An Interview with Saloon Stockcar du25 GB and Irish Masters Champion 698 Danny Colliver
(interview published July 29 2015 in the lead up to the 2015 Championship at Mildenhall on August 29)

Age: 26
Home Town: Morden
Occupation: Mechanic
Family: Girlfriend Sophie
Started racing: Aged 10 in Ministox at Wimbledon, started in Saloon Stockcars in 2010 at Mildenhall

You’ve not only qualified for this year’s World Final but you have qualified very well in third position, are you happy with your grid position?
It’s perfect isn’t it, I think the inside of the second row would be for a lot of people the ideal place to start a race like this and I’m really pleased to have qualified so well but for me the most important bit is that I’m set to start on the inside row and I think that will be more important that the number of row you start on. For more I would prefer to start on the inside and be at the back than start at the front but be on the outside. I think the inside row will have a definite advantage at the start of the race, simply because you are that much further away from hitting the wall and in theory there is a car between you and the fence and staying away from it will be so important when the race gets underway. That’s my main goal when the race starts, just to keep my car in one piece. The race isn’t won on lap one, it’s won on lap 30 and if you wreck your car or bend your steering or something like that at the start then you won’t be getting to lap 30. It doesn’t matter to me I think if you lose a load of places at the start of the race, for me I wouldn’t be too worried about going backwards at the start so long as the car stays in good shape and you stay on the lead lap, that will be important as well because at Mildenhall it is so easy to get taken out and get lapped but also I think in a race like this it might be possible to come back from a lap down. I’d be surprised if there isn’t at least one stoppage with such a big field of cars and usually at Mildenhall everyone takes everyone out so no-one, including the leader will be safe. I think this one is going to get a bit messy myself (laughs), that’s why again it will be so important to just get through those first few laps intact and then try and go forward from there and you can’t do that with a damaged car, hopefully starting on the inside will help me with that!

Aside from trying to safety negotiate the first few laps do you have much of a game plan going into this one?
Not really, you have to wing it and make it all up as you go. It all depends on what happens doesn’t it and you never know with this formula and that’s especially the case at Mildenhall, being a smaller track, it’s bound to be hectic and I would imagine that whatever happens at the start I’ll be in with the rest of the cars pretty soon. Usually if you start a race near the front at most tracks you would have a little while before you’d have to worry about back markers but that won’t be the case here, if you do get a good start you are going to be in the thick of it almost immediately and there are so many good drivers, and drivers who are good at Mildenhall in the race, that it’s impossible to say what will happen and make a plan. All you can hope for is to get a decent start and be able to put yourself and your car in a position where you can do well. Every race in this formula is something of a lottery and the World Final is no different but it does make for exciting racing and that’s what people want to see and as a driver it’s what you want to be a part of, it’s a big reason why I came into the formula in the first place.

The World Final is still a few weeks away, at what point do you start preparing for the World Final and do you make any special preparations for an event like this?
We’ve so much racing every weekend that I won’t really be thinking about the World Final until it’s the next meeting and there are still plenty of meetings for me before we get that far (laughs). As far as the work goes, every time I race the car is always as good as I can possibly make it with the time I have and I’m not the only driver whose doing that, it’s why the formula is so good right now because everyone is putting so much effort into it which is why so many cars are competitive and the racing is brilliant as a result. I guess on World Final week I’ll probably spend a little longer on the car, just checking every nut and bolt a second and maybe a third time but in all honesty there isn’t much more that I can do on the car week to week, if there was I’d already be doing it (laughs).

You are currently laying seventh in the Mildenhall Track Championship, this in spite of missing a couple of meetings this season, are you pleased with your form at Mildenhall and does that give you a confident boost heading into the World Final?
It does I think because if you were going into the World having been doing no good at that track all year then it would be hard to not have it affect you and in this formula you have got to have complete confidence in both yourself and your car because if you don’t you won’t get anywhere, having that self-belief is really important I think. I’ve bene pleased with how things have been going at Mildenhall, especially as I really like the track because I love the kind of racing you get there. The brilliant thing about Mildenhall for me is that you can be in a race with just 15 cars and it still feels like you are in a 30 car race because you are never on your own out there, there is always someone with you that you have to worry about, you never get a chance to rest and that makes for great racing in my opinion. The other thing I really like about Mildenhall is it’s not all about having the fastest car, I think it is more about having a car which is driveable and that will be key again at the World Final, again it’s why it’s so important to keep your car in one piece and not break or damage anything, especially the steering. At other tracks if you are fast you can get away with a car which is hard to drive but not at Mildenhall, because you are almost always in traffic or dealing with another driver the most important thing is that the car has to be driveable and do what you want it to do. Look at the EA Championship (on July 26), I started pretty much last because I hadn’t scored a point and I managed to finish third. That wasn’t from being the quickest, it was just from having a car which did what I needed it to do when I needed it and surviving and staying out of trouble. I’d imagine that in the World Final there won’t be many drivers who don’t get taken out at some stage and I reckon one of the ones who doesn’t will be the driver who wins.

