An Interview with Seexy 107
Michael Seex
(interview published March 12 2014 in the lead up to the 2014 Unlimited
Banger BBA Supreme Championship)
Age: 26
Home Town: Braintree
Occupation: Mechanical engineer
Family: Fiancé Chanelle who is expecting their baby
Racing career: Started racing Minis at Braintree aged 12
This is the first time you have qualified for the Supreme Championship, are you pleased and looking forward to it?
Yes, I’m really pleased to have qualified and looking forward to it quite a bit, especially now it’s getting closer and we have the car and we’re getting it ready. It’s always great to qualify for championships and I think that is especially the case when it’s something you have never been in before, that’s just a bit more special being the first time but this one if particularly good because there are so many big names in it, it’s one of the biggest races of the year and for me just being in it is an achievement in itself so I was really happy when I found out I’d qualified and now it’s nearly here I’m looking forward to it.
Your unlimited experience is minimal at best, with that in mind, are you looking forward to the meting being an unlimited one?
I’ve done a bit but you are right I’ve not done many and had hardly any luck. I did a couple of Suffolk Opens a few years ago and then I was meant to do the last chance race last year but my girlfriend had a miscarriage the morning of the meeting so obviously I didn’t race that night. I was meant to race the car at the unlimited team meeting a few weeks later but I never got any further from the pits because the gearbox broke when I came back from scrutineering which I wasn’t very happy about so no, I’ve not done many unlimited meetings and when I have or when I’ve tried it’s never gone well but I’m still looking forward to it. I’m hoping that with so many cars in the race I might get dragged round with the rest of them until I get settled. I do like racing rear wheel drive cars though so I’m sure I’ll still enjoy the race and the meeting.
Up until a couple of seasons ago the event was a National Banger meeting, do you think you would have had a better chance if it was still being run to that format?
I probably would have to be honest. I think I’m pretty good in a Mondeo at Mildenhall and can get round pretty well and when I’m having a good night I think I can be as good as anyone else. But I’ve been to most of the Supreme Championship meetings at Mildenhall, except last year and there is no denying that the first time it was unlimited at Mildenhall (2012) it was so much better. I love watching unlimited bangers round Mildenhall and the atmosphere that night was amazing so being unlimited definitely improved the meeting and I’m happy to be a part of it under the new format because I think it is better for the meeting, even if it’s probably not better for me.
A big grid is expected for the championship, will that help or hinder you?
You’ve two chances. Like I said I’m hoping with that many cars I will be able to just hang on and keep going in the right direction for the first few laps and let the traffic drag me round almost and let things settle down and then go from there. Either that will happen or it will be mayhem from the first lap and a big pile-up and my wheels will probably be on my cage! But whatever happens I’ll be smiling, again I’m just pleased to have qualified, anything else is a bonus and if I could finish and get a top 10 I would be over the moon with that.
Have you decided what car you are going to race?
I’ve got an Omega estate. I’ve had the car for a couple of years but haven’t raced it obviously so I thought it was about time I did. I could have had a Scorpio estate but the car wasn’t mind so it was just more time and to be honest I think the Scorpio and Omega are pretty similar in a lot of ways and I used to race Vauxhalls all the time so I know a bit more about them and have a rough idea of what I’m doing and have got kit to fit it so it just seemed a more sensible choice.
Have you got a pick for the championship?
I think it will be one of the usual suspects, someone like Boxer (331 Jason Jackson), Chubby (382 Jack Foster Jnr) or Bro (247 Lee Clarke), that is if he can get away from the DWO drivers because I’m sure they will be looking for each other. I think it’s probably going to be one of the top guys who you usually see win races like this. Experience is probably going to be a factor and the drivers who are racing weekly I think will have an edge. When you are racing all the time not only is your driving better but you think better and this is definitely going to be a race where you are going to have to think to win it because there is going to be a lot of traffic at the very least and I think that will favour the guys who are racing all the time.
What are your plans for the rest of 2014?
I’ve said this is going to be my last busy year so I hope to really go for it and get as many meetings in as I can and try to travel around to a few new tracks. I want to go to Buxton for the 2Litre English Championship in June, I enjoyed the race at Skegness last year so thought I’d give it a go at Buxton this year and I’d also like to visit Coventry as well. I still enjoy the racing but I’ve been doing it for so long now. I first went to a meeting when I was three days old and before I raced myself I helped my brother John with his cars so it’s been my whole life and I just think I need to slow down a bit. I’m going to stop completely or anything like that but I will back off a bit. The finances is a bit as well because every spare penny I have goes into racing and with a baby on the way I need to rethink that as well but I still love it and just lately I’ve even started enjoying building the cars which is usually the problem. I’m hoping to do most of the Mildenhall meetings again and I also want to try and do as many of the National meetings as I can at Arena. I like tarmac racing just as much as racing on shale, it’s just a different challenge and I’ve really enjoyed the weekends where I do Mildenhall Saturday and Arena Sunday. It’s a bit tiring and you can be pretty worn out Monday but whole weekends of racing are great and so I hope to do a few more of them this season.
Have you any particular targets for this season or the future?
It’s a big as but I would love to win a championship and have a year with a championship roof on my car, that was be fantastic. The British Championship is always an important one for me and I think all the time I am racing I will be trying to qualify for that race. I’ve not got off to the best start with the qualifying rounds this year but we’ll keep trying and if all else fails I’ll try again on the night which will be nothing new because I’ve done that before. I like the British Championship, being (National Bangers) it’s a race I think I have a reasonable chance in and it’s always a great race, really fast and tough so it’s always good to get in it.
Have you any thoughts on the new construction rules for ORCi meetings in 2014?
The drive and prop shaft rules don’t bother me because I don’t race rear wheel drive or unlimited cars very often so that’s not an issue for me. The tyre rule has been more of a problem because I decided to spend some money on tyres recently and now they’ve all been banned which is just my luck (laughs)! I can see why they (the ORCi) have done what they have done but tyres like the Goodyear Eagle, you can get them now without spending a fortune and the same with the lower profile tyre and all that will happen now is the drivers who have money to spend will just spend money on the next new tyre while the guys without extra money will struggle for a bit. Again I see why they’ve done it but I don’t think it will make much difference in the long run, personally I think if people want to spend lots of money on a banger, that’s up to them, I don’t actually think it makes the greatest amount of difference in the end.
Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
Chanelle, Josh, my mum and dad, I would not be doing all this if it wasn’t for my dad, Dave and Paul who help drive the lorry and all the other lads who help out.