An Interview with National Banger driver Tricky 623 Ricky Hutton
(interview published September 2 2015 ahead of the National Banger Masters championship)

Age: 26
Home Town: Gravesend
Occupation: Window fitter
Family: Girlfriend Joanna and daughter
Racing Career: Started racing in Bangers aged 16 at Dover in a Mk3 Cortina

You’ve a big weekend coming up in September with the World of Shale and Masters Championships on the 12th and 13th, starting with the World of Shale Championship at King’s Lynn, is this something you are looking forward to?
I am. I’d not really given it much thought until I found out I was high enough in the (RDC RWD) points to have a place in the championship and when it was offered I said yes straight away. I’ve only ever raced Mondeos at King’s Lynn at 2litre meetings and have always fancied a go in an unlimited or a rwd car there. I really enjoy doing the odd unlimited or rwd meeting on shale because it is just so much fun and unlike on tarmac you don’t need to have the best and most expensive stuff to have a good day. I’ve found I’ve enjoyed myself so much more on shale and dirt this year and I think a lot of that is because I’m able to compete a lot more because the (track surface) makes everything so much more level for the drivers, it makes a massive difference. So I’d been keen to have a go at Lynn in a rwd car for a while but it was just a matter of finding the right meeting to do and to be honest I’d hadn’t thought of this one because I was already busy around that time with my racing but when the chance came up to do the main race I had to go for it and I’m looking forward to it now.

We’ve started to see more and more of you in unlimited meetings, is this a format you enjoy?
I do but I still prefer the Mondeos, simply because they are so much easier and a lot cheaper as well. You can get a Mondeo to race for a lot less money than an unlimited car and whereas I can build a Mondeo in about two days, one day to strip it and one day to build it, an unlimited usually takes about two weeks so as much as I enjoy racing them, they are a lot more of everything else, time and money mainly. It’s part of the reason why I enjoy racing Previas so much because they are like the Mondeo equivalent in unlimiteds in terms of what they cost and how easy they are to build. Again like a Mondeo, they are really easy, I can usually build one in two days and it’s the same as the Mondeos, one day to strip and one to build. The only problem is that a lot of these cars are now being sold for export so they are not quite so easy to find but thankfully most of the drivers in my area aren’t too interested in them because they aren’t quick enough (laughs). I’ve had some really great meetings in them but I think the tracks I’ve raced them at are not so suited for the faster cars and also I’ve been more interested in crashing and they are ideal for that!

Have you decided what car you are taking to the World of Shale and have you any goals for the race?
I’ve actually got a Scorpio for that one. I thought being a championship and a bigger track than Mildenhall, that it might make sense to race something a little more competitive and something which might be a little faster and on the pace and something that will hopefully give me a better chance to have a good night. I don’t really make plans for any meeting, I just take it as it comes and make it up as I go along (laughs) but we’ll see. If I think I’ve got a chance of getting a place then I’d probably go for it but I think my chances are pretty slim to be honest so it’s more likely I’ll go for a crash instead. For me, the best thing I can do is have a crash and keep going and if I get a place having had a crash or two then that is a great result for me.

The following day is the Masters Championship at Dover, again is that a meeting you are looking forward to?
Yes, very much so. It’s the complete opposite of the night before at Lynn but I’m really looking forward to it as well. I enjoy racing Mondeos and I think Dover is a great track for Bangers. I know a lot of people don’t like it but I think it’s a great place. Again you don’t need the best cars or equipment to have a good day and everyone is up for a crash, you can crash with anyone and everyone enjoys it which is how it should be and I’m sure the Masters will be the same and the championship is usually a good race so it will be good to be in it. It’s going to be quite a weekend for me doing them both and normally I wouldn’t do a weekend like this but the opportunity (to the World of Shale) was too good to turn down so I’ll make the effort but it should be a good one with two good meetings and two different meetings as well.

