An Interview with Batty 18 Jamie Clayton
(interview published August 19 2015 in the lead up to the 2015 Championship at Mildenhall on August 29)

Age: 37
Home Town: Spalding
Occupation: Steel erector
Family: Wife, Bobbie
Racing career: First raced in 1300cc Stockcars in 1997 and debuted in Saloon Stockcars in 2000

Congratulations on qualifying for the World Final for the 10th time in a row, is this still a meeting and a race you look forward to?
It is, even though I’ve not been racing very much at all this year because I’ve just got married and we’ve been busy saving and planning for that so unfortunately the racing had to take a bit of a back seat because of that this year but it’s still great to be in the race and it’s still the one which everyone wants to win so it’s all the more exciting to be a part of it and I’m looking forward to it again.

You failed to finish in the top 24 in the World Rankings this year, finishing 27th, were you at all concerned about missing the race or were you confident that with some drivers unfortunately out of action you would make it to the race?
Again, where I’ve not been racing very much this year I’d not really paid the great amount of attention but I knew I was there or thereabouts and that it was always going to be close but it was good to hear there was a place for me in the final. Don’t get me wrong I would have done the meeting anyway because if I hadn’t qualified for the World Final I would have at least been a fair way up the grid for the last chance race and I think I would have had a good chance from there. I suspect the last chance race will be pretty chaotic, assuming there is a big grid for it because you always get a real mix of experienced and younger drivers and with some desperate to qualify it can make for a really lively race but if you are at the front hopefully you can be ahead of the chaos, quite often the winners of these races come from the front and if I’m not good enough to qualify in the last chance race then I doubt I would have had much chance in the World anyway (laughs).

Successfully qualifying for the World Final this year brings you into a very elite club becoming just the sixth driver to race in 10 consecutive World Final races, do stats like that interest you and is that one to be proud off and would it have been disappointing to have missed out on the race this year?
I think even though I’ve not done too much racing this season that it would always be disappointing to not be in the World Final. It’s the biggest race of the year and again it’s the one that everyone wants to win so you always want to be a part of it and I suspect most drivers who are not in the race will be a little disappointed and most of those who do the last chance race and don’t qualify will feel some degree of disappointment. It’s only natural because everyone wants that chance to be in the race don’t they. I guess having been in the race for so many years it would have been especially disappointing to have missed it this year although in all honesty I couldn’t have really complained as I’ve done so little racing this season and I’m pretty lucky to have qualified again. I never knew so few drivers had done 10 (World Finals) in a row, that’s a pretty cool thing to do, especially as not many have done it. It’s weird because I guess I’m becoming a bit of a veteran in the formula now (laughs). I’ve never seen myself that way but when I walk round the pits now, all the drivers seem to be almost half my age, it does make you feel old (laughs).

The World Final has yet to be overly kind to you with just two top 10 finishes from your nine starts, your best a fifth in 2007, has this and your inability to win any major title in the sport become any source of frustration or disappointment for yourself?
Not really. The thing with me is my racing has always been very much a bit all or nothing and every race I go into, I go into it with the aim of trying to win. I never want to settle for anything less and would rather crash trying to win and come nowhere rather than just settle for second. It was like that in the (2013) English Championship at Mildenhall. There was no way I could sit back and just watch Jamie (Sampson) take the flag, I had to go for it and in the end neither of us won but that’s the way I race and I think sometimes when you race like that a lot of it can be down to luck and there have been plenty of times when I’ve been unlucky. But the most important thing for me with my racing is that I come off the track smiling and if I can drive the car back onto the trailer then that’s even better and I’ve always enjoyed my racing regardless of what results I’ve got, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it. There have been a couple of times when I’ve left the World Final and things have just gone wrong. One year my mate Steve Webster turned me left when I was winning (laughs) and then my best chance was probably the last time at Skegness when I was one of the quickest cars out there and was catching (Dave) Aldous who was winning and I came up behind Gunner (658 Chris Lattka) who I was having a bit of an ongoing thing with and I decided my best bet was to follow him in and hope to continue but instead I wrecked my steering, it was a good hit though at least (laughs).

