An Interview with BriSCA F2 Stockcar White and Yellow Grade Series Final front pole starter 376 Darren Seneschall
(interview published September 17 2014 in the lead up to the White and Yellow Grade Series Final at Mildenhall on September 27)

Age: 35
Home Town: Boston
Occupation: HGV mechanic
Family: Partner Alison and four children
Racing career: Started raced in BriSCA F2 Stockcars aged 16 at Skegness

You have not only qualified for this year’s White and Yellow Grade Series Final but you have secured pole position by topping the points, are you looking forward to the race and how do you feel about your grid position?
I’m absolutely looking forward to the race, these races are always a highlight of the year for me and I think for a lot of the lower graded drivers for me because there is a lot of us that don’t qualify for many if any championship races during a season and so these races become our big races of the year. At the end of the day I race as a hobby and so I admit I don’t put as much into my racing as some do but I’m very happy doing it that way and so I don’t really expect to qualify for the big championship races and as a result these white and yellow grade finals become a big deal for me and lots of others as well. For me, the Mildenhall one is especially good because I do feel more of an effort is made with the presentation and the qualifiers trophies and stuff like that and it’s really appreciated because again there are a lot of people who that might be the only trophy they win all season and so it means a lot. I’m pleased to have topped the points, not so much because I’ll start on pole but just because I won the points which is really nice. I never started the season thinking about trying to do that, it’s just happened because I’ve had some good meetings at Mildenhall this season which is a nice bonus. Last year I had a nightmare and only just got into the race as a reserve. I had a new car last season and kept blowing engines up so it was a bad season and I only got the message that there was a place for me in the final a couple of days before and so I borrowed my brothers car and tried my luck from the back and finished fifth I think so it’ll be good to see how I get on from the front. I’ve started the race in all kinds of positions but never the front so it will be a new experience.

At RDC we are perhaps a little old fashion in maintaining the notion that in a race like this the driver on pole position controls both the pace of the rolling lap and decides when to start. Do you agree that that is the way it should be and does this give you much of an advantage at the start?
I think it is right that the guy on pole controls the start because that should come with pole when you win it, especially in a race where you have won pole in one way or another. Hopefully it will have some kind of advantage and allow me to at least make a good start but we will have to see, there are plenty of good drivers around me on the grid, so it certainly won’t be easy!

The White and Yellow Grade Series Final is often one of the highlights of the season for the formula at Mildenhall, is it a race you particularly enjoy?
Yes, I do and I think it is usually a good race, last year’s was a real cracker. I think again because a bit of an effort is made with it helps because the drivers think that it is a special race and then try that bit harder and when you have the nice trophies and tyres to race for it becomes a race you really want to do well in.

You’ve had a good season at Mildenhall this season and head into the final round of the track championship not far outside of the top 10 in the points, how special would it be for you to finish the year in the top 10?
That would be really brilliant, it really would. Again I race as a hobby and it is very much for fun for me and I appreciate that there are a lot of drivers out there who take their racing a lot more seriously than me and spend a lot more money and time on their racing than I do and of course a lot of them will be in the top 10 so to finish the season among them would be a great achievement for me and something to be really pleased about. I’ll try not to think about it too much though on the night, I don’t think that will help, I’ll just try and do my best and see how I get on, I tried chasing World Championship qualifying points this season because I really wanted to get into a Semi Final as they were at Mildenhall and that really didn’t go well (laughs).

Was that a particular source of disappointment to you?
It was a bit, but I just had a lot of bad luck. I was doing well in the final at Stoke and got taken out by a back marker, I had a great night at Mildenhall and then went to Belle Vue for the qualifier and had a terrible day, all the things that just happen in stockcar racing. It was especially frustrating to just miss out on being a reserve and then have a few qualifiers not turn up for the semis or people do the semis and qualify for the World Final only to then say they are not going to the World Final which I don’t agree with because they are taking a place away potentially from someone who really wants to do it.

You have been a regular at Mildenhall now for quite some time, what is the appeal of the track for you?
I really love the place and even though there are other tracks which are closer to home for me I do honestly consider Mildenhall to be my home track. I like the atmosphere there, especially at night when the lights are on, the place just changes at night and there is a real buzz about the place but I think the track is excellent for F2s as well. Because of the size of it, it keeps the cars very evenly matched and the racing is usually close and exciting but even though the track is fairly small the racing is still really fast so it works really well. I think the track is excellent for a guy like me who doesn’t spend huge amounts of money on his car because the track does suit drivers like me and gives us a better chance to compete, which is probably why I’ve had such a good year there and I honestly think we get treated very well there and that makes a massive difference in my eyes.

You’ve had some excellent battles at Mildenhall this season, have any stood out?
There have been some brilliant races for me. I can’t remember one in particular to be fair, they do kind of blur together but there has been some excellent finals I have been in this season. The weekend event in July was especially good, I had two great final races that weekend but didn’t really get the results in the end and I’ve had a third in a final at Mildenhall this year which was a great result and one of my best moments of the season. I was battling with Carl Issit and Stephen Mallinson and they are two of the best guys around Mildenhall so to hang with drivers like that and be on the podium with drivers like that is amazing.

At Mildenhall, red flags are used more than almost any other F2 circuit, are you happy for red flags to be used to stop races in certain situations or do you think waved yellow flags are sufficient?
I’ve no problem with red flags and I think they should be used when there is a dangerous situation like a wheel on the track or a car upside down. If I was in one of those situations I would want to see a red flags used because I do think drivers react a little faster to a red flag and that can make a difference. But I don’t think there should be difference systems for relining cars up after a red or yellow flag, it should be the same either way and the back markers should stay in place, rather than going to the back of the grid (which is the case if a red flag is used) in my opinion.

A big talking point of this season was the reduction in prize money in the formula, what was your thoughts on that?
I think it was wrong. It does make a difference, especially for a driver like myself where for me a good meeting can be getting a couple of top 10 finishes and before that would win you a few quid and that does help. It’s not a massive help but it does all help and now you can have a decent night but have nothing to show for it and it does take a little something away for me so I was disappointed by it myself.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
Ally for all her support, she really does put up with an awful lot with the racing, my son Dale and my brother Dale for all the help they give me, all my mechanics and everyone else who lends a hand.