An Interview with Super Mario 212 Richard Maryon

Age: 50
Home Town: Wisbech
Occupation: Site Manager
Family: Married to Sara with children Laken, Jodie, Jack, Holly and Amber
Racing Career: First raced National Bangers aged 15 at Henham, was rolled over by his own father

You are one of several drivers to have qualified for the championship for the first time, are you looking forward to making your debut in the race?
Very much, in fact it’s one of the biggest reasons why I’ve carried on racing this year. With my son racing in the Junior Bangers now I was all set to pack up and concentrate on him but then I qualified for the RDC RWD Championship last year and the Supreme so I thought I’d better carry on for another year to do those races. I’ll probably carry on racing anyway but it won’t be anywhere near as much, just the odd rear wheel drive meeting or something because those are the kind of meetings I enjoy now. But I’m really looking forward to the Supreme Championship, I’m sure I’ll be buzzing for that one but I must admit now that while I’m always buzzing at the meeting and usually buzzing before, the buzz isn’t quite as there as much for the bit before when you start the week with another car to build. 

What is it that you are excited about and are looking forward to about the Supreme Championship race?
I look forward to any race but this one ticks a lot of boxes for me, it’s on shale, it’s rear wheel drive and it’s a chance to race against some of the top drivers in the sport which I’ve not had an opportunity to do very often in recent years so it will be a great think for me to be a part of, especially now that I am thinking about stepping back and concentrating on helping others, so it will be a nice thing to do at this stage of my racing career.

How do you fancy your chances in the race?
I was actually reading the driver preview on the (RDC) website the other day and I actually think it was about right in that the first five laps are what’s going to make the difference for me and if I can get through them in one piece I’ll have as good a chance as anyone. I honestly believe I can drive a rear wheel drive car on shale as well as anyone but I don’t have the same equipment that others do which sometimes put me at a disadvantage. But that won’t be the case I don’t think at Mildenhall, especially if there are a lot of cars in the race. That is one of the reasons I like Mildenhall as much as I do, because success there is very much down to the driver rather than the car and the luck you have on the night. It’s the size which makes the difference because there isn’t really a straight so it’s more a matter of avoiding all the crashes and accidents than it is how fast you are going and I like that, I think that is how banger racing should be. I also think the race at Mildenhall is going to be a massive challenge and I enjoy that, where is the fun when it’s easy and whoever wins is going to deserve it. 

Have you made a decision on what car you are going to race?
I’ve got an Omega estate. There was no great thought into it, the car came up and it will do the job, the way I see it, the car only really needs to do the one race, whatever happens after that isn’t as important and I’m sure it will be good enough for that. Again I don’t think the car is going to make the greatest difference, it’s luck you are going to need. 

Given that it seems the Supreme Championship could be one of your final National Banger outings and perhaps your last championship appearance, is there any pressure on you to do particularly well this time?
No, not at all. I never put any pressure on anyone else and I do the same to myself, whatever happens will happen and whatever happens I’ll finish the race, come home and crack open a beer and be smiling about it. It’s a little strange because of my job, I have to be 150 per cent sensible all of the time so racing for me is a great release and a chance to let everything out and I think that is one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much and this will be no different.

Despite your preference for rear wheel drive type events, you qualified for the race via an excellent top six finish in the TSR World Final at King’s Lynn, a 2Litre event, was that one of the highlights of 2013 for you?
No it wasn’t really because even though I did well I just don’t enjoy the 2litre and Mondeo meetings as much anymore. I think it’s an age thing because while I enjoy the race the problem with these meetings now is you get a lot of younger drivers who enjoy doing the big hits and I simply can’t take those kind of hits anymore when I’m in a Mondeo because the things are so strong. So unfortunately it has become a case for me know that when I race a Mondeo and I crash I’ve become very wary of getting blitzed while I’m stationary and because of that I just don’t enjoy them as much anymore and even at the World Final where I did well I just didn’t get the same enjoyment from it because I have become so wary of the cars. For me the highlight of last year was probably winning the final at the 2Litre RWD meeting at King’s Lynn because that was much more enjoyable for me and the kind of racing I enjoy. 

Looking ahead to the future, do you think you will enjoy a more helping role in the sport rather than racing as much yourself?
Yes I will. I get a great amount of enjoyment from helping my son in the Junior Bangers and watching him doing well. Also now, my daughter has got engaged and her fiancé has moved in with us and he has started racing as well. At the moment he’s only getting the leftovers but he is really enjoying it as well so that is great. The social side of the sport is very important to me and I think I will get just as much fun from helping my family and friends as I have from racing myself.

Is there anyone you would like to mention or thank?
I’d like to especially thank Paul Licquorice and Mo Crowson because they are a both huge reasons why I’ve been able to race as much as I have over the years and anyone else whose helped out.

Click here to return to One Wild Night page