An Interview with National Banger ace Charlie Boy 204 Charlie King
(interview published February 10 2016) ahead of the first 2016 British QF and the 2016 Supreme Championship)

Age: 32
Home Town: Burgess Hill
Occupation: Machine driver
Family: Wife Katie and children Ruby, Grace and George
Racing career: Started Rookie Bangers aged 20

Last season saw you qualify for the British Championship but for the first time as an RDC driver and via the RDC qualifying rounds, is this a target again for 2016?
It is and hopefully I’ll make a better effort with it this year as last year I didn’t do all the rounds I wanted to because I wasn’t very well so it was probably harder work than it needed to be but I’m planning to have a busy year this year and qualifying for the British Championship is a part of it. But I can’t do one of the rounds at Mildenhall as I’m hoping to go to Cowdenbeath for the BBA World Cup which is the same night as one of the rounds. I’ve not been to Scotland for a long time so we decided we fancied going back so hopefully the first round will go well and get me off to a good start.

What is the appeal of the British Championship?
It’s always been a good race to be in. There are always lots of good drivers and it’s a good buzz to be in it, like all championships really and to be honest I’ve got the buzz back for trying to win a championship for the first time and I would love to win one at RDC now I’m registered there. A couple of years back I had pretty much assigned myself to the fact that I was probably never destined to win a big championship in the sport but I think part of that was because where I was racing, the sport was going in a direction that wasn’t really to my style and it was clear it was going to be extremely difficult for me to win a big race. But now I don’t feel like that and I feel that certainly at RDC I am more than capable of winning one of the big races and having never won one, that’s something I would like to do. Also where I was very ill last year and that is an ongoing thing it has made me realise that I won’t be able to do this forever so I need to make the most of the time I’ve got in the sport which is part of the reason why I’m hoping to have a big year this year.

Your road to the British Championship last year saw you race at Dover for the first time, did you enjoy your visit and might we see you there again this year?
I won’t lie, I was a bit worried when I arrived as I’d never been there before and you probably can’t repeat the words I used to describe the place (laughs) but at the end I had a great day. It was a lot of fun and being such a small, tight track and with all the lumps and bumps, you do feel a bit like you are in a yo-yo going down the straight (laughs) but it’s great for banger racing because it takes out any advantage from good cars and equipment, it’s all on the driver, or at least I’d like to think it is because I scored a load of points that day (laughs). We are hoping to go back this year, probably for at least one British qualifying round if all goes to plan.

Last year saw you register with RDC and you have stayed for 2016, this is perhaps a little surprising given that most of the racing you did in 2015 was at Mildenhall which is a 260miles round trip for you, what was the appeal?
I needed a change really. I’d been racing at Spedeworth my whole career and things had changed there and the racing had become very competitive, very serious and quite clicky as well between the drivers and I just found I wasn’t enjoying it so much and at the end of the day you need to enjoy your racing as otherwise what is the point. In the meantime every time we visited Mildenhall we had really enjoyed ourselves so we figured we would just visit more often. Yes it’s a lot further but the plan was to do less meetings but hopefully enjoy what we doing more and had I not been so ill last year I would have raced more and hopefully that will be the case this year. It’s clear that racing on tarmac has got a lot more expensive for drivers because without the right equipment you are going to struggle but you also need to spend a lot of time making your car absolutely spot on and for me that takes a bit of the fun out of it. On shale it’s not as serious as that and I’ve just found the racing at Mildenhall to be a lot more laid back and relaxed and it seems that when it’s like that there is more time to enjoy yourself. The other thing I’ve noticed about racing at Mildenhall is the variety of drivers you get and it’s not the same people every time. Take the Winter Series meeting (on January 31), I didn’t recognise about 70 per cent of the drivers there but it was still great, everyone was smiling and enjoying themselves like it should be, it’s good racing against different people because it keeps thinks interesting. The only thing I wish it that the Mildenhall meetings started earlier so I got home earlier after one (laughs)!

Having mentioned your health a couple of times can we ask about that as you mentioned that poor health restricted your racing in 2015?
Yeah, I’ve got an issue with my kidneys and at some stage down the line I will need a kidney transplant but hopefully that is a way off yet. The trouble I had last year is while the doctors where trying to establish exactly what was wrong with me I was trying a lot of different medications to try and help me and the truth is sometimes it would knock me absolutely sideways and as a result I wasn’t able to race as much as I wanted to. Hopefully this year will be different. After trying a few things I’m now much more settled with the treatment they want me to use and so far, it’s going pretty well and while I’m not right, I’m a lot better than I was so hopefully that will allow me to do a bit more racing this year.

