)

Age: 19
Home Town: Ringwood
Occupation: Mechanic
Family: Girlfriend Louise
Racing career: Started racing in Junior Rods at Ringwood Cheetas aged 13

You have qualified for the Supreme Championship for the first time and were among the first to confirm your intention to take your place on the grid, is this a race you are looking forward to competing in?
100 per cent, definitely. I was really chuffed when I had found out I’d qualified for it, it’s one of those races that you always think you’d like to be a part off but I wasn’t even that sure how you did qualify for it so to get a place was brilliant and something I had to do. It helps that I’m getting quite keen for shale racing at the moment and I enjoyed my visit to Mildenhall last year for the British Championship so I’m really looking forward to coming back and the fact that it’s for such a big race and this time it is an unlimited meeting is even better.

What is the main appeal of this championship?
Any big championship has an appeal. I remember when I was younger going to Wimbledon for the World Finals and they were so special and now I’ve had a chance to be in some of these big races, it’s an incredible experience each and every time and I can’t wait to add this one to my list. It was a chance I obviously wasn’t going to turn down, again I didn’t ever really know how you qualified for it and now I have and I’ve seen how hard it is, it makes qualifying all the more special so I wasn’t going to turn it down. But it does help that I enjoyed the British so much last year and I’m really enjoying the shale meetings I’ve been doing and this will be my first unlimited meeting at Mildenhall. I much prefer unlimited meetings as a rule and so I’m looking forward to racing one at Mildenhall, again being in such a big race makes it all the more special for me.

Does the race have more appeal to you being unlimited as a pose to a National meeting?
It does. I do enjoy racing Mondeos but I tend to only racing them when I race locally, mainly at Ringwood and it’s very rare that I travel with one, the British was a real exception. I’m sure I would have done the Supreme this year regardless of what cars it was, especially being my first time in the race, but I’m definitely pleased it’s an unlimited event now because that is the format I enjoy the most and I think most of the big occasions in the sport now are unlimited ones, they seem to be the ones which get the most fans come and usually the big meetings get plenty of cars.

Have you any kind of experience of the meeting?
I’ve been to watch a couple of times I think. I came to watch last year when Dave Vincent won and I thought it was an excellent meeting and an excellent race, really lively with lots going on the whole time, what a banger race should be really with everyone having to fight their way just to get round the track and Dave (Vincent) was brilliant and really deserved the win.

Do you expect the race to be lively again this year?
If there is a big grid of cars again then it’s almost guaranteed because of the size of the track. The British Championship was absolute mayhem and there wasn’t quite 40 cars in it I think and that was with everyone mostly in Mondeos so if you have a similar number but everyone is in unlimited it’s going to be really busy out there. I like that kind of racing though where you have to use your head and it’s more about the driver reading the race and making the right moves rather than just who has the fastest car or who gets the best grid position. Again going back to when I watched last year it was great to watch (Dave) Vincent because he did just that, you could see him making all his moves and picking his way through and it was fascinating to watch, now I’ve got to try and do it myself (laughs).

What will be more important in this race, speed or strength?
I don’t think it will be speed. Again the good thing about Mildenhall is between the size of the track and a big field of cars, it’s going to slow the cars down because there will be so much traffic so it will be hard to get a real turn of speed because even if you get away, before you know it you’ll be in traffic again so I don’t think you will need the fastest car out there, just to be on the pace really but you will need a car that’s going to survive and be there at the end so I think that will be more important.

That said, have you given any thought as to what car you intend to race?
It will probably be a Scorpio estate, I just really like them, they are good all round cars, pretty quick and usually strong enough for the job and I know what I’m doing with one now as well so I can build one fairly quickly and I like to think I can build one pretty well and it’s good enough for the job so I’m going to stick with what I know and see how I get on with it. Obviously it will be my first one at Mildenhall as it’s my first unlimited but I used a Scorpio at King’s Lynn for the Icebreaker and that went well so that was encouraging.

Much has been said about the costs involved in unlimited racing in 2016 with the price of the cars a main factor and the Scorpio has often been mentioned as one of the most expensive, is this something you would agree with?
Unfortunately that is true. The problem is you don’t see (Scorpios) on the road now so the only way to get them is from people who have them which is usually drivers who don’t want them anymore but they still know what they are worth so you have to pay the asking price even though scrap is low at the moment. It’s not so bad for me because I can put up with the price of the cars as I don’t race that often and also racing a Scorpio makes my life a little easier because I know what to do with one and that they are good cars. But I have started looking at other things, I raced a Lexus at the Heavy Metal Classic and that was good and they are a bit more readily available so I think I might race some more of them in the future.

