An Interview with National Banger driver 142 Jack Lower
(interview published September 2 2015 ahead of the National Banger Old Skool team championship)

Age: 18
Home Town: Sudbury
Occupation: Apprentice plumber
Family: Girlfriend Jess
Racing Career: Started racing in Junior Bangers at Swaffham in 2012, aged 14

You are set to race at the Old Skool team championship on September 19 with Team Mates, this is a meeting you have done before, is it one you look forward to and if so what is the attraction?
It’s the third time I’ve done the meeting and I raced with Team Relentless the last two years but this year Team Mates decided to have a go so I’m racing with them and I’m definitely looking forward to it because it is usually an excellent meeting. It’s hard to describe why but I think the head to head heats is the biggest part of it. It’s the only time of the year where we do racing like that and there is a really different buzz to that part of the night. I think it’s a combination of knowing there is a group of drivers who are specifically out to get you and a group that you are out to get and also that feeling of knowing there is a very good chance you are going to be well involved in the race. In most races, you’ll be on the grid and have no idea of what is going to happen next because every race is different but with these ones you have a pretty good idea that you are going to be get stuck in at some point, it’s almost inevitable in a race like this and that is very exciting and a cool thing to be a part of so I can’t wait to do it again, the last two years have been excellent.

As you mentioned, this year you are racing with Team Mates, a team you have raced with before, can you explain how this came about?
It was pretty straight forward really (laughs). They said about doing it and asked me if I’d be up for it and I was and it was about as simple as that! I’ve been doing a few team meetings with them the last few months and I’m spending more and more time with them and because they are quite local to me it’s really helped me a lot and they are a great bunch of guys. It is very much just a group of friends and we race just to have fun and enjoy ourselves but when you are racing with a group of mates that in itself makes it a bit more enjoyable. The last two Old Skool meetings have been really good for me and I’ve really enjoyed them and I can’t see this being any different at all but it will be fun to do it with some different people and just see how that changes things.

Do you think you have a good team and how do you rate your chances for the meeting?
I think the team is pretty solid to be honest and we’ve got a good mix of drivers which I think you really need at this meeting. It’s not like most team meetings because at most team meetings you really need drivers to score points to do well in the actual championship and the importance of the wreckers is not quite as important but that isn’t the case here and you need a bit of everything. You need some drivers to do the laps, not just in the heats but especially in the final as well but you really need the crashers as well and that’s what makes this one so special because it is one of the more crashy meetings of the season, again that is what makes it so exciting to be a part if.

Do you enjoy team racing as a rule?
I do but at the same time I don’t think I would like to be in a team all the time as I enjoy doing the (individual) meetings on my own where I only have to worry about myself and what I’m doing. But team meetings are great for a change every now and again, it’s really cool to have a few meetings where you need to be thinking just as much about your team mates as you are about yourself, that’s the biggest difference I think with these meetings. Well it is for me, because I don’t usually race in a team, you just find yourself constantly trying to keep an eye on your team mates and what they are doing and always thinking if you can help them and that is especially the case with the Old Skool meeting because you have to work together more than ever and I really enjoy that.

You’ve not only competed in the last two Old Skool team meetings but your team has also qualified for the final which for the last two years has been a superb race, are these races you’ve enjoyed and is there a goal for the team this year?
The finals have been really great races but not for me, I think I’ve managed about two laps between them (laughs). But they have been brilliant races and I think it will be the same again this time, hopefully I’ll manage to do a bit more this time if we get that far. I think that is the main goal for us, qualifying for the final. I think it’s the same for most of the teams. It’s weird really because the impression I get from the meeting is that for most teams the thing they want to do more than anything is just win their head to head and if they then win the final, that’s a bit of a bonus. The head to heads are I think a much bigger part of the meeting for a lot of teams and I think it’s been the same for me at least the last two years, we’ve qualified for the final and that’s been brilliant and the fact that we’ve then had no luck in the final didn’t really matter to much, we were just pleased to get into the final. It would be nice to do a little better in the final this time, I think our team is more than capable of doing well in the final but if we qualify for it I’m sure we will be pleased.

That said, are there any teams you would particular like to face or avoid in the head to head heats?
(laughs) You know I’ve honestly not really looked at the entry list for this meeting which is really unlike me. Normally I would look at the entries for meetings I’m doing and I’m sure I will in time but for whatever reason I haven’t yet with this one, maybe it’s because I don’t want to see what I’ve let myself in for (laughs). To be honest I don’t think there is such a thing as an easy race at this meeting, there is maybe harder ones but all the teams out there are good and none of them are going to make it easy for you to win, but again that’s why the meeting is so good because the teams are good as well.