Among your early season plans is the Supreme Championship, this set to be your fourth appearance in the race in the last six years, having sometimes failed to qualify for the race, are you pleased to be in the race again this year?
Of course, like the British this is one of the big races of the year and it’s always a great thing to qualify for. What makes this one so special is the standard of people in the race, it’s so hard to get into and therefore everyone in the race is good because they have had to have done something pretty impressive the year before either in a championship race or a points championship so when you are out there, you look around and everyone is really good and being on a grid like that is always cool so I’m really pleased to be back in the race again. The last time I was in the race, it was over pretty quick as I broke a drive shaft so I’m hoping to do better than that!

Have you a target or a goal in mind for the race?
I want to win it. Trouble is I’m guessing that almost everyone else will be saying the same thing (laughs). Again I’ve got that bug again to try and win a big race in the sport, it’s something I’ve never done before and now I feel like I’m capable of doing it again and I think this is a good example of that, if I have the luck on the night then why not?

What kind of race are you expecting?
Every Supreme I’ve done, especially the unlimited ones, have always been really lively and hectic races and as long as there is a good grid again I should think this year will be exactly the same which is good for me I think. Those are the races I enjoy, where you have to use your head and get through the gaps, again if it’s lively then I think I have a chance providing I have the luck.

Have you decided what car you are going to use?
Yes, I’m going for a Volvo 240 which I guess might seem a strange choice for a big banger championship in 2016 but at Mildenhall I think it’s ideal and it’s no wonder guys like Chubby (382 Jack Foster Jnr), Boxer (331 Jason Jackson) and Shorty (148 Ian Redden) have been using them at this meeting the last couple of years. Being a small track and especially if there is a lot of traffic a Volvo will be more than quick enough and they are a really strong car as well, there are a lot less things on them that break compared to a lot of the unlimited cars these days so hopefully it will be tough enough to be there at the end, I used a Volvo at last year’s meeting and nearly qualified in the last chance race but I had a great night in the car so I think it will be the right car for the night.

Is speed or strength more important for a car in a race like this?
I think you need strength really more than speed. Speed is important, you’ve got to be on the pace but the speed in this race is likely to be a lot less than other big races elsewhere, which is good in my opinion. I think the key to it, is a well-built car which is reliable and doesn’t let you down, especially if there is a blockage which could easily happen with turning round permitted, when you get the blockages and you have to beat a way through lap after lap, that is where good car preparation comes into its own.

Have you paid much attention to the drivers who have qualified and confirmed their bookings and if so who do you fancy as leading contenders?
I haven’t and to be honest I never really do, most of the time I just turn up and race without ever worrying to much about who else is going to be there. I’d like to see an RDC driver win if I’m honest, someone like Dan Lathan or Craig Osborne especially because they do pretty much every meeting at Mildenhall and so it would be good to see someone that supports the track so much win or Victor (188 John Reeves) or Andy Battle, guys like that. I think people like that do have an edge because they race on the shale regularly which helps but it would also be great to see someone like that win a big race like this because I think this race gives drivers like that a chance to win a major championship where, like me, they might struggle a little elsewhere because of how different the racing is.

Moving on from the Supreme Championship, you are once again set to race at the 1400cc Suffolk Open team championship but for the first time with the Seasiders team at this event, an afternoon set to see you, your brother Mike and dad Dave race together for the first time, is this something you are looking forward to?
Not really because they will probably get in the way (laughs). It’s funny because we didn’t realise we’d not raced together until it was pointed out to us. We’ve all raced with each other in various combinations but never all three at the same time so that will be good as long as they both understand that fixing my car is the priority (laughs). Poor Mike, I suspect he’ll be last (priority) like always! It should be a good day as most of the rest of the team is family as well so it should be a good laugh if nothing else, again it’s a meeting where you don’t take things very seriously, it’s just about having fun and enjoying yourself.

Have you any plans for the rest of 2016?
Not really, I’ve not looked at the fixtures too much, I think we will just take things one step at a time but I am hoping to do a little travelling again when it fits in with other things. As I said I want to go back to Cowdenbeath this year as it’s been a while and I’d like to do the World Final at Taunton again as I usually enjoy that one.

On the subject of 2016 it has recently been announced of a new rule throughout the ORCi excluding drivers from exiting their cars while a race is underway, what are your thoughts on this?
To be honest it won’t make too much difference to me as I very rarely get out of my car anyway so I’m not too worried but I think if there is a time when you think you are in danger and for whatever reason the race isn’t stopped you will probably get out. I think most drivers will feel the same and as long as some common sense is shown and understanding when a driver gives their reasons for getting out then there shouldn’t be a problem but there have been so many close calls lately I can understand why the rule has been brought in and in general I do agree with it, I just think officials have to understand that there are going to be times when a driver decides the best thing is to jump out and they need to respect that.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
Katie for all her support, my mechanics Bum and Joe who do so much for me, I’m at a stage in life now where I can’t stand building the cars and those two honestly do the majority of it for me, I’m almost an arrive and drive racer now and I owe them so much, my dad for everything he has done for me, without him I wouldn’t be doing this and my brother Mike for his help.