An Interview with 2003 and 2004 Ministox Dover Track Champion 356 Harry Overy
(interview published September 3 2014 in the lead up to the latest rounds of the Ministox Mildenhall Championship culminating in the ORCi Championship)

Age: 12
Home Town: Lakenheath
Occupation: School
Family: Mum, dad and sister
Racing career: Started racing Ministox at Mildenhall in November 2012

You’ve enjoyed a recent purple patch with some excellent results in early August, are you pleased with how your season has gone so far and are you enjoying your racing?
Yes I have enjoyed it even though there has been a few tough times, I think when you have some hard meetings where things don’t go all your way it makes you appreciate the good ones a bit more and I’ve especially my year at Dover. I loved going there for the first time last year and this year has been even better so that’s been a real highlight for me.

Not only did you successfully defend the Dover Track Championship but you also won the Kent Series Final (formerly the Kent Championship), was achieving the double especially special and was winning the points more special because of the increased car turnouts at Dover this season?
Doing the double was really cool because I never expected to do either to be honest, especially winning the Kent Series Final because I’d only had one win at Dover before that and with the points order grid I didn’t fancy my chances too much but it all went my way and I won it which was brilliant. I suppose winning the points was a bigger achievement because there have been more cars this year and I think the racing has been better but it was still hard last year because even though there were fewer cars there were still some good drivers out there.

The Kent Series Final was stopped a few laps early when Harry Sargent rolled over, do you think that was a big difference for you or do you think you’d done enough to win at that stage?
You never know do you. You can never count out drivers like Cole (Atkins) and Liam (Aspin) and Tony (Elbourn) is really quick at Dover so I only had to make one mistake and they would have been there so you can never tell but it was a relief when I saw the race had been declared.

Your success at Dover came the day after you finished fourth in the National Championship at Taunton, you must have been pleased with this success?
Absolutely, I was over the moon, especially because I never went there expecting anything really. We went mostly for the experience and with the view that any top 10 finish would be a result and to qualify for the final would be brilliant so to finish fourth in a race like that against all the top drivers in the formula, and especially at a track I hardly know was just amazing.

The race was a little unusual in that the raceway suffered a power failure while the race was in progress and there was a delay while the problem was addressed, what was that like?
It was a little weird (laughs). One minute you are racing and then all of a sudden everything was pitch black. I didn’t even realise at first, I was concentrating so hard on racing and then everything just went black, it was very strange. The stoppage was ok, it wasn’t anyone’s fault and we got to finish the race but the hardest thing was while you are in the car you keep thinking about what you are going to do and what everyone else might do and sometimes you can overthink things so I was trying to not think about it too much.

Are you pleased to see the championship races return for the Ministox?
Yes, I think it has been so far. My dad still remembers when he did the big Ministox championships so it’s definitely something you remember and it’s good to be a part of them, having these big entries and all the top drivers is a real buzz to be a part off and the racing at the championships so far has been excellent.

Do you think this will be the case at the ORC Championship at Mildenhall on September 27 and how do you rate your chances?
I think the racing will be very good, the racing has been good all season at Mildenhall so with some extra cars and the championship there is no reason why it won’t be just as good as what we have had so far. I’d like to think I have some chance because it’s at my home track and I’ve had some good results there but you never know, I think this one will be very much a case of your luck on the night because with so many cars and so many top drivers I think it will all come down to your luck on the night, there are so many good drivers from RDC alone that anyone could really win it. I’d be really happy to finish in the top 10 but even then I think that will be hard.

You had your best meeting of the season at Mildenhall on August 10, do you think your results at Taunton and Dover the previous weekend helped?
I think so. When you have a good meeting, you’re buzzing and want to get back out and race at the next one and I think that was the case for me. I had such a great weekend at Taunton and Dover that all week I was buzzing and looking forward to doing Mildenhall and I think that does make a difference.

With that in mind, do you think your results at Mildenhall on September 13 and 20 will make a difference at the ORC Championship on the 27th?
I think so. Momentum does help and I think any driver who does well in the meetings leading up to the championship will probably do well in the ORC Championship, just because they will go into the meeting on a high and having some self-belief can make all the difference.

Your form on August 10 has seen you return to the red grade, are you pleased to do this and how important is it for you to stay in the red grade?
It’s great to be back in the red grade, especially right now with so many top drivers in the formula so to get there means you are doing really well and I like starting in the red grade as it’s a great challenge starting from the back of the grid. I’ll be trying hard to stay there but if I don’t, it’s not the end of the world, I’ll go back to blue again and try and get back to red.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, your recent form has re-established you as a leading contender in the RDC Drivers Points Championship, is trying to win this a target now?
It’s always a target but it’s never going to be an easy one. Liam (Aspin) wants to win it very badly as well so it’s certainly not going to be easy but I will do my best, I would love to win the Mildenhall or RDC points before I finish in Ministox but I know that is not going to be an easy thing to do at all.

Although you still have time left in the formula, have you any thoughts as to what you might like to race after you finish in Ministox?
I would like to go into Saloon Stockcars eventually, I love the cars and the style of racing but I think my dad would like me to go into 1300cc Stockcars first so we will see.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
All my sponsors, Beck Row Car Spares, Kentford Auto Motors, CJ Overy, Overy Haulage and Thetford Autoparts, my dad for everything he has done, all my friends and family and Maggot and Sid for their help.