An Interview with former 1300cc Stockcar World Champion 591 Aaron Morris
(interview published April 14 2015 in the lead up to the Saloon Stockcar English Championship at Mildenhall on April 25)

Age: 27
Home Town: Bracknell
Occupation: Self employed car dealer and vehicle recovery
Family: Single
Racing career: Started aged 11 in Juniors at Tongham Raceway

Like so many other drivers this season, you have enjoyed a very busy start to the season and have looked very competitive in the process, have you been pleased with how the season has gone so far?
Yes I am happy with things so far, it’s been pretty good. I’d like to be getting slightly better results but then you always want to do better don’t you but I’ve been pleased to be getting some more consistent results. Like the last Mildenhall where I had three top 10 finishes with a fifth, seventh and a third and I was really happy with that. That’s the thing I’ve been struggling with in the formula, being consistent across a whole meeting but a big part of that is because it’s such a tough formula. You can have one race where you go really well and get a great result, you can even win and then in the next race it will be the complete opposite. It’s one of the great things about the formula but it’s such a tough challenge and that makes it even better when you have a good night like I did at the last Mildenhall, nights like that mean more because it’s so hard to have nights like it. At the start of the season one of my goals was to try and improve my consistency and try and improve my average and at the moment I think it’s about nine or 10 points which is good but of course I want to try and make it better so that is the next step. I’m working hard to get results in all my races at a meeting rather than just one or two or even none (laughs) and then it’s a matter of trying to get better results.

How do you go about achieving something like getting better consistency?
I think what I’ve learned the most is that a lot of it is to do with your own preparation before each and every race. Like I said there’s been a lot of times where I would have a good result and then everything would go downhill from then and I think a big part of that is because when you have a good result there is a part of you that thinks you have cracked it and you kind of take your foot of the throttle a bit and maybe don’t work quite as hard. When you have a bad result then you work that bit harder for the next race, both mentally and with the car and I’ve been trying to do that even when I have a good race, keep working hard and looking at ways to be even better in the next race, I think it makes a massive difference.

A big talking point at the first two meetings this season at Mildenhall have been the track conditions, how difficult have you found things?
Well the (March 28) meeting was a lot better than (March 7) (laughs). It’s just one of those things really, you can’t worry about it too much, we all know it was a wet winter and you could see that a lot of work had been done on the track between the two Saloon meetings but unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough and it started to tear up again but it was still very enjoyable but then I had a good night so maybe I would say that (laughs). The (March 7) meeting was very hard because sometimes you couldn’t avoid the holes and they would just throw you all over the place so it was really, really hard but then again I didn’t have much luck that night anyway, I got black flagged in one race because my bonnet came loose, maybe it did me a favour (laughs). I guess in comparison the last meeting was nowhere as bad so maybe it seemed good because of that, hopefully it will be good for the English Championship. It would be a pity if it isn’t but at the end of the day it will be the same for everyone so you just have to get stuck in and get on with it.

You mention the next meeting at Mildenhall being the English Championship and the first major date of the season, are you looking forward to this one and do you approach it any differently to another meeting?
I am looking forward to it. This has been the first time since I came into the formula that I’ve actually started at the start of the season along with everyone else and it’s nice to not feel like everyone is already in front of me because missing the start of the season and coming in when everyone has already got a few weeks of racing in their system is a massive disadvantage. It’s hard to explain to people how much of a difference it makes but honestly it makes a huge difference and it’s another area where I am seeing a big difference this year so even though I wasn’t as ready as I wanted to be when the season started I’m really glad I made that extra effort during the winter to be ready for March and hopefully it will make a difference at the English as well. I suppose you try and treat meetings like that like any other night but I think that’s what everyone says isn’t it (laughs). Certainly the heat races, you try and drive them like anything else but it is hard not to treat the final differently if you qualify, the atmosphere alone is something different, when you come out and you’re not in grades but in a closed grid, that alone makes it special and gets you going, you just have to try and keep on top of the nerves and the adrenaline. I’ll be doing my best, I can definitely say that but then I try my best in every race (laughs).