Have you any targets or hopes for the race?
To finish it would be nice (laughs). I think to be fair, finishing might be quite an achievements as the years I’ve been there haven’t been many finish and if it is a lively and action packed race like I think it will be then there won’t be many finishers so if you can be there at the end you’ve a chance of finishing somewhere decent I think.

Do you think visiting Mildenhall last summer for the British Championship will help you here?
A little but not much. The British was in a Mondeo and this being unlimited will be completely different but I think having a meeting at Mildenhall in the past will help because you just have that little bit of experience about the track which will hopefully help the nerves and stuff like that. Also it gives you a little confidence as when I did the British I felt I was able to get to grips with the track pretty quickly and be on the pace so that will hopefully give me the confidence that I can do the same here.

Do you think there are any standout favourites for the title this year?
I think Dave Vincent will be a good bet again. He was so good when he won last year and he knows the track very well, goes really well on shale and seems to go well in lively and hectic races but also Dan Lathan, he always goes well whenever I’ve been to Mildenhall. I think the shale regulars will have a bit of an advantage but with a lot of cars and a small track, everyone has a chance, and everyone who has qualified is good so you can’t count anyone out but I think that is a good thing and makes for an exciting race.

Mentioning shale regulars we’ve seen a little more of you shale over the past year or so, are you enjoying your shale racing?
Very much. My first (shale) meeting was Heinegone and I took a Lincoln limo so I don’t think I got the best experience of racing on shale because that whole night was just about crashing. The British was brilliant, I don’t enjoy racing Mondeos too much which is why I tend to only race them locally but I really enjoyed that and then I did the Icebreaker in January which I guess was my first real unlimited meeting on shale and that was brilliant, I had a great time. It’s so different to racing on shale, the thing I remember most was one race where I thought I was going really well and I looked over a Volvo 240 was passing me. I don’t think you’d see a Volvo pass a Scorpio on tarmac very often and I just thought that was cool (laughs). I’m hoping to do a few more shale meetings if I can this season.

Much has been said of the tarmac scene at present especially with comments about the costs of being competitive, do you agree with these comments?
It’s not all bad. Don’t get me wrong there are issues but it’s nowhere near as bad as some make out and there are still some excellent meetings on tarmac so it can’t be that bad. To be fair, the biggest thing I have noticed from the shale meetings I have done is nothing to do with the cars really and it’s just that the shale meetings seem to be a bit more relaxed. I’ve no idea why but I’ve found the shale meetings I’ve done so far, and they’ve all been big meetings’ to be a lot more laid back than most tarmac ones and it’s something I’ve really enjoyed and if that is always the case then I can see why drivers would enjoy that.

On a similar note, Spedeworth, the promotion you are registered with have also received a lot of negative press lately, as one of their drivers do you feel these comments are fair or not?
No, I think most of what has been said is pretty unfair but I think it’s like a lot of things in life and people are very happy to have a dig when something isn’t quite right. To be honest, I’ve had no issues as a driver and I’m quite happy, the only thing I would say is that there have been some meetings I’ve done, like the BWS round at Eastbourne last year, where there is so little time between the races and that can make it very hard to get your car fixed in time and it’s possible that at the meetings with little repair time, drivers are more wary of crashing because they know they won’t have time to fix their cars for the next race so I think that is something they should look into.

On the subject of Spedeworth, much has also been said about the future of Wimbledon Stadium which appears to be limited, will this be a venue you will miss should it close?
Very much. A bad day at Wimbledon is better than a good day at most places (laughs). It will be a great shame if we no longer have a track in the capital and the track has so much history so it will be a real shame if it does close.

What are your thoughts on the new ORCi ruling for 2016 insisting that drivers must stay in their cars while a race is in progress?
I think it is an excellent rule myself. I’ve been to Emmen a couple of times where they have the rule and I’ve never seen anyone get hurt and I think a lot of that is because people stay in their cars. Obviously people need to be a bit more respectful to each other, at the Icebreaker we were told in the (driver’s) briefing that once a car was stationary for two laps it wasn’t to be intentionally hit and I think that is right so there will need to a little bit of give and take to make it work but I do think it’s a good rule.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
My sponsors, A4 Recycling, Tony Smith Kitchens and Winford Tyre Depot and my dad and girlfriend for all their help and support.