An Interview with Ministox driver 308 Molly Smithson
(interview published June 3 2015 in the lead up to round three of the Dover Track Championship on June 21 and the Suffolk Open at Mildenhall on June 27)

Age: 14
Home Town: Norwich
Occupation: Studying for GCSEs
Family: Mum, dad and younger sister
Started racing: In 2014 at Mildenhall in Ministox

You’ve been enjoying a great run of form in recent meetings, have you been pleased by this and what do you think is the reason for it?
I’ve been really pleased, it’s actually been a bit of a surprise to have seen such an improvement all of a sudden. I’ve kind of gone from being one of the last cars in the race and being pleased to not get lapped by the race winner to suddenly being at the front and leading races and now winning trophies and getting closer to actually winning a race. I think the reason for it is mostly because of me. I don’t think it has much to do with the car because honestly there isn’t anything that’s any different to before the results started to come for me, but I’m a little different because I’ve had some really great news. I’ve recently found out that I’ve been accepted at a new school for September, well it’s a college really and I’m going to be doing a mechanics course. It’s what I’ve really wanted and I’m so pleased and excited to have got a place, because there is quite a demand for it and I think since I’ve found out it’s made a difference to me. I’m so much happier because of this and I’m really excited about it and can’t wait to start and I guess that has had some sort of impact on my racing. Maybe because I feel better, it’s given me a bit more confidence or some more self-belief, I’m honestly not sure but something has definitely got better.

As you mentioned you have been coming closer and closer to your first win, at the last meeting at Mildenhall (on May 9) you finished in the top three in all three races, are you pleased with the consistency or frustrated at all that your first win continues to elude you?
I guess it’s a bit of both. The car has been going really well, it’s been almost perfect for me and again it’s a bit of a surprise because we honestly haven’t been doing anything different to before, I suppose things have just suddenly clicked or something. It was brilliant to get a trophy in all three races (on May 9). Winning my first trophy was a really big deal and I was so pleased to win one in my first race at the next meeting (May 9), but to then do it again and again it the next two races was just brilliant. But at the same time I have to admit it was a little disappointing to not get my first win, because I think I led every race or at least I was up near the front but it just keeps getting away from me (laughs).

What, if anything, do you think has been the difference between you winning and having to settle for second or third and what can you do to improve your chances?
I think my biggest problem has been with back markers. But then it’s not a problem I’ve had to deal with until the last couple of meetings because back then I was one of the back markers (laughs). I’ve been finding it hard to try and get through the traffic, again because it’s quite a new thing for me so I’m learning that pretty quick but maybe not quite quick enough. The problem I think I’ve had more than anything is that I will get past a backmarker but I can’t get away and when they come back at me that’s when I’ve lost a lot of time, I really think that cost me at the (May 9) meeting but hopefully I can learn from that. I’m always learning, that’s important I think to try and look back at a race and see what maybe you might have been able to do better and try and do that the next time.

What is your biggest goal at the moment, is it getting a first win or is it moving into the yellow grade?
At the moment, I really want a first win, that’s the main goal and that would mean everything to finally get a race win and lead a race to the end without getting caught but I would also love to move up the grades. All the top drivers start further up the grid and so it would great to move up out of the white grade and start my races with them but at the moment I’d like to get a first win before I think about that.

You’ve also had success at Dover with a first trophy finish there on April 19, how important was it for you to have similar success to what you’ve been having at Mildenhall at Dover as well?
It was really good. I enjoy racing at Dover, it’s so different, not only to Mildenhall but anywhere that we race and I enjoy that about the track. I like the fact that it’s so different to anywhere else and because of that it means a completely different type of challenge and the racing is always good fun as well which is important. Before this year I hadn’t been to Dover very often and so I wasn’t sure how I would get on at the first meeting there this year, especially after having some good results at Mildenhall before then so to go there and have good results at Dover as well was a great feeling and I think it showed me that I’m getting better instead of just getting better at one track, so that’s important.

You’ve started to race further afield than RDC, what tracks do you enjoy and is there anywhere new you are planning to visit?
I do like racing on the tarmac tracks. Again it’s different to racing at RDC at Mildenhall and Dover and every track is different and that brings with it a different challenge and you enjoy them all for a different reason. I enjoy Arena Essex where we’ve been a few times but this year we went to Hednesford for the first time and I loved it there. It’s completely different to Mildenhall and I think that was one of the reasons I enjoyed it, again because it was so different. I enjoyed the speeds you get round there but what I really liked was that it has the banked bends which I think helped make you feel quite safe despite the speeds we were doing because the banked bends help you get round the bends quite a bit. We are going to Northampton (on May 24) and I’m really looking forward to that. I’ve never been to the track before, not even to watch and I’ve been trying really hard to not look at videos or even photos at the place to make my first trip there as big a surprise as a can. I suppose in a way I’d like to try and test myself by going somewhere new where I have no knowledge of the track at all and just seen how I get on.

The next meeting at Mildenhall for the Ministox is the Suffolk Open, an event with a history of surprise winners, do you think you have a chance here?
I’d like to think I might. If I can do as well as I did (on May 9) then maybe because I was going so well on that night and was right up with all the front runners and it would be awesome to have another night like that.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, have you any plans or aims?
We hope to do every meeting at RDC and try and visit some other places when a chance comes up. I’d like to try and do a bit better in the RDC Drivers Championship race if I can, a top 10 finish would be tremendous because I didn’t do very well in the race last year and so to get a top 10 this year would kind of show how much I’ve improved over the last year and that would be pretty cool.

Looking even more into the future, have you given any thoughts as to what you might do after Ministox?
Not really. I definitely want to carry on racing after I turn 16 because I really love my racing so I have no intention of stopping when I am too old for Ministox but I’m not sure what I will do yet. I enjoy Saloon Stockcars, I think their racing is just brilliant and I would love to have a go in one of them but I also really like Stock Rods, even though they are non-contact, I still enjoy the racing. Don’t get me wrong, I like the contact element of the Ministox, it’s a great buzz being out there knowing you can barge the other cars out of the way and they can do the same to you but I might consider a non-contact formula after Ministox.

Many sports for children don’t see boys and girls compete against each other but Ministox do, is that something you enjoy, being able to race against the boys?
(Laughing) Yes, because we get to show the boys that girls are the best!

The sport is still reeling from the tragic news of the death of Kier Millar, as a fellow Ministox racer, how has the news affected you?
I don’t think it’s phased me. Of course it was so upsetting when we heard the news but I’ve been fairly ok, it’s not put me off racing or anything like that. I love my racing and I understand that there are risks. You never try and think about it because if you do then I don’t think anyone would race would they but to be honest I feel pretty safe when I race and I think we all take a lot of precautions to try and make sure we’re as safe as we can be. Recently I’ve started doing some different things which have been a big help. I hurt my back at Arena Essex and so I started using a back support and that has made a huge difference and also I’ve started using a different neck brace which goes on my seat belts and that’s been a lot better as it’s stopped me getting whiplash so much so all those things help a lot.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
All my family who help me with my Ministox. Unfortunately we can’t keep the car at home so my dad does a lot of the work on it for me which I’m so grateful for. Hopefully we are going to be able to keep it at home soon which will be great because I would love to be able to do more on the car in between meetings and also everyone who helps at the track when we need a hand.