An Interview with defending champion Chubby 382 Jack Foster Jnr

Age: 20
Home Town: Worksop
Occupation: Scrap worker
Family: Single
Racing career: Started National Bangers at 16, began racing at Brampton aged nine

As defending champion, how was your season as champion and how did it compare to previous seasons?
I think to be honest it was probably my best year yet. Winning the Supreme Championship was a big highlight for me and the best thing I won in 2013 even though the weather was terrible on the night which spoiled the meeting. What made it special for me was that the championship carries a roof grade and it was the first championship like that I had won except the points championships so it was a really big deal for me. As a driver the championships with roof grades are the most important ones and I think they come with bit more recognition than the other ones. The Supreme is also a good one to win because there are always lots of good drivers on the grid, just like a World Final really so it’s a hard race to win and last year was especially tough.

You’re referring to the terrible snowy conditions which last year’s race was staged in, how hard was that for you as a driver to combat with?
It wasn’t really like racing to be honest, you couldn’t worry about any other car at all, you just had to worry about yourself and keeping your car going in the right direction and it was one of the hardest times I’ve ever had just doing that. It was almost impossible to figure out who anyone else was after a couple of laps so all you could do was keep going and just try to finish. I had no idea where I was in the race, let alone that I had won, until I had finished. I had no idea Boxer (331 Jason Jackson) was winning or that he had been taken out, just no idea at all. I remember when the race finished I was so cold I couldn’t even take my crash helmet off. There is a photo of me trying to warm my hands up which is quite funny but the minute the race ended, the cold really hit me and it was hard to even move. I think that is the adrenaline because when I was racing I felt ok, certainly good enough to keep racing, but the minute it finished I was absolutely freezing.

Did the arctic conditions take away any of the achievement of winning the title?
No, not at all. It was the same for everyone and there were still a lot of top drivers in the race and most of them know how to race in the wet. If they didn’t they wouldn’t have come so everyone was there wanting to win because it is one of the titles drivers want to try and win, so it was still special to win it regardless of the bad weather.

Is there any lingering determination to win the race again in better conditions and perhaps against a fuller grid of cars?
I want to win it again but that has nothing to do with last year. It’s just a big race and whenever you are in a race like that you want to win or do the best that you can so I’ll be doing my very best to win again this year but it’d be the same even if I hadn’t won last year.

What is it about the Supreme Championship which makes it special for you?
There are a few things, the fact that there is the roof grade is a big thing, the amount of top drivers which race in it but also because it is at Mildenhall. I started my National Banger career at Mildenhall and raced Ministox there for a lot of years so I’ve got a lot of history with the track and even though I travel around a lot more now to most of the big meetings it’s nice to go back and do well in the big meetings there.

You mention your travelling exploits and while there are few more committed to the sport than you, you didn’t do quite as many meetings in 2013 when compared to previous years, do you think that helped make the season so good?
Yeah, I think it did a little bit. We still did a lot of meetings but it wasn’t quite as many as the years before and the big difference was I didn’t do the meetings I didn’t need to do, I just concentrated on the ones I wanted and needed to do and I think it helped. It took a bit of the pressure off, allowed me to make sure everything was right for the meetings I wanted to race at which meant sometimes I did a little better and it also allowed me to have some time away from racing and do other things, which is something I’d not been able to do before. 

Have you given any thought as to what car you might race to defend your title?
I’m in two minds to race a Frog Eye (Scorpio) or a (Volvo) 240 estate. People might be surprised to hear I’m thinking of using a Volvo because normally now I race the more modern cars in unlimiteds but I really like a Volvo on shale and I think they go very well together. One of the big problems with the Frog Eyes and Lexus’ is they tend to tear wheels off quite easily and I think the race could be a rough one again, especially if there is a big grid of cars and it’s no good being quick if you don’t finish which is why I’m considering a Volvo because I think they are tougher and more likely to be there at the end. But we will see, I’m going away the week before and only come home the day before and so whatever I do will need to be built and finished before I leave.

