An Interview with 287 Dean
Quinsee
(interview published March 12 2014 in the lead up to the 2014 Unlimited
Banger BBA Supreme Championship)
Age: 25
Home Town: Northampton
Occupation: Ground worker
Family: Girlfriend Leanne and son Harrison
Racing career: Started racing Ministox in aged 11 and National Bangers aged 16
Congratulations on qualifying for this year’s championship, your first since the event became an unlimited one. Are you looking forward to the race?
Yes I am and I was really pleased when I found out there was a space for me (as the Incarace seeded entry). When I was told there was a chance I could get into the race if the drivers who finished in front of me in the points last year said no, then I was secretly hoping it might happen and kept the car just in case. It’s the car which broke down at the Heartbreaker so I suppose getting a place in the championship is a little bit of a silver lining as from the disaster at Birmingham I now have a car ready to go for Mildenhall. It’s always nice to have the chance to do races like this, it doesn’t happen for me very often so when it does I always try and take them up and this will be good because I’ve not done this race as an unlimited one.
What is it about big championship races like this that you enjoy so much?
It’s just the buzz and atmosphere which goes with races like this. For me what I love is the feeling of racing down the straight and hearing the roar of all the engines behind you knowing that they are after you and want to beat you, it’s an incredible rush.
Given much of your success, including the 1800cc Suffolk Open Championship at Mildenhall, has come in front wheel drive cars, how do you rate your chances in the Supreme Championship?
Not very highly to be honest, I probably would have done better had it still been a (National) meeting but if I was to have a result it would mean a lot more doing it in an unlimited race, especially on shale. I don’t seem to have the greatest amount of luck when it comes to unlimited racing but I do enjoy it, and any rear wheel drive racing really, it’s a lot more fun and takes more skill a think and that is especially the case on shale.
That said, have you any targets for the race?
I’d love to finish in the top six or something, that would be amazing but just to finish I think would be something because it should be a really hard race.
Despite your comments about your unlimited and rear wheel drive form, you have had some success in the format at Mildenhall, winning a heat at the 2litre RWD meeting last summer, does that give you a confidence boost?
Yes it does I think. The Omega I raced that night I’d used a bit at Standlake before that and I think I won three finals there in that car and Standlake is one of the trickiest tracks to race round, especially in an unlimited, I think it might even be trickier than racing on shale so I suppose I can do it when I have a bit of luck and I’ve got an Omega again for the Supreme so that helps.
Do you think an Omega is a good car choice and, perhaps more importantly, have you resolved the problems you had with the car at the Heartbreaker?
Yes, we’ve got that sorted now and it’s running pretty sweet. It was really frustrating to get all the way there and that happen but I suppose it does happen, I guess it was better to happen before the race started rather than when the race did start and I get wrecked so I’m trying to look at the positives but it was a really disappointing day really. I like the Omegas, I think the car will definitely be quick enough, it’s whether it’s strong enough because they are not the hardest of cars for unlimited meetings and again I think it could be a hard race, so we’ll see.
With the amount of drivers booked in for the championship, many are predicting a hectic race, does that help or hinder you?
I honestly don’t know and you won’t know until the race has finished and you know how it’s all played out for you. If there is a pile-up and that takes out some of the fancied runners then that will of course help me but if I’m in the pile-up then it won’t but everyone has the same chance in a race like this because you have little control over the pile-ups and stuff like that. I’m glad there should be a lot of cars though because again it adds to the challenge and the achievement if you do well. Not many people want to win a 10 car race for example, but to say you won a 40 or even 50 car race is a bit more special. The main drawback I think I will have with a big grid is with all the traffic it makes it difficult to get away from people so I think whoever wins is going to have to really be on it for the whole race, you won’t be able to take it easy at all.
Looking beyond the championship, have you any plans for the rest of 2014?
I’ve always been the kind of driver to just take my racing as it comes and plan week to week. I’ll get a car, have a look at the fixtures, decide where to race it and go from there and I don’t really plan much beyond that. I’d love to try and get into more championship races, especially on shale, the unlimited World of Shale at King’s Lynn is something I would like to try and qualify and I’ve never raced at a Spedeworth World Final meeting so that’s another meeting I’d like to try and if I could qualify for the championship that would be brilliant.
You were racing at Standlake earlier this month in their Prod Rod class, is that something you might do more of in the future?
I’ve done it before and I had a car come up which wasn’t really any use for bangers so we threw it together to do the rods. It was ok but nowhere near as good as bangers so I certainly won’t be switching to that full time or anything but if we have a weekend where there is no banger meetings I want to do and Standlake is on we might take the car and just have a day racing because any racing is better than no racing!
There was a huge amount of talk last year regarding the Incarace banger scene and this led to a much publicised drivers meeting where the promotion vowed to make improvements. As an Incarace driver do you think things have improved?
I think they have a bit, my main issue is with consistency and I’m not convinced all the rules are enforced evenly to everyone but you could probably say that about most places and I think that is the thing they need to work on the most. But to be honest I don’t tend to worry about things like that too much, I just get on and enjoy my racing.
Another recent talking point has been the 2014 technical rules for ORCi meetings, what are your views on these?
If I’m honest, I’ve not even read them that closely. I consider myself a budget racer and most of the things which have been changed don’t really apply to me so I don’t think I will be building my cars any different to before. I certainly haven’t got any of the fancy tyres which are no longer allowed but the new profile rule on the tyres is a bit of a pain. We recently moved yards and didn’t have room to take all the tyres I had so of course we got rid of most of the higher profile ones and kept the lower ones and now they are no good which is a bit annoying but we can get round it.
Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
My dad, without him I would not be able to do the racing I do, he’s a massive help and my uncle Ray who takes me to a lot of the meetings.