As well as some good results at Mildenhall so far this season you’ve also enjoyed some strong form at King’s Lynn this year, is that something you are pleased about?
Absolutely. To be fair Lynn has been very kind to me in recent meetings and I love my shale racing so to be doing well at both shale tracks does mean a lot because although they are both shale they are totally different and present very different challenges and types of racing so to be doing well at both is great. Honestly I’m especially pleased to be getting these results at Mildenhall so far because I’ve not had quite the same success there as Lynn. For me, I find Mildenhall to be the tougher track sometimes, just because of the size so even though there are normally more cars at Lynn it doesn’t feel that way because at Mildenhall it’s not very often you find yourself in space on the track, there is always something going on and something to worry about but again that’s what I like about the racing there and why when you get a result it means a bit more.

You were among the first batch of established names from the 1300cc Stockcars to move into the Saloons, what was the motivation behind the move?
There were a lot of reasons really but at the end of it, I had always wanted to end up in Saloons, that was always the end goal for me when I came out of Ministox. I’m still not sure why but I wound up in 1300cc Stockcars but towards the end it was time to move on. A big reason for me was because more and more of the cars racing were front wheel drive which just wasn’t the same for me and it was becoming harder to compete with a rear wheel drive car so that was a factor but there were other reasons but again I always wanted to race in Saloons. Part of it was because my dad (Geoff) raced in the formula for so long but I think even if he hadn’t I would have wanted to race them because they are such a great formula at the moment and I’m so happy to be in them now, looking back I wished I had made the move sooner but you don’t know until you do (laughs). One of the most important things for the formula for me is the drivers themselves and their attitudes, they are such a great bunch and I find everyone to be really helpful and friendly in the pits and then everyone beats the hell out of each other on the track which is how it should be. But despite how hard the formula is there is no bitching or arguing off the track which is so important for me.

You were a former 1300cc Stockcar World Champion and this year the World Final is at Mildenhall, is competing for that title this year a goal?
(laughs) It was one of the reasons I got my arse in gear over the winter to be ready for March so I could try and get up the world rankings and get in the race but I think I spent so long getting ready I never looked to see how hard it work be (laughs). I think it will be tough for me to get seeded straight in but I’m going to do my best to qualify anyway and do all the championships at least and see if I can get some good results which would make a big difference but it won’t be easy. At least I hope to get a good grid position for the last chance race and I do feel I’m able to qualify for the race on the night if it comes to it, but again it’s one race and anything can happen so who knows but I would love to be in the (World Final).

We often ask stockcar drivers this but what are your thoughts on red flags being used to stop a race, is that something you are happy with and how do you feel about the move to one system for lap sheet order restarts in 2015 regardless of whether red or yellow flags are used to stop the race?
I do agree that sometimes red flags are needed and you have to stop a race as quickly as you can. I wouldn’t like to be the person who decides what warrants a red or a yellow flag but certainly is a car has rolled over or a driver might be hurt it should be stopped immediately in my opinion. As for the restarts, I think it is better than we now have one system, if nothing else it is a little less confusing because I think having two did cause problems, as to whether we are using the right one, it’s six of one and half a dozen of another isn’t it. If you are leading you want any back markers between you and the guy in second to stay there but if you are second you want the back markers out of the way (laughs) so I guess the answer to that depends on where you are when the race gets stopped! Personally I’d like it to go back to the old days where the cars started first to last and everyone restarted on the lead lap, that would be cool (laughs).

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
My mum and dad, dad especially for everything he does, he really does do so much to help me and everyone who helps and all my sponsors, Tony Lawrence Motorsport, A1 Wokingham Car Spares, Friend Brother Body Shop, Morris Motors Services and D and P Motors.