You were also very unlucky in the last Mildenhall staged World Final where you were the first retirement, forced out of the race with damaged ironwork on your bumper, was that particularly disappointing?
That is actually what started things with Gunner (laughs). He caused that and then it carried on every time we raced together for a while afterward. It was just one of those things and it couldn’t be helped, it was just a shame it had to happen in that race and not another one.

You mentioned that every race you are in the target is to win, is this race no different and how do you feel about your chances? Also does not racing at Mildenhall in recent months affect your chances or do you have sufficient experience of the track over the years for that to not be a factor?
The goal is to win and I suspect it will be the same with everyone on the grid, everyone will be going for it and will want to win it, that’s what makes it so special. I don’t think not racing at Mildenhall so much will change things for me too much. I’ve raced there so much and I know what to do to my car to set it up for the track and I think I’ve a pretty good set up for the track and I doubt that would have changed much. The thing with Mildenhall is because of its size, being a much smaller track, it’s much more of an action packed track and that makes the racing there so unpredictable so you can never tell what’s going to happen there anytime you race there but that is exciting as well and adds to the buzz of it all.

You are set to start the race on row 13, are you happy with that or do you have any superstitions and also how do you feel about starting on the outside?
(laughs) No, I’ve never been superstitious so the row doesn’t bother me at all, again I’m just happy to be in the race and it’s the same for being on the inside or the outside, I don’t think it makes too much difference really. I would imagine it’s going to be complete carnage at the start, that many cars on such a small track with everyone fighting each other, you’re going to have some just trying to survive the first few laps and others just going for it from the word go. I suspect the last chance qualifiers especially won’t be holding back and they are just behind me so it’s going to be chaos and I don’t think it makes any difference at all where you start, it’s just a matter of holding on hoping to come out the other side (laughs), if you do then I think you are in with a chance. Especially if there is a stoppage and I suspect there will be, I can’t see the race going flag to flag without a stoppage I really can’t and if there is a stoppage and you are still on the lead lap and then everyone lines up again bumper to bumper, you definitely have a chance, no matter who you are. I do think starting nearer the back might have some advantages though. Over the years I’ve often started nearer the front and I think there is a bit more pressure on you when you are up the front but I’m not sure it will be quite the same from where I am so hopefully that might help me a little.

How important is the start of the race going to be?
It’s always important, the key I think will be staying on the lead lap. It is possible to get spun out and stay on the lead lap but it’s harder at Mildenhall because the track is so much smaller but it can be done and that’s going to be the important bit I think, just staying on the lead lap because I think all the time you are you have a chance, especially as I do think there will be some kind of stoppage at some point. It’s hard to imagine at the very least with that many cars, not one driver getting stuck in a dodgy spot to bring a waved yellow out, I think it is kind of inevitable and again if you are on the lead lap and that happens then straight away you are going to have a chance.

Having raced in World Finals at all the modern day World Final venues, how does a Mildenhall World Final compare to World Finals elsewhere?
I think for me, the best way I can describe it is that a World Final at Mildenhall is like any other race at Mildenhall. They are all pretty much the same and again that comes from the size of the track and whenever you have around 30 cars out there it’s going to be chaos. But the atmosphere is different for a World Final, of course it is and I think at Mildenhall that’s the biggest thing which is different compared to another meeting or race and I really enjoy that, all the build-up, it’s fantastic.

