An Interview with 2015 Super Rod Masters Champion 75 Neil Parker
(interview published May 25 2016 ahead of the 2016 Kent Championship

Age: 42
Home Town: Isle of Sheppey
Occupation: Coach driver
Family: Wife Kelly and three children
Racing career: First race in Production Rods at Iwade aged 18

Despite being yet to take a race win in the Super Rods this season, you are the early season points championship leader, how do you feel about the season so far, are you pleased to be leading the points or disappointed that you have yet to claim a race win?
I’m definitely not disappointed (laughs)! No, not at all, I’m really happy with how things are going so far, especially after the last meeting because I must admit after the first meeting I really thought I was going to struggle a little bit this year. There are some really fast cars this season and the first meeting was a tough one and I kind of got it into my head that the whole year was going to be hard and maybe got a little defeatist between that and the second meeting but the (May 2) second meeting went really well and got me back on track. I think the conditions helped, I guess the track being quite slippery does make it more of an even playing field for everyone but also I think my car is better suited to the wet than others so I guess I’ll be hoping it rains now before every meeting and they are all like that (laughs). Also I suppose the new drivers that did well (on April 10) started further down the grid at the second meeting so that levels it up a lot but I think the conditions were a big reason why I had such a good meeting and it’s really boosted by enthusiasm for the rest of the year. Although I’ve not had a race win yet, things have gone really well with my results and I’ve been in the top three in most of the races this year, even at the first meeting where I was struggling a little. There are some good drivers in the formula and I don’t think you can ever go into one of the races expecting to win but I do try and aim for the top three, I figure if I can finish in the top three then I’ve had a good result and so to have done that so many times this season already is quite an achievement and I’m pleased with that and it’s something I’m going to try and continue for the rest of the year if I can. I think the only race where I’ve really not done well was the one where I got a puncture but at least I finished and scored some points.

You mention the race this year where you picked up a puncture but you battled on to finish, was that important for you to finish the race?
It was. I won’t lie but I am hoping to try and challenge for the points this season having finished second last year and I think the main difference last year between me and Ben (Palmer) was that he had a lot less breakdowns than I did. I had a couple of meetings where I had some real problems and it was always going to be very hard to come back from that when the guy you are trying to catch is finishing all the races and scoring points in them all and not really making any mistakes or having the problems like I was and in the end that is what made the difference. I’d say that if you compared our race results there probably wasn’t that much in them but he had more results than I did and that’s how you win a points championship. I knew this year that if I was to do better than last year I would need to make sure I finished every race I possibly could and that’s why when I got the puncture I just tried to soldier on as best I could and make it to the finish and at least score some points. Who knows, those points might make a difference at the end of the year (laughs).

That said, how important is the work you put into your car ahead of the meetings to try and give yourself the best reliability possible?
It is important but having said that it’s something I struggle with because of the time I spend at work. I work 90 hours one week and 75 hours the next week so it’s tough to find time to do as much work on the car as I would like to. It’s even hard to try and slot work around the racing and I have to call a lot of favours in with my work colleagues to swop shifts so I can have the days off when there is a meeting on. And just my luck where the replacement meeting (at Dover on July 31) is, I was due on holiday then but we’ve managed to tweak the dates now so that I can race (laughs). But time is something I am really short on and it’s a massive reason why I race in the Super Rods. When I came back to the racing it was in the Bangerstox because they were quite similar to what I had raced years ago at Iwade but being a limited contact formula, there is a lot more work in the Bangerstox compared to Super Rods and I simply don’t have the time to do it so I switched to the Super Rods and it’s been ideal for me because I can race with the time I have to spare away from work, my family and other commitments. It does mean that sometimes I can’t spend as much time on the car as I would like but hopefully it will continue going well.

As the current points leader you will start the Kent Championship on May 30 on pole position, how do you feel about that how do you rate your chances in the race?
It’s like any other race for me and I’ll be aiming at finishing in the top three and I’d be pleased if I could manage that and starting at the front I would hope I at least have a chance of it (laughs). There is pressure which comes from starting at the front, it is tough, I guess because you feel like it is your race to lose rather than the other way around and it can be hard so you just have to try and treat it like any other race and put those thoughts out of your head. I think the start will definitely be important. I’m starting next to Stacey Reeves and I think whoever gets the early lead is going to have a great chance. If she gets away it will be hard to catch her and pass her because she has been really quick this season but if I can beat her into the first bend I might be able to hold her off, we’ll have to see, but the first bend and lap are going to be important, I’m sure it will be exciting.

You won the Masters Championship last season, how special was that for you?
It was fantastic and a brilliant way to end the season, especially after missing out on the points championship. I went into that meeting already knowing I’d lost the points and I’d not had the luck in the other championships but then it all came together in that one and it was a great way to end the year. Again that was all about the first bend, it was me and Steve Donavan and he didn’t make a particular good start and I was fortunate enough to have one and I got the lead from the start and then it was just a matter of not making a mistake and staying out front, so that will be my plan for the Kent Championship, but of course it’s easier said than done (laughs).

You’ve spoken about your family and we’ve seen some of them racing as well, is that something we might see more of in the future?
I hope so. My son Travis did a couple of meetings last year and the plan was for him to have a Bangerstox again this season but unfortunately for him my car has kind of taken priority over everything else (laughs). My daughter also wants to have a go and we are hoping to go to Worthing Raceway soon where she can do one of their junior formulas and if that goes well she might race in the Bangerstox as well in the future but again time is the problem we have, there is just never enough of it.

Can you explain why you returned to racing having first started so long ago at Iwade?
I stopped racing for 17 years I think it was. Basically I started having babies (laughs) and when me and my wife started a family and bought a house there wasn’t time for racing so it had to stop and then a couple of years ago I went to Dover to watch and really liked what I saw and it gave me the itch again. But at the same time I’d been out of it for so long that I didn’t really know how to even go about racing again but thankfully I had some friends, David Leaton, Darren Sutton and Martin Lewis who all started racing again at the same time and together we were able to work together and all get out there again which was fantastic.

What is the main appeal of the Super Rod formula for you?
Again it’s the amount of racing and the work you need to do to race at them. I’m so busy with work and when I’m not at work I obviously want to spend time with my family and the Super Rods are fairly straight forward and it suits me perfectly. The amount of meetings is about right for me, don’t get me wrong I would love to race more but if there were more meetings I simply wouldn’t be able to do them all and I think if I couldn’t do them all I wouldn’t be quite as interested so the amount of meetings is perfect and I’m able to keep on top of the work you need to do in between the meetings so it’s an ideal way for me to have racing in my life, the way my life is at the moment.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
My dad, David Leaton, especially for all the parts he helps me with and my wife and family for all their support.