An Interview with BriSCA F2 Stockcar World Championship Semi Finalist 38 Dave Polley
(interview published August 13 2014 in the lead up to the World Championship Semi-Finals at Mildenhall on August 23)

Age: 38
Home Town: Manea
Occupation: Workshop manager
Family: Married to Liz with children David and Georgie
Racing career: Started racing Ministox in 1996 at Eastbourne

You’ve a very impressive track record when it comes to World Semi Finals with seven appearances and seven World Final appearances as well, does that add any pressure to this year’s race to continue that success?
Not really but the shale semi-finals have not been the best to me (laughs). I think there has been two years where I’ve had to qualify via the consolation semi-final, one year the semi was definitely at Mildenhall and I’m pretty sure the other one was at King’s Lynn so I guess it would be nice for a shale semi-final to go a little better for me but I’m not too worried. I’m not sure what it is this season, this time last year I was really fired up and wanted to get a good finish in my semi and get right at the front of the grid for the World Final but this year I just don’t feel the same about it which is why I didn’t do very many qualifying rounds at all and it’s only because I did well at the last round (at Skegness) that I have a pretty decent grid position. I think part of it is because the final is at Cowdenbeath this year which doesn’t have the greatest appeal to me but having said that I know that if I don’t qualify, come the night I’ll be watching the race wishing I was in it so obviously I won’t be holding back in the semi and will be trying to get a top 10 finish. The results at Mildenhall could prove very important this year I think with the World Final being at Cowdenbeath where I suspect the World Final will be more like a destruction derby. I think you either want to be off the front row or as far back as possible, I think being in the middle of the pack at the start will be very difficult. Cowdenbeath is quite a unique and funny track really because I find it quite hard to get hold of someone going into the bends so if someone fast wins the semi-final and manages to get away at Cowdenbeath I think they will be hard to catch.

Having shared your thoughts of what the World Final may be like, what do you expect the semi-finals to be like?
Usually you would predict them to be a little quiet because most of the people in the race will be just looking to qualify and get into the World Final and will be looking to make sure they don’t blow it or crash or something, people do tend to be a little more sensible in a semi-final than other races but having a real mix of shale and tarmac drivers could change that and I think being at Mildenhall will make a difference because you rarely see a race there without some crashing so I can’t see either semi-final not having it’s incidents. Having the semi-finals at Mildenhall should also make the World Final a little more exciting because there’s likely to some surprise qualifiers, some shale drivers getting through and then trying to do their best on tarmac while some of those who fancy their chances at Cowdenbeath will probably not qualify as well as they would like and then will have more to do in the final so it should be a good race in Scotland as well.

With the semi-finals and World Final on different surfaces this year, do you think that gives added significance to whoever wins the big race this year?
I suppose it does but it depends on what happens. We are seeing more and more that drivers who qualify in the consolation semi-final have just as much a chance of winning as anyone and if the winner of the World qualified the night before then it’s no different to the semis and the final being on tarmac but if a semi-final winner then wins the World Final as well, that would be a fantastic achievement and no-one would be able to argue the driver didn’t deserve it.

How do you rate your chances in the semi-finals this year?
Well probably not that good now because I’ve already told my brother in law (100 George MacMillan) he can use my shale car (laughs). I made him the offer earlier in the year and I’m not going to back on it now. He only has his tarmac car and I think between us he has a much better chance of winning at Cowdenbeath and it’s a World Final on his home track so it’s means a lot to him and I’d love to see him do well so I’d already said he could have my shale car for the semi but at the time I didn’t think I would even qualify (laughs). I’ve got a hire car and my tarmac car so we’ll make something between the two and it should be ok. It will be strange though because we are both due to be on row seven so it will be a bit weird lining up to my own car although I suspect my wife will be cheering for her brother over me (laughs).

A big talking point this season was the reduction in prize money this season in F2s, what was your thought on that?
I thought it was wrong and it devalued the formula myself. My attitude was if the promoter could not afford to run the meetings then they should run less meetings but instead the prize money was reduced and then some places added a load more meetings to their fixtures and I thought that was very wrong as well. Given the amount of meetings a lot of drivers do and the miles we travel to do them I felt this wasn’t the formula and the drivers getting what they deserved so I was very much against it and I have tried my hardest to support the tracks which have continued to pay the old prize fund at their meetings. It’s hard to do all their meetings and sometimes it’s not practical but I have tried my best to support those tracks that I think are supporting the formula in that way.

F2 meetings at Mildenhall usually feature more red flags than other raceways, are you happy for red flags to be used in certain situations or do you think waved yellow flags are always sufficient?
I don’t have a problem with red flags being used, especially if it’s something like a rollover at the very start of the race but when the race is a few laps in I think a waved yellow flag is usually ok but if a red is needed then so be it, I’m not too worried, what bothers me more is when a race is declared early, that is a really big bug bear of mine.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
The wife and kids for putting up with all the nights I spend in the workshop with mechanics Scully, BB, Stuart, Craig, Steve, Bulge and Dick and all my sponsors. Lyndale Race Engines, DS Constructions, Polleysport.com, Wash n Dash, Winthorpe Ltd, Simpson Race Exhausts, Kent Cams, GAZ shocks, Cawthorne accident repair centre, J Davidson scrap metal processes, Bingley engineering, McGill motorsport, FCB cold store construction, the K foundation, Quaife power systems, Scrapco Recycling, HCD and Dan Klyn signs.