An Interview with Gouldy 516 Carl Gould
(interview published February 25 2014 in the lead up to the 2014 Unlimited Banger BBA Supreme Championship)

Age: 32
Home Town: Norwich
Occupation: Crane driver in a scrapyard
Family: Finance Sam and children Callum and Emily
Racing career: Started racing in 2000

Being no stranger to big races like this, do you still look forward to them and get excited about them?
Yes, the buzz is still there when you do, it’s always cool being a part of the hype which goes with these kind of races and all the build-up, it’s what makes a meeting like this special compared to a normal meeting which you do on a regular basis. I think for me as well it’s always good to be in a race like this because I’m still yet to win a really big championship so it’s another chance to put that right. Don’t get me wrong I’ve won titles but never what I would call a major one and it is something I still want to achieve. Winning the Spedeworth points is probably the best thing I’ve done and that is important and points championships are harder to win really but it would still be great to finally win a major title race and this is another chance for me, so that makes it exciting for me.

You’re no stranger to this meeting since it became unlimited, you raced in the first unlimited championship at Mildenhall in 2012, do you remember much about the race?
Funnily enough I do, it was a really good race to be in and I was going really well and got into the lead but then I went round a backmarker and I got squeezed into the fence and that was the end of the race for me. It’s not the first time I’ve led the race as I did back when it was a (National) event so I’ve had my chances before but it’s always gone a bit wrong but I think that is just part and parcel of a race like this one, it’s never going to be easy but that just adds to it if you are the one who wins.

You were back for last year’s meeting but only in the last chance race when the meeting was hit with a snowstorm, how difficult was the meeting in 2013?
It was diabolical, probably the wettest and coldest I have ever been at a race meeting but the meeting was on, we were there so what else were you going to do but have a go and try to make the most of it. We were all cold and wet already so you might as well do what you went there for. There were some who didn’t race and I can’t really understand that myself, but I do hope it’s not like that again this year.

Having qualified for the race again this year, are you pleased about that, rather than having to try your luck in the last chance race like last year?
Yes, again it’s always nice to be in a race like this one and going in, knowing you are on the grid is a good feeling.

How do you feel about your chances?
I don’t know really, I’ve not been having too much luck lately but I’m trying something new now and moved onto the (Ford) Galaxy engines which others have been using and so far, it’s been ok. I had a run where I was doing nothing but blowing engines up and it was becoming very frustrating and so I decided to try the 2.3 Galaxy engines which are becoming a bit more popular and used one at Wimbledon (Banger World Series) and it seems to go ok so maybe my luck is starting to change a bit and I do think luck is going to be massively important here, you won’t be doing anything without some luck.

Have you decided what car you will be racing?
I’m going to use a Lexus GS300. I raced it at the Icebreaker and, guess what, I blew the engine up but for the little it lasted it was going well on the shale and it’s almost brand new so I think it’s the best car for me. I used one in 2012 and that car had come from the Icebreaker as well and it absolutely flew round Mildenhall until I got taken out so the plan is to use another one which has also gone ok on shale and go from there. Hopefully if the engine proves ok it will make all the difference.

Have you a pick for this year’s race?
It’s very hard, again because there is so many to pick from but I think I’d say Bro (247 Lee Clarke) as he’s been in great form lately, especially in unlimiteds on shale. The big thing he’ll have against him is his enemies out there but he has this knack of staying clear of them sometimes and again they could all get wiped out somewhere.

At the moment it looks like we might have a big grid of cars for the race, does that benefit you?
I think it does because I started racing Rookie Bangers at Yarmouth back when they were getting 50 to 60 cars at a meeting and it was complete mayhem and I like that kind of racing where you have to use your head and it’s more about the driver than the car they are in. Also when there is a big field, it tends to slow the race down and that makes it a lot more even for all the drivers out there because when you are in traffic there is only so fast you can go so I think it should be good.

Does winning a race in a big field mean more than a less subscribed race?
I don’t think it does really, especially something like this, because whether there are 20 cars or 40, most of the drivers are going to be good ones at the top of their game.

How important would it be for you to win this championship?
It would mean a lot, especially after coming so close to winning championships so many times before. It would go a long way towards justifying all the work and effort over the years because sometimes you can question whether it’s worth it when you keep having bad luck.

Looking ahead, have you made many plans for 2014?
It should be another busy year again. Qualifying for the Spedeworth World Final is the target again but I’m not so worried about challenging for the Spedeworth points again so I might be able to ease off a little as the season progresses if I’ve done ok and am comfortable in the points. Ideally I would love to win a (wildcard place) at a World Series round and qualify that way, then I could race elsewhere a bit more and do more of what I would like to do, rather than what I need to do, but qualifying for the World Final is the main objective again.

You mentioned the Banger World Series which has been a talking point in recent weeks and has some changes this year, one of the most significant being the dropping of contracted drivers and subsequently more prize money being available to all, do you like the changes?
Well since I wasn’t asked to be (a contracted driver) last year, I suppose I am (laughs)! I do think it’s better that now everyone has a chance to win some of the prize money available, I think that is how it should be and the Wimbledon round was really good with a good mix of racing and crashing so it looks good for the rest of the year.

You’ve raced your share of material over the years, last year you turned heads with your Wolseley 14 which initially raced at Ipswich and then King’s Lynn. Did you enjoy that car?
It was a lot of fun and I was really pleased at how well it went when we took it to King’s Lynn. For a car built in 1938, it was surprisingly good and it was another project which came into the yard (Whip Street Motors) and it was more a matter of time, rather than money but I still enjoy building and racing cars like that, it’s a challenge and a lot of fun and very different to most of what you do the rest of the year and there is always a buzz about racing material and it gets people interested which is nice.

Another recent talking point has been the confirmation of the technical rules for ORCi meetings in 2014, what are your thoughts on these?
Like most people, there are things I like and things I don’t. I like that they are stamping out the practise of water tanks being connected to floor plates and connected to door plates, that should have never crept in anyway but I don’t like the changes to welding on the driver’s door with gusset plates which I think will make a big difference when I build a Cougar. To me, having a small gusset plate is not a welding issue but a safety one. With the drive and prop shaft rules, where people are changing them, it doesn’t make the car stronger, it just keeps them going which I thought was the idea and people love seeing a wrecked car keep on running and that won’t happen with the new rules so I don’t understand why they’ve changed it. As for the tyres, I’ve now got a large amount that are no good and I think it might be tricky finding tyres for Lexus’ because they naturally come with lower profile tyres which are now not allowed. The frustrating with the tyre rule is that while something probably did need doing, it won’t take long for someone to find something new which then everyone will have and so the whole problem will start again, except we’ll all already have a load of tyres we can’t use which will be no better or worse than the ones we’ll start using instead.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
Sam and the family for their support, my brother Stuart and Curtis who do so much to help and keep me going and Whip Street Motors for all the cars.

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