Have you any thoughts on who will be a contender for the title this year?
Everyone out there. I know everyone says that but it’s true with this race. Because of the qualifying system, all the qualifiers have had to earn a place and being at Mildenhall it’s a lottery because with a big grid, you can get wiped out and have no control over it at all so it could be anyone’s night but that is one of the reasons why the race is so good, because you have no idea whose going to win and whoever does will have had to have earned it. 

If we can talk about some other topical issues, starting with the Civil War where you were the subject of some discussion, especially when you buried regular rival but team mate Josh Genders in the Infantry Final while there were still Southern cars running. Can you tell us about that?
I just don’t like him! (laughs) There have been a lot of things said and while I can’t say if it’s all true or not the simple thing is I don’t trust him and I wouldn’t have gone past him because I honestly don’t know if he would have done me or not. I don’t think it would have been any different if the situation was different either. Had there been more Southern cars running or the North still had a shout of winning I think I probably would have done the same which is honestly because I think he would do the same to me. I know people will have a lot to say on that, but that really is just how it is at the moment. 

Sticking with the Civil War, earlier in the meeting you were deemed guilty of going down the straight the wrong way and cost the Northern team 100 points. Ultimately the penalty points the team scored cost them the victory. Looking back, do you regret this?
Not really which is simply because I’m still not completely sure what I did wrong. In years gone by we’ve always been allowed to back out into the traffic to try and stop people and that is what I was going to do, I was moving into position and actually never got that far. But I never hit anyone so I’m still not totally sure what I did wrong. I didn’t even know about it until after the meeting and I also found it strange that I wasn’t loaded up so yeah it was a bit confusing.

Last year you was one of the contracted drivers in the new Banger World Series at Spedeworth and Incarace, this year sees some changes to the series, one of the biggest being that there are no contracted drivers and instead the prize money is being made available to all drivers, is that something you agree with?
Yes I do. Even though I was receiving start money last year I don’t agree that some drivers get some and others don’t, I think it should be the same for everyone and I know there were others who weren’t happy about it last year and I think the way they are doing it this year is better for everyone and I think you will see even more drivers race at these meetings because of it. 

2013 also saw you break away from Team Black and race in your own colours. We are starting to see more of Team Black at the moment, could we see you back in the team or are you happy on your own. Also the recent Icebreakers saw the debut of Team Grey and Black which saw your colours adopted, the team is also booked in for the Suffolk Open Team Championship at Mildenhall in Good Friday, so might we see more of this?
I’m very happy racing on my own and not in a team all the time, it’s just better doing what you want, when you want and not having to do things because the team needs you, again it’s helped take the pressure off a bit. But I enjoy team racing and so I did a lot of team meetings last year racing for other teams and I just thought I might as well have my own team which is what we did at the Icebreaker and it’s kind of snowballed. Hopefully we’ll do a few more team meetings in the colours as I enjoyed both the Icebreaker meetings at King’s Lynn and we did well at both of them. All being well this year will be another big season for me, I’ve no intention or desire to do anything else, it’s just National Bangers for me and the plan is to be pretty flat out for the whole year again.

You finished in the top three in the Spedeworth World Final again in October, the third time running you’ve been on the podium, is trying to win the title a big goal of 2014 and are you pleased with your consistency in the event or frustrated at not quite being able to take the top spot?
It’s always a race you are going to want to win, I think it’s the same with a lot of drivers but I’m not frustrated, it’d be a bit silly to be with three top three finishes because that’s pretty brilliant and something I never thought I’d be able to do. It is a race I want to win one day but you can’t force it, if it happens, it happens, but hopefully one year might be my year.

Finally, a big talking point at the moment is the new construction rules for ORCi meetings in 2014, have you any comments on the changes?
Actually, I’m quite happy with them and they don’t bother me too much. Tyres always seem to be the big problem and the thing everyone likes to complain about. I’ve used the Goodyear Eagles but I’ve started using other things lately which I think are just as good so it’s not too much of an issue with me, the only thing I don’t understand is that a tyre like the Goodyear Eagle is readily available to everyone and they aren’t as expense as a lot of people say, you just have to take some time to look around so I can understand why some are upset about them being banned because they were easy to get and good but it’s not made too much difference to me thankfully.

Anyone you would like to thank or mention?
My dad, Chris, Greg and Robert. 

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