This will be your third appearance in the World Final and your first since 2012, how important was it for you to get back into the race this year and what are your goals this time having yet to post a top 10 in the race?
I guess it was important to me although I probably wouldn’t have admitted it (laughs). It was difficult being suspended for so long (in 2012-3) and while I was at last year’s World Final I was only in the last chance race and I didn’t make it so it’s really nice to be back in the World Final again and especially to have qualified so well, it does mean a lot and I’m really looking forward to it. My goal is to win the race but then that’s always my goal every time I go into a race and it’s the same for everyone because if that isn’t your target then you are probably never going to do very well, everyone wants to win all the time and this is no different and this is the one that everyone wants to win more than anything. I’ve had a couple of good wins in the formula so far, I’ve won the under 25 GB and Irish Masters this year and also the Essex and Devon but for me they are kind of ‘baby’ titles I guess, the ones everyone wants more than anything are the ones with the roof grades and so that is the next big target for me and this is as good an opportunity as any so you have to go for it but at the same time, so much of this formula is down to luck and this race will be especially so.

Your previous World Final appearances have been at Skegness and Taunton, how do you think Mildenhall will compare as a World Final venue?
It will be completely different, everything about it will be different, not just because it’s shale. I suppose the Taunton World Final will be a little comparable because it’s a small track again and there was so much going on that year which I think will be the case this time but I’m at the front of the grid this time so it’s all new for me really but I’m looking forward to it. Again it’s races like this that you race all season for, I love the thrill and buzz from the formula and big races like this are the best ones.

You made the switch to Saloon Stockcars in 2010, what motivated the change?
The racing is just so much better isn’t it, that was the biggest thing. The racing was better, it was more competitive as not only is there more drivers but there are better drivers to race against which makes the racing better and it’s also a good formula on shale and tarmac, I think it’s probably the best formula across the surfaces because a lot of formulas which race on both seem to struggle on one or the other but even though the numbers can be low at times in Saloons the racing on both surfaces is excellent.

You were instrumental in the introduction of Zetec engines to the formula, having trialled them for several months, are you pleased to see them now proving so popular?
Yeah, I’m really happy with it and I think it is one of the big reasons why the formula is doing so well at the minute because everyone now has a chance to have the same engine and power as anyone else out and without spending a huge amount of money. Another huge advantage is that because the Zetecs are a lot easier to come by than Pintos and cheaper, if you damage or break one it doesn’t keep you out of action for as long as it might have done before because they are so much cheaper and easier to replace. The fact that we have drivers doing well on what are basically scrap engines is just brilliant. I know some were wary when I started trialling the engine but a lot of people are afraid of change and I understand that, most of the time people want to play it safe and stick to what they know but I think this change will help move things forward, it’s already making things better I think.

Regrettably this season we have seen a number of driver injuries, is there anything you would like to see changed or improved to help with driver safety?
I think to be fair that injuries are very much a part of the nature of the beast. It’s the same with any motorsport, it’s dangerous and we all know the risks and this formula is especially the case because it’s such an action packed and tough formula and unfortunately sometimes people get hurt. I’m not sure that much more can be done, the rules are pretty good if you ask me, I think it’s always important for the scrutineers to check all the cars are ok at every meeting because of the damage we get but I think the biggest thing is a driver’s seat. The problem is you can’t have a rule on seats because not everyone is the same but I think every driver should spend some extra time making sure their seat is right. After all what is the point of spending loads of money on a car if your seat is uncomfortable or no good and I think having the correct seat can make a massive difference.

As is common knowledge at Mildenhall red flags are used much more than every other Saloon Stockcar circuit, are you happy for this or do you think a waved yellow flag is sufficient and what are your thoughts on the revised system for lap sheet order restarts in 2015 where back markers stay in place when a red flag is used and not just a waved yellow?
I think if you have a car that is upside down or a driver who is or could be hurt then a red flag should definitely be used. At the end of the day we all have to go to work on Monday and while a stoppage could ruin your race, if it keeps everyone safe then who really cares and I do believe all drivers respond quicker to red flags than waved yellow ones, I know I do. I think the restarts now are better, back markers should stay in the place I think, if you’ve done the work and got passed a backmarker then it’s unfair for that work to be taken away because a race has been stopped and by doing it that way it doesn’t really matter if you stop a race with a red flag than a waved yellow flag anymore because the order for the restart is the same.

As a result of your amazing dedication to the formula in 2015 you have become a leading contender in the National Points, was that ever the intention and has that now become the goal for the season?
It was never the intention. The intention was always to do as many meetings and to race as much as I possibly could but I never thought I would be in this position and also to be in such a tight battle with Dean (Mayes) where we are chopping and changing the lead most weekends is just awesome. Every time I race I want to win, that’s always the target but the National Points never was and to be honest it still isn’t, we’ve still about 25 meetings left I think so it’s too soon to start thinking about it but it would be an amazing thing to win.

Is there anyone you would to thank or mention?
My dad for everything he does, Richie Mead for his sponsorship, Sophie for her support and her dad and brother for their support, my brother Marty and Firestorm for everything they do, Jamie and Stefan, all the lads who come and help at the track and the yard, Deano and his lad and Chris Bradbury as well.

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

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