An Interview with 2013 National Banger White and Yellow Grade Series Final Winner 517 Sid Cooper
(interview published October 7 2014 in the lead up to the National Banger meetings at Mildenhall in October 2014)

Age: 22
Home Town: Cambridge
Occupation: Service technician
Family: Single
Racing career: Started racing Ministox at Mildenhall aged 10

You have once again qualified for the White and Yellow Grade Series Final on October 18, is this a race you are looking forward to?
Yes I always look forward to this one. I don’t qualify for too many championship races but I’ve had a pretty good run at getting in this one and I still think it is a really good race even though you don’t obviously have all the top drivers in it. You still get a few top drivers in it who’ve qualified during the course of the season. Take last year I was battling Craig Osborne for the win and this season he’s right at the top of the points championships so there are still a lot of good drivers in the race and I think because maybe some of the more established names aren’t it you get quite a few who really raise their game and try that little bit harder. I’m the same, because I don’t get to race in many events like this one, when I do get a chance you try and bit harder and put a bit more effort in and when a good few do that you’ve got a good race and there is always plenty of cars out there so it’s always lively as well.

You won last year’s event, was that a highlight for you?
Absolutely, again it was a really hard race. It’d been raining so the conditions weren’t the easiest but that just added to the challenge I think and I think it probably also helped me as well because wet shale is the greatest leveller of them all in banger racing. I stick to racing on shale because I just cannot compete on tarmac right now with the money being spent on things like engines and tyres, I just can’t do it but I’m able to compete on shale with the budget I have but when it’s wet my chances are better I think because when it’s like that it’s all about the driver and even less about the car they are driving so everyone has a chance to do well.

As you mentioned you battled Craig Osborne for the win but initially you were not seen as the race winner and that was confirmed after the race by a check of the video, what was that like?
It was ok really because I honestly had no idea if I had won or not. I knew I’d been held up at one point but I knew I’d not been spun out and apart from being held up I didn’t think anyone had passed me but I really didn’t know who was where, I don’t think you really can in a race like that. I thought I was up there somewhere and that Craig was being shown as the leader and I wasn’t being shown as second but I figured I still had to really go for it because if I’d held back and then been confirmed in second I would have been gutted so I decided to keep pushing hard as if I was second and managed to get past Craig and it turned out I had won so it all worked out well and it was a good race to win.

You’ve not qualified for the Accumulator Championship this year, is that something you are disappointed about?
Not really because I don’t give myself that many chances to qualify for that race really. I rarely do the Accumulator qualifiers which is because I only have a small truck to transport my cars and if I don’t destroy them it makes working on them or the new one back at home a lot easier. Of course if you get smashed up in race, that’s just part of racing and you have to worry about how to get the car off the truck at home later on but if I can avoid it I will and so I don’t often do Accumulator races and DDs even less which is just to make my life a little easier and help me do the next meeting I want to do. Likewise I’m not one for winning entertainer awards so I don’t think ever stand the greatest of chances of qualifying for that championship and so it’s not really much of a disappointment for me, the White and Yellow Grade Series Final is my main aim and I’m pleased to be in that one again.

You’ve a busy month in October as you are also set to race in the caravan DD on October 26, something you are a regular in, are you looking forward to this again?
Yes I am, it’s always great fun doing (the caravan race), it’s a proper giggle. No-one is interested in winning, it’s nice to win the race or the DD but I don’t think anyone actually cares about that when the race starts, all everyone wants to do it smash up as many caravans as they can and just have fun. I think the Mildenhall (caravan) race is one of the best as well because it gets so many caravans each year and that does help make for a good race because the more caravans out there the more you have to smash up and that is the idea after all, it’s a great buzz.

You’ve also qualified for the Allstar Dash for Cash earlier that day, are you hoping to take part?
I hope to but the caravan race is the priority that day so we’ll see how we get on with cars. I shouldn’t think I will have the greatest of chances but you never know, you can get lucky in an event like that. If the draw is good and puts you near the front and there is a crash behind then you could have a result, it would be great to win it that’s for sure but I wouldn’t expect to be a favourite by any stretch in a race like that. I did it last year and I did a head gasket and so I just span out all the cars I could which was fun still so maybe I can just do that again (laughs).

Looking back, how do you feel 2014 has gone for you?
It’s been good I think, I’ve enjoyed it and I’ve done a little more this season than other years. I did tell my mum I would cut back a bit this year but I don’t think that has been the case but I’ve had some good meetings and when things are going well it fires you up to keep racing and I think that is what has happened with me. The Hot Shots Championship was a standout meeting for me I think, I really enjoyed that one but it was a top meeting to be honest and I had an excellent race with Albie Jenner which I really enjoyed where we kept chopping and changing position, that was pretty cool.

You’ve done some different things this year like the Granada meeting at Mildenhall and the Jaguar meeting at King’s Lynn, have these been meetings you have enjoyed?
Yes I have. I really enjoy doing rear wheel drive meetings when I can but it’s harder to get the cars so I can’t do them all the time but it’s cool when I can. The Granada meeting was a highlight as well for me, especially the final when I was racing with Helm (Lee Bradbury). He is a bit of a childhood hero to me so to have a good race with him was a real rush, that was until we both got run in by one of the Sowters (laughs). I’ve a car which I could use for next year’s meeting so we will see, I’d like to do it again if I can. The Jaguar meeting was Wayne’s (Lindell) idea. We had the cars and he thought it would be a good idea and although they were plenty of work I enjoyed that as well. Admittedly there wasn’t the biggest of entries and it was a bit racy but it was good to do a meeting and have a race in a RWD car and get some laps from it and I’ve got my car ready for the under 25 GB Championship at Lynn as well and being the night before Halloween Havoc and the caravan race that will help me a bit.

Have you made any plans for 2015 yet?
I bought a recovery truck a few months ago and my aim is to do the work I want to do to it over the winter which will hopefully make my life a little easier with racing but I’d also like to travel to some different shale tracks if I can and Stoke and Belle Vue are places I fancy visiting if I can as well as doing as many of the Mildenhall meetings as I can,

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
Anyone who picks up a spanner and helps in anyway really, my mum for putting up with all my cars in the garden, my brother Sean for everything he does to help and Chris and Lee White who are also a massive help.