This year has seen the introduction of Zetec engines to the sport, is this something you are in favour of?
To be completely honest I’ve not even looked at one. Again as I’ve not been racing too much this year it’s not something I’ve given that much thought to them, especially as my Pinto has been performing absolutely fine and I’ve had no trouble with it and it’s still be as quick as anything else when I’ve raced. It’s like anything, you always have to move on and move forward and we need to start doing it with other things as well because drivers are now starting to have trouble sourcing things like rear arms because Sierra ones are running out so we need to either start fabricating our own or using ones from another car like a BMW. It was the same with the engines and we did need to start moving on because as good as the Pinto is, I like it because it’s such a straight forward engine, they aren’t around anymore. The only concern I have with them is that drivers do seem to go through them quick quickly and while a Pinto is obviously more expensive they do seem to stand the test of time whereas these Zetecs don’t seem to be lasting as long from what I’ve seen and if you start going through several in a year then the costs will add up again.

Another big talking point in recent times has been that of tyres and the using of two tyres on tarmac and shale, what are your thoughts on that?
To be honest it’s a big reason why I’ve not done any tarmac racing this year. It’s a little hard to explain, my last tarmac meeting was the ORCi Championship at the end of last year and I had a good day and enjoyed myself but with everything else I’ve had going on this year I guess I’ve just lost interest in racing on tarmac and a big reason for that is because of the tyres we use and more specifically the work you have to do on them before a meeting, I just can’t be bothered (laughs). I think tyres are a bit of an issue at the minute and the fact we use different ones for tarmac and shale isn’t right if you ask me, I think we should use the same tyres all the time but I’m not sure what the answer is. The shale tyres aren’t the best by any means and they are horrendous on tarmac so I don’t think that would work. The tarmac ones are pretty good on shale so I guess that would be the easiest solution but then there are some who are concerned it would make the cars faster and that’s potentially another problem. Don’t get me wrong, as a driver I want to go fast, that’s part of the buzz so while I don’t want the cars to be slowed down, at the same time I think we are probably going fast enough right now (laughs) so I honestly don’t know what the answer is. But I do think if we ran on one tyre it would make life so much easier for the drivers who do race on bother surfaces. I don’t think you would see more drivers racing on both surfaces, those who do one or the other do it because that’s what they want to do, but the ones who do race on both it would make life easier for them, I’m sure.

A question we ask a lot of stockcar drivers is about red flags, as a driver are you happy for red flags to be used to stop a race, as they often are at Mildenhall, or do you think a waved yellow is sufficient and also are you happy with the change to the rules from this year so that with a lap sheet order restart the order of cars remains the same if a red or waved yellow flag is used with the back markers staying in position?
My opinion is if a driver is stuck or stranded on the track it should be a waved yellow but if a driver is hurt then it should be an immediate red flag because drivers do react and slow down quicker to a red flag and if someone is in trouble then the race needs to be stopped as quickly as possible. I didn’t know about the changes to the (lap sheet order restarts) but I didn’t agree with how it was before, the back markers should always stay in place, it’s the fairest way for everyone. If you are leading a race and have done all the work in passing some backmarkers and built up a cushion between you and second it’s not right that it should be taken away if the race gets stopped.

Another talking point this season has been the unfortunate number of driver injuries in the formula, is that a concern for you and do you think any more can be done to improve driver safety?
I don’t really think much more can be done, sadly it’s one of those things with a formula like this one. I suppose again the most obvious solution is to try and slow the cars down but again the appeal for a lot people is the speed and that’s what gives the drivers and the fans that buzz so it’s hard. Personally I think a big reason for some of the injuries this year has been the amount of cars the formula now gets, when you have more cars, you have better and harder racing but unfortunately that comes with added risks sometimes but then if you split the cars, the racing isn’t as good and great racing is the reason we do this so again it’s not easy to come up with a solution. We are seeing more and more drivers using more and more safety equipment. I don’t have that much myself but I have a fantastic neck brace which I’ve used for about 10 years, it’s got burns and acid marks on it now but it still does a brilliant job. I’ve looked at these Hans devices and they seem to be very popular but I guess I’ve not had enough of a neck ache to get one myself yet (laughs).

Is there anyone you would like to mention or thank?
Everyone that helps me, all my sponsors and my wife for her support.