An Interview with 2015 Blockbuster winner No Show 714 Paul Smaldon
(interview published February 24 2016 in the lead up to the 2016 Unlimited Banger BBA Supreme Championship)

Age: 36
Home Town: Newton Abbott
Occupation: Scrapyard foreman
Family: Girlfriend Jess
Racing career: Started racing in Ministox aged 15 at Taunton

This will be your second appearance in the Supreme Championship but your first since the event has become an unlimited one, are you looking forward to being in the race again?
Yes I am, especially now it is unlimited as I love unlimited bangers on shale, it’s a great combination I think so that is a big appeal for me but I suspect I would have done the race regardless (of the format) because it’s not something that is easy to qualify for, it’s been a while since I was in it last (2009) so it’d great to be in it again and to have another go. Unlimiteds on shale are usually a lot of fun. It’s so different to racing on tarmac these days as on tarmac you have to be very precise and clean with your driving to be on the pace. On tarmac if you are sideways you are usually going backwards whereas on shale you just throw the car around and you are usually as fast as most people out there, regardless of your driving style and I think that is in some ways what banger racing should be, it should be about throwing a car around, rather than making sure you take the bend exactly right.

It’s been some time since we have seen you at Mildenhall, do you think the time away will hinder your chances in the race?
I hope not (laughs). It’s funny because I’ve not done very much shale racing the last few years, I’ve been to other places, just not Mildenhall for some reason. The last one I did was the (first all Mk1 and Mk2) Granada meeting but every time I’ve raced on shale it’s been pretty good that the art of racing on shale has come back to me pretty quick which has allowed me to do fairly well. I guess I’ve been doing this for so long now that there really aren’t many excuses anymore (laughs). The last meeting I did on shale was the pre 85 meeting at King’s Lynn last year and that went pretty well, I was actually quite surprised as I think that was my first, and only, shale meeting last year and I did fairly well so hopefully it will be the same here, or at least I hope so or it could be quite a short night!

We last saw you at the Supreme Championship meeting in 2013 when the night was destroyed by a massive snow storm, do you remember much about that night?
Yeah, it’s one of those meetings you don’t tend to forget (laughs)! To be honest it wasn’t that bad and we actually quite enjoyed ourselves. We got within about 20miles of the track before the snow started and by that point there was no way I was turning round and going home so we just knew we had to get on with it and make the most of it and to be honest, given how bad the weather was I didn’t think it was as bad as it could have been and the racing was actually ok and I enjoyed it. I went up with Billy Dennison that night and it was him who blitzed my Granada. In fact he blitzed me twice because he had no idea it was me because you couldn’t see any numbers on the cars because of the conditions and he couldn’t believe what he’d done when he discovered it was me but it was pretty funny and we had a good laugh about it when we went home.

Have you decided what car you will be using in the race?
I’ve a Mercedes which I used at the (BWS meeting) at Wimbledon that is good to go so I’m going to take that. Sometimes it helps taking a car that you know is ok, especially when you are travelling a long way and not having the uncertainty that you can sometimes get from racing a new car because it is a bit of a step into the unknown and having a car you know has done well before can give you a little added confidence which might be helpful here (laughs). The modern Mercs are good cars I think, they are pretty strong and fast as well so it’s a good all round car.

Will strength or speed be more important in the race?
To be honest I think the most important thing is going to be luck and no-one is going to win it, or even do well without it. You always need some luck on your side but in big races like this one it’s essential.

What kind of race do you expect the championship to be?
I think it will be a lively one. I’ll be surprised if it’s not. What could make it interesting is there should be some DWO and (Team) Grey and Black in the race so you would imagine it will kick off between them and you only need something like that and the whole race can become carnage, especially at somewhere like Mildenhall because it’s such a smaller track, you have a couple of drivers turn round or start a DD on one of the bends and all hell is going to break lose but even if that doesn’t happen it is hard to see the race being a quiet one with a lot of cars on such a small track. Hopefully it will be a lively race because I think that suites me more, I like the races where you have to try and find the gaps in the blockages and fight a way through, that is proper banger racing in my opinion. I also tend to enjoy those kind of races more, I find that if you do well in a race like that you get a bigger sense of achievement from it but if you don’t do well there is usually more opportunities for a good crash instead (laughs).

Have you any targets or goals for the race?
Not at all. I never think that way before any race because I think you just set yourself up for disappointment so I’ll just take it as it comes and hopefully do my best, I’d be really pleased to finish to be honest, it might not sound much but I don’t think it will be the easiest race to finish so just going the distance is going to be something.

Have you any picks for the race?
I’ve not really paid any attention to who’s in it to be honest but that is nothing unusual and I rarely do anything like that, I tend to just turn up at a meeting and worry about it then (laughs). I guess the shale regulars might have a bit of an edge but pretty much everyone in the race is good and capable of doing well and it’s so unpredictable being at Mildenhall you can never tell but I would imagine Boxer (331 Jason Jackson) could be a good bet because he’s always quick and he doesn’t seem to have too many rivalries at the moment which could leave him free to go for the title rather than having one eye on people trying to stop him.

Have you any other plans for 2016?
I’m hoping to do a bit of travelling again. I’m doing the Supreme Championship and I hope to Mildenhall a bit more this year, I actually fancy a Mondeo meeting because I have the cars and there aren’t many meetings for them near me and I usually have a good night when I race one. I’m hoping to more shale meetings in general this year as I’ve not done much shale the last couple of years and I miss it and I also fancy going back to (Cowdenbeath). I don’t think there is anywhere new I want to go but there are places I’ve not been to for a while that I’d like to go back to.

You are registered with Autospeed again for 2016, how do you feel things are at your home promotion?
I went back to Autospeed last year after doing a year at Spedeworth. I was a little fed up with some things at Autospeed and wanted a change and enjoyed my year at Spedeworth. I was racing at Aldershot a lot because I really enjoy the track so it made sense but last year I decided to do less travelling and I was trying to qualify for the Spedeworth World Final so I figured I could have a go (at qualifying) via the qualifying rounds at Autospeed. I just missed out but I had a good year and enjoyed it. Because they have a lot less National (Banger) meetings now, it gives you a bit of time to race elsewhere if you like so that’s a good thing.

The Autospeed fixtures see more limited contact banger meetings than National ones, a trend which is noticeable in the west country as a whole, do you think the balance is right?
I would prefer to have more National meetings and I think at the moment there are so many (limited contact) ones that it doesn’t encourage drivers to do Nationals but at the same time I understand why people would be reluctant to do National meetings because there is so much work and time involved in building a car which could be scrap in a lap so it’s understandable why so many prefer the (limited contact) meetings. I’ve done a couple of the Unlimited Old School meetings at Autospeed and they were ok but I much prefer the National meetings but I get why people like them.

The new ruling by the ORCi prohibiting drivers from exiting their cars while races are active has been a big talking point in recent weeks, what are your thoughts on it?
I think it’s good myself. The best thing for me now is that when you go to do a hit, especially if you go into a pile-up you shouldn’t have to worry anymore about someone, not necessarily the guy you are hitting, getting out and you hurting them and I think that is better myself. The only concern I have is if you are stranded in a dangerous position and now you can’t get out and you could argue that you are more at risk having to stay in the car but as long as the officials stop races to keep the driver safe when needed it should be ok.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
My main mechanic Shane who spends every spare hour he has helping me, my girlfriend and dad for all their support and everyone else whose ever helped.