An Interview with former Saloon Stockcar World, British, European and English Champion 499 Dave Aldous
(interview published May 21 in the lead up to the 2014 European Championship at Mildenhall on June 7 and 8)

Age: 34
Home Town: Diss
Occupation: Builder
Family: Fiancé Trish and three children
Racing career: Started racing Ministox aged 14

The Saloon Stockcar European Championship at Mildenhall is still a few weeks away (we spoke to Dave on May 12), are you thinking about the event at all or is it still a distant thought at present?
(laughing) I’ve given it no thought at all right now. Everything is about this weekend at Cowdenbeath (the British Championship) and getting everything ready for that. To be honest I do my racing week to week and never really think about anything beyond that, you just have to take it as it comes, especially because the season is so busy right now. We had the bank holiday weekend in the west country (for the English Championship) at St Day and Taunton and that was why I didn’t race at Arena (on May 11) just because I needed a break. And there is the costs as well. Even though I travelled to the west country with the Parkers which helped a lot it was still an expensive weekend and with Scotland this weekend it was good to have a break. We’ve a few meetings between Cowdenbeath and Mildenhall as well so I won’t be worrying about the European until it happens and even then you try and treat it like any other meeting, I try and put just as much effort into the car and preparation for a championship as I do any other meeting.

Your form at Mildenhall in 2014 is presently second to none, does that give you a confidence boost heading into a big event like this or do you feel it makes you a marked man?
Both I guess. Of course when the car is performing well it helps your confidence and I couldn’t ask for the car to be going any better right now, all the work is really paying off and everything is going brilliantly. I think when you are doing well it can make you a marked man, especially in a championship race but then again I’ve always considered myself to be something of a marked man in the formula so I suppose this won’t be any different.

This year’s championship at Mildenhall is a little different to other years as the event is being held across the weekend rather than on a single day, does that format suit you or would you prefer it as a single day event?
I don’t think it makes too much difference and ultimately it is the same for everyone. I can understand why promoters have these events over two days to try and encourage more fans to support two days of racing which I think can be tough because there are so many things for people to do these days but I can see the logic of it. For me, I do like the idea of the championship being on the Saturday night, if only because it’s at night and that makes for a better atmosphere but it’s not the end of the world really. I think the big thing for me could be how the track changes. A shale track changes lap to lap so there is no real disadvantage or advantage from the championship being across the weekend. Your car could go well on Saturday and less well Sunday but that could happen between heat one and heat two at a shale meeting so that’s not so important but at Mildenhall we’ve seen the track change a lot between the Saturday and Sunday at two day meetings, especially if it’s hot. You tend to get a layer of rubber and you can actually see the colour of the track change and when it goes like that I really struggle. I don’t know why but my car seems to go best when it is a little damp and it actually performs best at the start and end of the season and I struggle a bit in the summer. But when it goes as well as it does you’re more reluctant to change it (laughs). So that’s my personal concern, there isn’t (BriSCA) F2 Stockcars on at this weekend though so that might be a reason it happens, I guess we’ll have to wait and see but again it will be the same for everyone.

At the moment you are without a championship roof on your car, a rather unusual sight in recent years, does that make you more motivated to win a championship race like this or at this stage of your career are you content to not be a reigning champion?
It seems to be a regular sight at the moment (laughs). You always want to win, whatever race you are in and especially the championships, that’s the reason we all go racing. Don’t get me wrong, this is still my hobby but I want to be competitive and the day I’m not will be the day I retire, I’m not happy to just ride round and make the numbers up, I want to be in the mix and fighting for championships and wins and so of course I want a championship roof on my car. But at the same time if you had told me when I was racing Ministox that I would have had this much success in my racing career I would have been over the moon so I can look back and be pleased at what I have done so far but I want to try and win more.

Given the nature of the raceway, do you see a championship race at Mildenhall as a bigger challenge?
All races are a challenge and championship races especially but I think it is safe to say that the races at Mildenhall are more intense and that is especially the case with a championship and when there is a big field of cars, just because of the size of the track and because it is still so fast. At somewhere like King’s Lynn you do have a bit more time sometimes to think ahead and plan whereas at Mildenhall it’s more that you just react to things as they happen because it seems to happen a bit faster and there isn’t the time to plan or think ahead, you just react to what’s happening when it does. But it does make for great racing and I enjoy that side of the track and it makes a win a little more special when it comes under those circumstances.

You have just been named as the leader of the National Points Championship, is that something you are targeting this season?
(laughs) Absolutely not! Don’t get me wrong, if towards the end of the year I’m still up in the points I might consider it and do some meetings I otherwise wouldn’t have but at this stage of the season I’m certainly not thinking about it but it is nice to be up there, especially as I’m really not trying in the sense that I’m just racing at the meetings I want to do. I’ve done that before and it’s such a huge workload and if I’m honest I don’t think the reward justifies winning the (National Points). In formulas like BriSCA F1 and F2 (Stockcars) there is a big (cash) prize for winning the National Points or in F2s there is an award if you race at all the different tracks and we don’t have that in Saloons and I think it is something which the promoters should look into.

We’ve been asking the Saloon Stockcar drivers we’ve interviewed this season about their thoughts on how and when races are suspended, especially as the racing at Mildenhall tends to see more red flags stoppages than most tracks. Are you happy for red flags to be used in certain situations or do you feel only waved yellow flags should be used?
I’m honestly not too worried but what I want to see is more consistency between the tracks. It should be the same everywhere and it’s really not at the moment and that’s not just with things like race stoppages but things like starts and other things and I would like to see better consistency. With stopping races I can understand why at Mildenhall red flags are used more because like I said sometimes the racing is a little more intense so I can understand why you would want to stop a race quicker but the problem with doing that is it can kill a race stone dead. Because of how the cars are lined up after a red flag (drivers line up first to last but with lapped cars retaining their laps down) that can be the end of your race there and then because it you are a lap down you’ve basically got to lap the field twice to win and that’s not going to happen so that’s your race over. I don’t know what the answer is and I wouldn’t want to make decisions like that but I do think we need better consistency in the formula at all the tracks.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
There are so many, my misses more than anyone for putting up with it all and supporting me and my racing as much as she does and the kids as well especially because they try and help now as well which is great. There is so many others, John Owen, Roy Allen Engines, the lads who help, Wayne, Luke, Jay at Lindale, David, Roundwheel, Kevin Wickham, Gavin, Allens Haulage, Steve Eaton, I know I will have forgotten someone but everyone who helps me, I appreciate all of it.