An Interview with Ministox driver 303 Jacob Bromley
(interview published December 2 2014 in the lead up to the final rounds of the 2014/5 Mildenhall Winter Series)

Age: 14
Home Town:
Occupation: At school studying for GCSE exams
Family: Mum, dad, brother and sister
Racing career: First Ministox meeting was at Mildenhall on March 8 2014

We’ve just come to the end of your first season in Ministox having made your debut at Mildenhall in March, have you enjoyed the year and what have been your highlights?
I’ve enjoyed it a lot, it’s been a really great year and I’ve had some really good times racing, especially the last couple of months where I’ve been going a bit better and getting some better results which has helped my confidence and the better that is the better I seem to do so the last few meetings in particular have been really great. The highlight for me was the Halloween (Havoc) meeting when I got my first podium finish in the formula and got my first top three trophy. That meant so much to me and was a really big deal. It wasn’t my first trophy as I won the white grade award in the Kent Series Final at Dover which was really special as well, especially because it was my first ever trophy but the one at the Halloween meeting was just a bit more so because I finished in the top three, rather than just being the first white top. It was also extra special because we get quite a few more cars at Mildenhall so to stay in front of most of them for the whole race was just brilliant.

You added to your trophy collection on November 23 with a pair of podium finishes, you must have been pleased with that?
Absolutely, it was great to do that. To get one trophy was brilliant enough but then to get another in the final was just excellent. I was a little disappointed because I was leading the final but I made one mistake and they got past me and I had to settle for third but I was still really pleased. As disappointing as it was to miss out on what could have been my first win, I still learned from it so that’s important as well so hopefully I can take that when I race next.

Can you tell us about the mistake?
To be honest, I’m not 100 per cent sure, I just seemed to turn into the bend a bit too late and I went wide and where it was that bit stickier on the outside because of the rain I lost a lot of time. I think what really happened was a lost a bit of concentration, maybe because I knew there was cars catching me but I definitely slipped up a little bit so that’s the lesson I learnt, that you have to concentrate just as hard when you are winning than any other time, because one mistake can make a big difference.

Is winning a race your next goal and do you think it’s something you can achieve in the near future?
It is the next goal for sure, that’s the one thing I want to do more than anything else now. First it was to get a top three and get a trophy and now I’ve won a couple I really want that first win to go with it. It won’t be easy but I think I can do it. I’ve led some laps now so I know everything is there, it just has to come together so to speak and I need a bit of luck maybe.

Do you the Winter Series as a good opportunity for that first win, given you’ve had some good results in the series so far?
I think it could be. I do like it when it’s wet and that seems to suit me better. I haven’t got the best car or equipment but when it’s wet it seems to make it more of a level playing field and I seem to do a bit better when it’s like that so the Winter Series meetings have been pretty good so far and I’m hoping I can carry on like that, to get a win would be a big buzz so that’s my target every time I race and if it happens we’ll go from there.

You mentioned a boost in confidence after the October 26 meeting, how much of a factor do you think that has had with your recent results?
A lot I think. When you get a result from that it definitely changes how you think. The races I have been in since that first top three, I have thought a bit more than I can do it and I am good enough to get out there and try and win a race so having that extra confidence has made a huge difference. Before if I got in the lead you’d think to yourself it was just a matter of time before you were caught but since (October 26) I’ve been thinking more about how long I can lead before I get caught or maybe this time I will go all the way, stuff like that and it does make a difference.

Prior to that meeting you competed in the ORCi Championship meeting and qualified for the final, has that played a part in your recent improvement?
I think so. I was really pleased to qualify for that race, it was my only target for the night, I just wanted to be in the big race rather than watching it so to get a top 10 and qualify was brilliant and then I finished the main race which I was absolutely delighted with especially because it wasn’t easy as it was a long race so that was quite tough. What helped me that night was that in the championship I started near the back and when the race settled down I found I was in a position where I could watch some of the top drivers in front of me and see more of what they were doing and the lines they were taking and I tried some of that and I found by the end of that race alone I’d learned a lot and I think that has helped me a lot since.

Going back to October 26 and Halloween Havoc and you made a tremendous effort for the Halloween Fancy Dress Parade prior to the RDC Drivers Shootout, can you tell us a bit about it?
Well it was my first time in the race so we decided to make a bit of an effort and because my car is black and red we figured it made sense to dress the car up like a devil but I admit it did wind up being a bit bigger than we originally planned (laughs). My aunt did most of it and the tail alone took her all week and she spent a couple of hours each day putting it all together so there was quite a bit of effort involved but it was worth it because it looked so good when it was finished and we were really pleased.

Despite making regular trips to Mildenhall, your local track is Dover, do you enjoy the racing there?
I do and it’s nice to not have to travel at least two hours which is how long it takes us to get to Mildenhall. Dover is great, I’ve spent so many years there with my dad and brother so it’s nice to race at the track myself and it’s so different to Mildenhall, even the straights are a challenge with all the bumps, so it’s a lot of fun.

Given your address, you had many other options for a junior formula to race in, what was the attraction of Ministox?
There were a few things. My brother raced Ministox so that meant my dad had a bit of an idea which helped a lot, I wanted to do a formula which allowed contact because that is one of the things like the most about the racing but also I wanted to race at Dover and Mildenhall and that meant Ministox were the only option.

So far you’ve only raced at Dover and Mildenhall, do you have any interests in racing elsewhere?
Very much and we are hoping to race some more on tarmac (in 2015). Unfortunately the car I have right now probably isn’t the best for tarmac racing so we’re looking into getting one which might be a bit more competitive and then we hope to travel around a bit more and try and do so more racing (in 2015).

You are still at school, do you have time to work much on your car and do you have any other interests?
I don’t really have any other interests other than racing but I do spend some time with my dad working on the car. I certainly didn’t know much about that kind of thing before I started racing but I’ve managed to learn quite a bit this year which I’m quite pleased about and I hope to keep doing that because I enjoy working on the car in between meetings, although most stuff does seem to get left to the last minute with us even though we try and spend a bit of time on the car most nights.

Have you given any thought as to what you would like to do racing wise when you turn 16?
I want to go into National Bangers. It’s what my dad did and my brother has done some and it’s what I’ve always been interested in the most and dad reckons he is going to start doing some racing again soon so it would be really good to race with him one day, that’s something I’m really looking forward to although I’ll have to wait a little while yet.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
My dad the most for everything he does to allow me to race, especially all the mechanical side of things and all my family for their support.