An Interview with Ministox Winter Series leader 370 Rowan Venni
(interview published January 13 2016 in the lead up to the final of the 2015/6 Mildenhall Winter Series)

Age: 12
Home Town: Spalding
Occupation: School
Racing career: Started in Ministox in March 2015

You are heading into the final round of the Winter Series as the series leader, are you pleased or surprised with how well you have been going in the Winter Series so far?
Both! (laughs) Of course I’m really happy to be doing so well, it’s brilliant to be leading still with one round left. I had a fantastic meeting at the first round and was leading then but that was when I started moving up the grades so as fantastic as it was to lead the series after round one I didn’t really expect it to last for very long and that I’m still leading with one round to go so that is pretty amazing and yes, it’s a massive surprise as I honestly never expected to be in this position.

Do you fancy your chances of winning the series and do you approach the final round any differently as the series leader?
(laughs) I don’t know really, I never expected to be doing this well! It would be brilliant to hang onto the lead and win it but I won’t be disappointed if I don’t because regardless of what happens (at the final round) I’ll still be really pleased with how well I have done so far. I won’t be treating the meeting any differently but I know it’s going to be tough, especially now that I’m starting (races) in the blue grade. It’s happened pretty quick moving up the grades. I spent so long in the white grade and then when I finally cracked that and moved to yellow I did really well again and moved to blue which was brilliant but it’s been a huge leap for me and I’m still trying to get used to it really. I was really pleased how well I did (on January 2) because that was my first meeting in the blue grade. I know it was going to be a challenge but I was really pleased that I scored so good points and had I not been a little unlucky in the final and got taken out I might have scored some more but hopefully I can take what I learned at the last meeting and put it to good use this time. The biggest difference I think it at the start of the races. In the white grade you have a little more time to get settled down and find your feet whereas the further back you have the less time you have to do that, you have to get in amongst it as quickly as possible and start passing cars at the first opportunity. Also you know that the top drivers in the red grade are that much closer to you when the race starts which brings extra pressure as well so when the race starts you really have to get on with it.

The Winter Series is trademarked by typically having tricky racing conditions and while the conditions so far this season have been better than previous years they have still been far from perfect, how have you found the conditions?
It’s strange really because while I prefer it when the track is dry, I think that is because it’s just easier. When it’s wet, it is harder but I seem to do better in those conditions, I’m not sure why, maybe I just have a bit of a knack for it or something but it is harder and definitely easier to make mistakes. Also when the track is a bit wet it’s a bigger challenge and that is something I enjoy. You have to figure out the best way round the track when it’s like that and then as the race goes on you have to keep trying to figure out the best way because it’s changing all the time, when the track is dry you don’t have to worry about that as much, you just get on with driving (laughs).

You had your first race win on November 8 but admittedly you were assisted by the race being stopped a few laps from the end, you then won the Grand Final later that day which went the full distance, was either of those races more special to you?
I think it was the final to be honest. My first win was a massive deal, I’d felt like it had been coming as I’d been getting some good results in the meetings leading up to it and had been leading races but I couldn’t quite get there and when it finally came it was a massive deal and I was so pleased but it was a little bit of a shame that the race didn’t go the full distance as it left a bit of doubt as to whether I would have won it had it not been stopped. So to go out and win the next race, which was the final really was even better. It was a longer race, it didn’t get stopped and I had to start from the back of the white grade as I’d won my heat so it was a much bigger challenge I think. I was also really pleased with how well I drove in the final which I think was much better than before. I actually got caught in the race, I think it was by Beth Usher, but I was able to keep calm and managed to hold her off and pull away again to win it so just the fact that I had such a great race made it really special. I think having won the heat made the difference because getting that first win took away the pressure and gave me a big confidence boost and it made a real difference as soon as the next race.

You soon had a race win from the yellow grade on December 13 which saw you move to the blue grade on January 2, was the win from the yellows special as well?
Yeah, it really was because again I never expected it to happen so soon. It took me nearly a year to win from the white grade and while I hoped it wouldn’t take as long I really never expected it to happen in my second meeting (in the yellow grade). Again I think a lot of it is that since I’ve had my first win I’ve got a lot more confident and that makes such a difference and while it is tough starting further back you have a target to chase which I’ve not been so used to starting in the white grade and I quite like that. Getting into the blue grade after only two meetings in the yellow grade was brilliant as well. It is a lot harder and I was pleased to score some points from the blues in my first meeting starting there and that will be my target again this time, I think really that is a more important target than trying to win the Winter Series, if I can score a good few points again (on January 31) I’ll be really happy.

2016 will be your first full season in the formula, have you any targets or goals?
I just want to try and keep improving really. My goal now is to try and at least stay in the blue grade and just try to keep going forward and getting better. I don’t really think I’m ready to be challenging for points championships and stuff like that but it would be great to at least do better in the points that I did (in 2015), so the goal is just to keep getting better and see what comes with that. I’m also hoping to race at some more tracks this year as so far I have only raced at Mildenhall but I’m not too sure where yet (laughs). The trouble is with my brother (Simon) racing his Saloon (Stockcar) it is hard to fit everything in and it’s been ideal racing at Mildenhall as a lot of the time he is racing as well so we are able to take both cars. I’d love to race at Cowdenbeath as I’ve been there several times to watch Saloons and it would be great to have a chance of racing there myself.

This season sees Mildenhall and RDC stage the British Championship, is that an event you are looking forward to?
Yes I am, it will probably be the first big championship meeting I’ll get to do and it will be good to have that opportunity and I’m looking forward to racing against some of the best drivers from elsewhere and see how I can do against them. I wouldn’t have the highest of hopes for myself in that one but it will be good enough just to do the meeting and hopefully I will qualify for the final, that would be a real achievement for me I think.

It’s safe to say you have improved tremendously since you first started in Ministox, as you didn’t have the best of starts to your racing career, what do you think changed for you?
I honestly don’t know, I suppose just the fact that I kept on trying and trying and eventually it all came together. I don’t think I did anything different but I did start to set myself small goals and that might have helped. After my first meeting I realised how hard it was going to be and so started to set little targets, like just finishing a race and that made things easier I think, because with every race I could feel myself getting a little better.

You come from a racing related family, your dad a former banger driver and your brother and current Saloon Stockcar driver, did you always want to race yourself and why did you want to race in Ministox rather than another junior formula?
I have always wanted to race myself, I’ve grown up around it and my brother has now been racing the stockcars for so many years and it’s been great watching him over the years and I guess him racing is a big reason why I wanted to do it myself. The Ministox were a good fit for us because as I said there are a lot of meetings where me and Simon race together and that helps a lot but I also really like the Ministox because of the contact, I always wanted to do a contact formula.

Speaking of your family, how much of a help are they with your race car or are you able to do some of the work yourself?
I rely on them a lot. I’m learning little bits here and there but when it comes to the mechanical side of things I need them to do all that but I am trying to learn some stuff so I can be more involved. It works well because I try and do little jobs on Simon’s stockcar, like washing it and tidying up the paintwork and that means he can help my dad a bit with my car (laughs). We usually spend a couple of nights a week working on the cars after school but all my schoolwork keeps me pretty busy, between that and my racing I don’t really do much else!

While you still have a few years inn Ministox yet, have you given any thought to what you would like to do after Ministox assuming you want to continue racing?
I'd like to go into Saloons (Stockcars) with my brother. I really like the formula and have been watching it a lot in the last few years and the racing is brilliant so I'm hoping that when I'm finished with Ministox I will be ready to make the big step up to racing one of them.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
My mum and dad, my sister and brother and Kevin for everything they do to help me.