An Interview with Boxer Jack
331 Jason Jackson
Age: 32
Home Town: Romford
Occupation: Haulage driver
Family: Fiancé Jane and daughter Bonnie Jo
Racing career: Started racing Junior Bangers in 1995
As one of the most experienced and successful drivers on this year’s grid, do you still get excited and look forward to big races like this one?
Yes, of course you do. I always enjoy my racing but especially the championship races because those are the ones everyone wants to win and I’m no different, especially as by winning them it usually annoys someone somewhere, so it’s good to win them.
You’re a previous Supreme Champion but you won the event back in its National Banger era. Now that it is an unlimited race do you see it as an event you are yet to win or is it one you are especially keen to win now it is for unlimited bangers?
It honestly doesn’t make too much difference to me what the (format) is, if it’s big cars or small cars or if it’s a championship I have won before or not, I just want to try and win, that’s always my goal, especially when it comes to a championship race and I would imagine it will be the same for most people in this race because there is a lot of top drivers and others who will fancy their chances.
How do you rate your chances this year?
You can never tell, especially when it’s on shale, that opens everything up even more and makes it even harder to predict. I was winning last year and got spun out and then spun myself out and it’s been a while since I’ve taken myself out of a race but I suppose it was a change from someone taking me out for once! I’ve been winning a championship at Mildenhall before and got a puncture and that was the end of that race, it really is a bit of a lottery anytime you race at Mildenhall and when you take into account the amount of good drivers in the race it’s going to be even more than usual.
Do you enjoy it when the race is like that and more unpredictable?
Yes, it’s more exciting for everyone and when you have a result you know you’ve done well. At the end of the day with this race, everyone who has qualified has done something to get into the race which means that everyone out there has a chance and with the nature of the race and the track, even those who you might not consider straight away will have a chance. I think it’s going to be a matter of surviving the first half and then having a car good enough to win in the second half. The first few laps is likely to be pretty hectic, it wouldn’t surprise me if there is a pile-up so you need to get through all that and then be in a position to win when it settles down towards the end. The thing is all the people you might pick before the start as possible winners could get wiped out in the first few laps allowing a dark horse to take it so you just don’t know what’s going to happen.
You mentioned last year’s race, which was held in the middle of a snow storm, how difficult was racing that night?
It was definitely the worst conditions I have ever raced in, it was absolutely terrible, you couldn’t see a thing and it was very difficult to just keep going, let alone worry about anything else, hopefully it’ll be a lot better this year as it really was a shame last time and it ruined the meeting completely.
Have you made a decision about what car you are going to race in the championship?
The plan is to bring a Volvo (240). I’ve not raced one for a while and I’ve got one which needs to be used and I think this is the ideal place to take it. I took one to the meeting two years ago when I was in the last chance race and had a great night smashing it up, but apparently that was just because I’d armoured it (laughs)! Seriously, though I think Volvos are still a very good car on shale, they are as quick as anything else round Mildenhall and also strong enough to survive and keep going and I think it will be important here to have a car that is good enough to make it to the end. Another good thing about Volvos is there a good car for repairing and pulling out so hopefully I’ll get another full night from it because I really enjoyed the last one I raced at Mildenhall.
Moving away from the championship, you sparked a lot of talk at the end of 2013 when you announced that you were ready to move on from National Bangers and duly piloted a 2.0 Hot Rod at Wimbledon on January 1. However you’ve not been seen in the Hot Rod since and it has been suggested you’ve decided against moving to the formula. Can you tell us what is happening?
Yeah, that’s pretty much the story. I did have the Hot Rod and was totally ready to go for that but having raced it I’ve decided either I’m not ready to leave bangers or the Hot Rod wasn’t the way to go for me and so the (Hot Rod) is for sale and I’m fully committed to bangers again for 2014 at least. It’s weird because I really did think I was ready to move on and try something new, especially when I won the PRI World Final because that was the one championship that was left that I really wanted to win. So we got the Hot Rod ready and I raced it at Wimbledon and the truth is I just didn’t get the same buzz from racing that as I do when I race a banger and now I’m not completely sure I will get it from racing anything else. The reason I tried the Hot Rod was after I raced one when we went to South Africa and I thoroughly enjoyed it but now I’m wondering if it was a kind of holiday romance thing or something because it just wasn’t quite the same when it was my car own, I can’t really explain it. After the meeting we came back home and Terry Shelvey said we’d get the car right in time but I needed to decide between the Hot Rod or Bangers and I couldn’t do both, I needed to fully commit to one or the other if I wanted to do as well as I would want to and I knew he was right and it was at that point that I realised I wasn’t completely ready to leave bangers after all. I’m now thinking about trying a Saloon Stockcar and wondering if that might be for me but that is a way down the line yet, it certainly wouldn’t be this year so it’s bangers all the way for 2014 at least.
Another recent talking point with you has been around a trip to Ringwood in early February where it has been suggested you were unhappy about the result of the 2Litre UK Open final. You took the chequered flag after Steve ‘Pikey’ Bailey was stopped illegally on the last lap and using the controversial ‘Malcolm Girling rule’ the officials gave Bailey the win. Again it’s been reported you were unhappy about this, can you elaborate?
(Laughs) No, that’s not quite right. I wasn’t happy but it wasn’t about the result. To be honest I’ve not heard very much about (the Malcolm Girling rule) and it’s never been used to help me out because there have been plenty of times I’ve been stopped illegally when I’ve been winning but that’s racing. I’ve always believed to win, you need to cross the line but that’s me and if they run things differently there then that is fine. What I was unhappy with was the way drivers were coming on and off the middle and the speed they were doing it at. I stood on the infield and watched what was going on and it was ridiculous and I felt very dangerous and I didn’t think enough was being done about it so that’s what I was upset about and the reason I’ve decided not to go back for their unlimited in March which I was booked in to do. I think people using the infield is becoming an increasing problem in the sport. Hitting on the infield is meant to be illegal yet it still goes on and not everyone gets banned for it but I also think the drivers who keep pulling on and off the infield or sitting there for a few laps and then re-joining should get banned as well. In my opinion if you go on the infield during a race that should be it and you should stay there.
You were one of the contracted drivers for the Banger World Series in 2013, this year sees the series continue without contracted drivers and with more prize money available for all drivers, do you like the new format?
I do think it’s better not having the contracted drivers who are then committed to the series. I doubt I would have done that again this year of they were doing it because I didn’t enjoy being completely committed to something, now I can race when and where I want and I probably will till do most of the rounds to be honest anyway but I’m glad I don’t have that commitment now. I also think it’s better that some people aren’t being paid and others are, I think it’s a fairer way of doing things now.
The new 2014 technical rules for National Bangers at ORCi venues has been a big talking point, what are your thoughts?
It honestly doesn’t affect me too much. I’m not bothered about the drive and prop shaft rules because I wasn’t doing any of that anyway, although I suspect few will believe that! The tyre rule doesn’t bother me either but the simple fact is drivers will always keep finding a new tyre to use so it won’t be long before we’ve found something new to use which everyone will be complaining about, that is a problem which I don’t think will ever go away. The one I’m a bit confused about is allowing the limited slip diffs (LSDs) because there are a lot of clever ones available which can give you an advantage and some of them are very expensive. Promoters are usually saying they want to reduce the speeds and the costs and I think allowing LSDs will open a very big can of worms and lead to some people spending even more money on their cars.
Is there anyone you would like to mention or thank?
Just the usual ones, Terry Shelvey, (Scott) Cornish, Jamie Dychoff, Allnight Tyres, Premier Tyres and Jane.