You’ve been enjoying a busier season of racing in 2015, have you been enjoying your year so far?
This year has been a lot better for me than the last couple, mainly because last year I kept blowing up engines all the time and that was hugely frustrating, it felt like all we were doing was blowing engines all the time but we seem to have overcome that now. I think the answer was putting a bit more effort into the cars, the amount of preparation you make makes a huge difference and we’ve put a bit more effort into the cars and seen the results and then when you are doing well it fires you up to race even more so it’s been going really well and we’re enjoying ourselves a lot, not just me but all the people involved who help me so much.

Speaking of the work involved, can you tell us how much time you spend working on your cars?
It’s a lot more than before this year where we were trying to get by without doing as much and a lot of it was rushing around on the day of the meeting or the day before which is why I had so many problems. We try not to spend every night down the yard but when you are doing well and enjoying your racing its’s almost hard to have a night off because you want to get on with the next car. It depends on what meetings I’m doing because I’m not able to race all the time but when we have a meeting at the weekend we are usually at the yard most nights. The biggest problem we have is that we’ve no shelter where we build the cars, everything is done outside so we have to make the most of when the weather is ok because it’s no fun trying to build cars when it’s raining or freezing cold which is annoying because I do enjoy the Winter Series meetings but trying to get cars ready for them can be a nightmare.

We’ve seen several times this season, your crashy side come out a little more, is that something you’ve enjoyed?
Yeah, it’s been good although lately I’ve been trying harder to get a race or even a meeting from the cars before smashing them up. It was getting tough wrecking a car every meeting and I’m not able to build more than what I’m doing right now so if I wrecked a car it meant less racing and if I was able to make it last I could do a little more so it’s been good to take those opportunities when I can. But of course the crashing is great, the Supreme Championship I think was the highlight for me, I had a great night then and really loved it.

We’ve started to see a bit more of you at unlimited meetings are these ones you enjoy?
I do but the problem with unlimited cars is they are that bit more expensive to get and more time to build so it’s not easy for me but they are excellent to race. There is definitely a bigger buzz from an unlimited meeting, I’m not quite sure why, maybe because they tend to attract bigger crowds of people I don’t know, but they are really great and I hope to keep doing them as and when I can.

Speaking of your unlimited meetings at Mildenhall this season, you’ve been involved in two of the best pile-ups we’ve seen this year at the Supreme Championship (Allcomers) and Suffolk Open (consolation), did you enjoy them?
Yeah, they were great. Piling in to a pile-up for a big hit is an amazing buzz and I guess waiting for the next hit to come in on you is a buzz as well, I just prefer it when it happens quickly, get it over and done with (laughs).

You are a driver who tends to race all formats of National Banger racing, is there a format you particular enjoy?
I enjoy all of it because the variety is one of the things I like about the sport, I enjoy racing different things, if it was all the same it would get a little boring. I think that is another reason why I enjoy the unlimited meetings because you get that variety of cars and that is always better I think and you don’t get it so much at say a (National) meeting where everyone is in Mondeos. That said the Mondeos are good. I know a lot of people don’t like them but I think they are good and while they are a harder car, once you’ve raced them a couple of times I find them to be not much different to anything else and once you have the kit for them they are quite easy to build and the cars are relatively easy to come by. The novelty events are great as well, I did the Siamese meeting again this year and that was great fun although I was downstairs this time which I think was better (laughs), it’s always good to do something different.

Have you any plans for the remainder of 2015 and beyond?
I tend to just take things as they come. I’m looking forward to the White and Yellow Grade Series Final again as I should be in that. I had engine problems in that last year and so didn’t do very well so now things are going a little better it would be good to have a good crack at that and see how I get in. I would also like to do the caravan race if I could find one. I was meant to do it last year and had two cars, one for the meeting and one for the caravan and again we had engine problems with both the night before and so I didn’t race at all, that was how bad it got last year with engines. We’ve not got a caravan at the moment but it was so disappointing missing it last year so I’d like to try and find one but I’m sure I’ll do (Halloween Havoc) at least.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
There are a lot of people who help me and I’m grateful to them all but especially Chris who does so much to help me, with cars and helping to build and transport them so him especially.