Do you have any intentions for the Masters Championship or do you have the same approach you described for the World of Shale?
Yeah, it’s always pretty much the same really, just take it as it comes and go from there. There isn’t much point in planning things because it doesn’t ever go that way does it (laughs). To be honest I think at Dover I’d probably be more interest in trying to win the entertainer award as I think I have a much better chance of winning that than the race itself. I can’t quite explain it but Dover is a track where I just seem to do better when it comes to wrecking and the track seems to bring that out of me, I think it’s just because it’s that kind of track and it really is a great banger track which is designed more for crashing than anything else so I can see that happening probably. Again a great race for me is if I can finish, having had a few hits on the way, and if I can get in the results then it’s even better, the big challenge for me is to have a hit and be able to carry on, that’s the thing I enjoy doing the most.

You’ve certainly had an impressive season, are you enjoying your year and what you put your improved form down to?
I’m having a great year but I honestly don’t know why it’s happening really (laughs). I’m not doing anything different with the cars, I think the only thing I’m doing differently is that I’m racing more and I guess that might be helping because people do say that the more you race the better you get so maybe racing a bit more regularly is helping. I think having such a good time racing does help though because when you have a good meeting it motivates you more to do the next one and I’ve had that all season and that has really made a big difference, it’s so much easier to keep on building the car when you are having a good season?

That said, what have been the highlights of your year so far?
Wow, that’s hard because there have honestly been so many but they’ve all been at Dover and Mildenhall as I never seem to do very well when I go anywhere else (laughs), hopefully it will be better at the World of Shale! The van meetings were brilliant, I think I got lucky there as my big van was just unreal. I had a great day with it at Dover, the heat I won was especially good because I was able to get stuck in as well and those are the races I enjoy the most so to win it was just great. The van was still ok after Dover so I decided to go to Mildenhall and finish it and I had a brilliant night there as well so that was really good. I’ve had a few good Mondeo meetings, one of the British qualifiers at Dover was good and (Dirty Weekend) at Mildenhall was great where I just kept going and going until the car couldn’t take any more, that was a great buzz because I knew the car didn’t have much left so with each hit it became more urgent to get another one in before the car expired (laughs). I’ve also had some good unlimited meetings, Dover was great in the Previa where everyone seemed up for a crash that day and also the team meeting at Mildenhall was a good night.

Your appearance for Team Motorbitz in the Unlimited EA team championship was a real last minute thing, can you explain how it came about?
I think it was the night before it happened, I just saw on FaceBook that they needed a driver and I had a car ready to go so asked and they said yes. I knew they were a good team and they were great to be honest as I didn’t know them that well but everyone helped each other in the pits to get the cars back out and I think we did well on the track and it was a proper meeting that night with everyone hitting everyone, really good so I’m glad I got the chance to that at the last meeting.

You’ve been racing with TMT this season, is that something you have enjoyed doing?
Yeah, they are a good bunch to race with, sometimes (laughs)! I like doing the team meetings and I would quite like to do a bit more and perhaps go to other tracks and do the team meetings elsewhere, that would be good. We did the head to head meeting at Arena and that was good. Taking on the (Midnight) Runners was tough but we knew it would be and we pushed them, Mark (Marchant) led until a lap to go and they finally got him but it was close and we did well and we managed to come back and beat the (Cream Team) in the consolation and qualify for the final which was good.

Have you any plans for the rest of 2015 and even 2016?
For this year, with the season at Dover nearly finished I will probably just try and do as many Mildenhall meetings as I can as I’ve enjoyed my meetings there this year, I’m in the RDC RWD and Accumulator Championship and I hope to do both of them and hopefully I’ll get up for a few more.

That said, can you give an idea of how much time you spend with your racing?
I’m quite fortunate because I’m self-employed so most days I can be finished around 3pm which means I can spend a couple of hours down the yard most days and still be at home with my girlfriend and daughter in the evening but I do try and spend most days at the yard doing something because there is always something to do. I raced a Micra in the Bangerstox at the start of the year and I’ve still not stripped it (laughs). I’m lucky because I’ve a bit of help, my dad helps a lot and I’ve a mate who helps when he can but I do a lot of it myself but again I’m pretty fortunate to have the time I have to spend on my cars.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
Just all my friends and family who help me, especially Joanna for her support.