An Interview with 2014 1800cc Banger Suffolk Open Champion and Allstar Dash for Cash winner Gibbo 400 Mark Gibbons
(interview published December 23 2014 in the lead up to round two of the 2014/5 Mildenhall Winter Series)

Age: 25
Home Town: North Walsham
Occupation: Manual machinist
Family: Girlfriend Abbie
Racing career: Started racing in 2011 at Swaffham in Micro Banger meeting

You are something of a regular at any of our smaller type car National Banger meetings at Mildenhall, what is the appeal of them and are you looking forward to the forthcoming 1400cc event on January 3?
The biggest thing I guess for me is that those kind of cars are just more available for more to get for racing. I very much race what I can get my hands on and the smaller cars come up a bit more regularly and so that’s what I tend to race, the larger unlimited type cars are much harder for me to find so I just stick to what I can get which is ok because those meetings are a lot of fun and that’s what racing is for me, just about having fun and enjoying myself. The 1400cc meeting coming up should be a good one. I’ve done the New Year meeting a couple of times before and it’s always been a good one, even last year when it rained all day (laughs) but then you pretty much expect to get a little muddy at a Winter Series meeting don’t you (laughs). I also find with meetings like the 1400cc ones that drivers are a little more evenly matched. I don’t think there are many people who spend huge amounts of money on their cars for these kind of meetings like you get at other types of meetings, most of the engines are pretty much how they come with the car and so that gives everyone, including me (laughs), a chance to compete so that’s a great thing about them as well.

This meeting will mark a year since the rules for 1400cc meetings at RDC were changed allowing larger cc engines to be used while not allowing larger cars (drivers can now use 1600cc engines in FWD cars providing the car is available at a 1400cc and 1800cc engines in RWD cars assuming they are available in 1600cc), do you think this was a good move?
I do because it’s opened things up for drivers to be able to race more cars without changing the actual cars we are racing which is the main appeal for these kind of meetings. I don’t think there is a massive difference between 1400cc and 1600cc so it’s not made any great difference to the racing itself, just made it a bit easier to find suitable cars or not have to change engines in a car so we can race it so it’s certainly helped there in just making everything a bit easier.

This meeting will mark a small piece of history in being the first Mildenhall Winter Series meeting to take place on a Saturday, what are your thoughts on that?
I think it will be ok. New Year’s Day is always going to be a little tricky for some people, either because of the night before or some have to work still or are seeing family so not everyone is free but by this weekend life will be a little bit back to normal and I would think a few people will be eager to get out of the house and back to what they normally do so we might see a few more drivers and people come out to the meeting which is always good.

You have been a supporter of the Winter Series for a little while now, what is the appeal of these meetings despite their obvious issues with things such as the winter weather?
I like to race as much as I can and especially at meetings where I can race the cars I especially enjoy racing but the Winter Series meetings are always a lot of fun, even if the weather or the track isn’t the best, it’s still fun and that is what the racing is supposed to be. Again I find at these meetings that things are even more even between the drivers. The cars we are racing helps a lot but in the winter, if the track is a little wet or slippery it is even more so because having good cars and engines doesn’t really help in conditions like that. I think that is why you get a few different people at meetings like this as well. It’s also good that you get some different faces and you do notice a bit of a more different atmosphere at the Winter Series meeting. I think because most people are there just for a laugh the atmosphere in the pits does seem a bit more laid back and you seem to see people more willing to help each other out, it’s always good fun.

The Winter Series started in December with the record breaking Micro Banger Brian Pfender memorial, you didn’t have much success but did you enjoy the day and has the lack of race results had any impact on your plans for the rest of the series?
I thoroughly enjoyed it, well the race I managed at least (laughs). That’s how it goes sometimes and we couldn’t fix the car for another race but I had a great time while it lasted. Sure it was a long day but it’s not often you get to be a part of something like that with so many cars and drivers and so many races and that’s a special thing in itself, just to be involved in something like that so it was a lot of fun. I’m hoping to fix the car for the January 3 meeting, failing that I have a Cavalier almost built which I will race instead but if I can fix the Ka then I can use the Cavalier at the end of January and start work on my unlimited car for the Supreme which would be good. I never have much of a plan when I go racing so what happened (at the Micro meeting) will make no difference to the next meetings, I’ll still go out to have a laugh and enjoy myself and if I finish or get a good result or have a good crash then that’s a bonus.

You did enjoy some success during the course of 2014, winning both the 1800cc Suffolk Open and the Allstar Dash for Cash. Were these wins a surprise to you and was either more special than the other?
They were a huge surprise and both were as good as each other really. I never expected to do any good in either of them and winning just one race like that would have been a big highlight but to win two was something I could never expected. The Dash for Cash was pretty fortunate though and I think I had a lot of luck in that one. I didn’t completely realise it at the time, I just floored it and hoped for the best and I knew when I won that I’d had some good fortune but it wasn’t until I watched the DVD that I realised just how action packed the race was and how lucky I’d been at times to get through some the crashes and everything that was going on.

Has this success inspired you to try and qualify for other big races like the British and Accumulator Championships in 2015 and have you any other plans for the coming season?
(laughs) It would be wonderful to qualify for races like that but I’m not sure it will happen but I will certainly try if I can. I qualified for the White and Yellow Grade Series Final which I was really pleased about but I had no luck in that race and it was all over in a couple of laps which was a shame so I’d like to get in that and try again this year. As for other meetings, I want to try and do as much as I’m able to do but I’ve a car for the Supreme Championship which will be my first unlimited meeting and I’m really looking forward to that. As soon as we’ve got the Winter Series out of the way I’ll be cracking on with that because I know it won’t be easy being my first car like that but I’m very excited about it, even if I probably will spend all night spinning myself out (laughs).

Your team, the Underdogs is also booked in for the 1400cc Suffolk Open Team Championship on Good Friday (April 3), is that a meeting you are looking forward to?
Absolutely, that is always a great day. Like the Micro meeting there is always a huge amount of drivers and loads of different people who we don’t see very often and that in itself is very cool and a huge buzz but Good Friday usually gets a lot of fans as well and as a driver there is a great feeling from racing in front of a big crowd, it just makes it all so much more special so I always look forward to that meeting and this year is no different.

Despite not being perhaps a ‘week-in, week-out’ racer you, like so many others put more into your racing than probably many realise, can you tell us what an average week for you is like in the season?
Well I tend to do a bit here and a bit there but usually most of the work is done in the two weeks leading up to a meeting. Usually when I’ve a meeting coming up for the two weeks leading up to it, I’ll finish work, come home and eat and then go up the yard, sometimes until as late as 1am and just repeat that every day until the car is done. I do a lot of the work on my own and while I do have some people help me out, especially when I’m struggling there are some people I can call on, so that’s why it’s usually like that because I do the bulk of it myself.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
My misses especially for all her support, Scott for all his help, my brother, mum and dad who help out a lot as well and Danny and Harvey.