An Interview with Saloon Stockcar driver 349 Michael Allard
(interview published July 29 2015 in the lead up to the 2015 Championship at Mildenhall on August 29)

Age: 32
Home Town: Great Yarmouth
Occupation: Self-employed scrap monkey
Family: Children Gracie and Amelia
Started racing: Aged 10 in Ministox at Yarmouth, debuted in Saloon Stockcars in 2013

Congratulations on again qualifying for the World Final, is this an event you are looking forward to?
Yes, very much so, all the big meetings are extra special and the World Final especially so just because you have that big build up for the big race and that is just awesome and an amazing thing to be a part of so I’m really looking forward to being a part of that again. The great thing about meetings like this is you know there is going to be plenty of cars and it doesn’t matter how you do yourself, it’s going to be a great meeting because it always is when there are plenty of Saloons so there is that buzz as well, when you are driving to the track there is that extra excitement.

You’ve yet to register a top 10 finish in a World Final from your two starts to date, is that a source of disappointment for you at all and are there any goals or targets for this year?
Not really, I’ve just been glad to be in the race. This is such an incredibly hard formula that I don’t think you can ever be disappointed at a bad race, instead you should just be glad when a race goes well and you have a result and be happy about that rather than being too worried about the races were you don’t get a result. The first year I qualified on the night and so I never expected to do much from the back of the grid, it was just an amazing thing to be in the race in the first place and last year I had no luck at all but I finished both of them which I was pleased about because again in this formula just finishing a race is an achievement and that really is the target for this year. It’s impossible to go into any race with expectations or targets but especially so at Mildenhall because the track is just so unpredictable, all you can do really is aim to finish and go from there really I think, the way I see it, the guy who wins the World will be the driver who doesn’t get taken out because I would imagine most will at some point.

This is your first World Final at Mildenhall, how do you think this will compare to your previous World Final venues?
The good thing at Mildenhall is that the race really is anyone’s. Every race there is like that, not just this one and so much of it is down to who has the luck on the day. There is no-one dominating at the moment, especially at Mildenhall and really on shale as well but you don’t get people cleaning up all the time, in fact it’s quite rare you see a driver have more than one win at any one meeting which is something I really like about the formula. The formula is very much a level playing field, we’re all on the same tyres, the engines are very comparable and it keeps everyone really evenly matched and then you take a track like Mildenhall where because of its size, you just don’t know what’s going to happen and that should make for a really exciting race, so I think it will be an unpredictable one and you won’t have a clue whose going to win when it starts, I think that is the biggest difference.

How do you rate your own chances?
I honestly don’t know. I’m a bit funny when it comes to Mildenhall because it’s such a hit and miss track for me. One meeting I’ll be doing really well and the next will be terrible and I can never quite figure out why (laughs) but I suppose it does show how hard the track can be and the formula overall really. Take the European Championship race where at the end there was hardly anyone still on the lead lap, to be fair that’s usually the case at Mildenhall, being such a small track, one mistake, one spin and you are probably done and have no chance of winning but at the same time that’s what makes having a good result at Mildenhall so great because there, possibly more than any other track, when you have a win you really know you have earned and deserved it because there is no other way to get a win at Mildenhall, it doesn’t happen by chance. I had a second there this year from the red grade, which is my best result so far at Mildenhall from the back and so me it’s one of my best results to date because it was such a hard result to get and I know that I got that myself. I think the start will be important for me. The thing is with these races is you usually expect a stoppage so sometimes you think it’s important just to survive at the start because the start won’t wind up being the actual start because they’ll be a restart but then you get races like the World last year which went flag to flag so taking it easy at the start isn’t an option and I guess the start will be very important.

At which point do you start to prepare for the World Final or do you treat it like another weekend’s racing?
I think you do look at it as just another meeting simply because it’s hard to see how we could do anymore work on the car than what we are doing right now and I think it’s the same for a lot of people really because in order to be competitive in the formula you really do have to put the effort in. So given what we are already doing it is hard to think how you could do more, having said that I’m sure we’ll probably spend a little more time that week if we can (laughs) but essentially it will be no different to any other week or meeting in that sense.

Are you happy about your World Ranking position and starting place and with the confirmation that Stu Shevill Jnr will not race do you think being bumped into the first three rows will benefit you?
I’m really pleased to have qualified so well. When I was racing Ministox I would watch the Saloons and was always amazed by them and I never really thought I would be good enough to even race one myself but now to be not only racing them but at the front of a race like this with such brilliant drivers is a quite amazing thing really. I think it’s helped guys like me when people like Shaun Webster and Shane Brown retired because it’s opened the door for new people to move up and I think there are a few of us who have benefitted from that because when you see an opportunity it motivates you to go for it. I think being in that front group could help, as long as there is a row of overseas drivers behind, but being a little closer to the front could help but it could backfire, you just don’t know. Look at the English where being at the front didn’t help (Dave) Aldous so you never know. I think at Mildenhall especially there is no such thing as a good place to start the race, it just depends on what happens on the day but I’m very pleased to have qualified so well because I truly never thought I would have done that.

How do you feel 2015 has gone for you so far and are you enjoying your season?
It’s been going well and one of the things I’ve been especially pleased about is that I’m doing so well in the National Points which I never expected especially as I’ve not done an extreme amount of meetings that some people have done and they’ve obviously benefitted a lot from that and deserve to do well. I’m lucky that a have enough racing for me without going to Scotland and the west country all the time and I enjoy that and it keeps me more than busy but also those meetings tend to be the better attended meetings in the formula which makes where I am in the points all the more pleasing for me. It’s been such a massive learning curve coming into the stockcars, as I said it’s such a hard formula so it’s great to be getting somewhere now and it’s something I really pleased about. I think in bangers I proved myself as a crasher but now I’m trying to prove myself as a driver as well and I think I am slowly getting there but I think it’s getting to a point where it is going to be hard to move to that next level. For me I think it’s more about me than the car, we’ve learnt so much about the car but now it’s a matter of me getting better as a driver which will take time.

A big talking point this year has been the introduction of Zetec engines, you are using them so do you feel they’ve been a good move?
I think it’s been an awesome thing and a big reason why the formula is doing so well right now because it is helping to reduce the costs of the formula and allowing more drivers to have a go. I blew one at the start of the year which was completely my fault but it didn’t matter because I could simply throw it away and get another and I was back racing straight away where as if I’d been using a Pinto I probably would have missed the next meeting at least and it would have cost hundreds of pounds to repair. I appreciate I’m lucky as I would in scrap and so engines do come my way a little easier but I’ve plenty at the moment so they are definitely about and I think everyone who wants one can find one. Obviously you have to pay out for the conversion kit from the SSCA but in theory you only need one and when you can get engines for under £150 what’s not to like. I also think they’ve done a brilliant job of keeping the Pinto and Zetecs comparable and that’s what’s made the difference because those using Pinto engines are still on the pace and able to use up what they have and when it’s broken they can switch over without being out of pocket.

Another talking point in recent times has been the injuries which some drivers have suffered, is there anything which you like to see changed or improved in the formula?
For me the biggest thing is the tyres we are using on tarmac. I simply think they are too good and are making the cars too fast. I’d also like to see us be allowed to use different size rims which I think would help with the costs, but it’s the tyres which are the main issue for me. Lap times are getting faster and faster and the tyres are so good as well that I think they are taking a little skill out of the formula because anyone can be good on them which is good on one hand because it helps everyone to be competitive but it’s also making things too fast which isn’t good when things go wrong.

Mildenhall is known for using red flags to stop races more than most tracks in the formula, as a driver are you happy for reds flags to be used and what are your thoughts on the change to the restart rules for 2015 where cars line up in the same order for a lap sheet order restart for waved yellow and red flags with the back markers staying in place rather than going to the back of the grid as they used to with red flags?
Both things are difficult really and I’m glad I don’t have to make those decisions (laughs). As for stopping the races, I’ve no problem with a red flag being used if it’s needed but I do think races in general are being stopped too often right now. If a driver is genuinely in trouble than absolutely the race should be stopped but when they are just uncomfortable being sat where they are then I think they are in wrong formula but I do understand the concerns about people getting hurt which no-one wants. As for the restarts, the truth is you want the system which is best for you at the time but it doesn’t work that way (laughs) so as long as it’s the same and you all know what’s going to happen that’s the most important thing.

Is there anyone you would to thank or mention?
My mechanics, Spike, Baker and my dad for everything they do and Lee Green for his support as well.

More from this interview with Michael Allard will appear in the official race programme at the 2015 Saloon Stockcar World Final at Mildenhall on August 29

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