An Interview with 673 Darren
Fendley
(interview published February 25 2014 in the lead up to the 2014 Unlimited
Banger BBA Supreme Championship)
Age: 28
Home Town: King’s Lynn
Occupation: Paint sprayer
Family: Girlfriend Kelly and two children
Racing career: Been racing for 11 years
Congratulations on qualifying for this year’s championship, do you still look forward to the best title races at Mildenhall?
Yes I do, they are always special and they are always a little different to a normal meeting, the atmosphere is always a bit more for a championship meeting, as a driver you can real sense and feel the difference and it’s a good feeling racing at meetings like that. The big meetings at Mildenhall also always have more people there watching and that makes a difference as well because it’s always nice racing in front of a bigger crowd and I think now the meeting is an unlimited one it makes it more special and improves the atmosphere because a lot more people prefer that kind of racing and so it makes it a bit more exciting.
With that in mind do your prefer the event now it is for unlimited bangers, rather than the old National Banger format?
I think being unlimited makes it a better meeting but for my own chances I would probably prefer it to still be (National Bangers) because I can really get my Mondeos to fly round there and I do well in a Mondeo at Mildenhall whereas my unlimited form is still not the best but I enjoy racing the unlimited bangers more than Mondeos so I’m kind of split but I do enjoy it as an unlimited meeting and again it does make for a better atmosphere on the night.
You mention your unlimited form and you have won races at the meeting the last two years, in 2012 you won the last chance race to secure a place in the championship. This is the first time you have been a seeded entry for the championship since it became an unlimited event, are you happy to have done this?
To be honest I quite like doing the last chance race because if you qualify you know what your car is like and what the track is like and I think that can give you a bit of an advantage when it comes to the championship so I’ve never minded doing the last chance race. But it is nice to go to the meeting knowing I’m in and not having that pressure for the first race but I’m be watching the last chance race closely to see if there is anything I can learn, you’d think I’d know the track well enough by now but it’s always changing and there is always something you can pick up.
You had a very unusual road into this year’s race (Spedeworth reduced RDC allocation in their world final last from four to three places and RDC announced that the driver who would have received the fourth place would be offered a spot in the Supreme Championship instead feeling the position deserved a reward and Darren won that place). Do you feel it worked out ok or would have preferred to have qualified for the Spedeworth World Final again?
I think it probably worked out better for me. Don’t get me wrong I would have loved to have done the Spedeworth World Final again, I think most people would like the chance to do that race because it is such a big occasion but for me, I probably have a greater chance of success on shale so I’m more than happy to be in the Supreme instead and it’s probably a race I have a much better chance in anyway.
You finished third in the World of Shale Championship at King’s Lynn last year, for someone who doesn’t rate their unlimited shale form, were you pleased with that result and does that boost your confidence for this race?
I was and it does I suppose. That was the first time I had used an Omega in an unlimited meeting and I was really pleased with how it went, well until Bro (247 Lee Clarke) went flying past me! The car was a proper rush job, the water tank was a flat sheet of metal the morning of the meeting and I only painted it 10 minutes before we left but it went well. I had a lot of luck though, had a good draw and stayed out of trouble and that was a big factor in the result but I was pleased and it would be fantastic to do that well in the Supreme.
A lot of the qualifiers we have interviewed have mentioned luck on the night playing a big part in this race, is that something you agree with?
Luck is always important in our sport but especially so at Mildenhall because of the size of the track which makes things even more of a lottery. But that is the reason I like Mildenhall so much because you never know what’s going to happen. At some meetings you could probably pick 10 drivers before the start and one or two of them would have a win during the meeting but there would almost always be someone win who you’d not thought of and this race is the same. You could pick 10 or even 15 people and there is a very good chance someone else will win it, it’s anyone’s race.
With that in mind, is there anyone you consider a favourite?
To be honest I’ve not looked too closely at who is in it this year but with this race, everyone has to be good to even be in the race and with the way Mildenhall is, it could be anyone’s race.
Have you decided what car you will be racing on the night?
I’m going for another (Volvo) 740 estate. I just like them at Mildenhall, they handle well and they are cheap! They are fairly easy to build, you lock the diff, put a V6 (engine) in and away you go and the car is as good as anything else out there. That is the great thing about racing on shale because if you took the same car to a tarmac meeting you wouldn’t be as competitive. It’s funny because I’ve never raced a (Volvo) 240, only 740s but they’ve always been good, that was what I won the last chance race in two years ago and I lapped the whole field in that race so they can’t be too bad.
Having won the Mildenhall Track Championship in 2012, you were unsuccessful in defending the title in 2013, was that a disappointment and are you looking to reclaim the silver roof in 2014?
It was a bit of a disappointing but I think 2012 was such a great year for me it would have been very hard to have matched it. But the thing was even though I really struggled at times in the first half of 2013 I still enjoyed my racing and that is always the most important thing for me so while I would like to try and win the point again this year, it’s not the most important thing, enjoying my racing is.
You were successful in defending the Accumulator Championship, few drivers have done this and even fewer have won it three years running, is that something you have your eye on in 2014?
Definitely, winning the race again in 2013 was one of the highlights of my year so I will be trying very hard to win it again.
You made a good start to the season but again came up a little short in the annual Winter Series, finishing fourth, you’ve been a regularly supporter of the series in recent years, are these meetings you enjoy despite the weather often not being the best?
Yes, I really enjoy the winter meetings. I actually don’t mind racing in the wet because it’s even more about the driver than normal and it’s the driver that makes things happen, you really have to use your head in the wet and I like that. The Micro meeting was brilliant, everything these meetings should be with everyone out to have fun and enjoy themselves and wreck the cars at the end. Because some places are running more and more of these meetings some Micro meeting aren’t always like this now so it was great that the Mildenhall one was. I also liked the meetings in January even though it was pretty wet and I think most of the drivers racing did. We all knew what we were getting into but there was a really good fun atmosphere at both those meetings and I think most of those who raced enjoyed them.
Have you made any plans for the rest of 2014?
I hope to do as many of the Mildenhall meeting again this year but I also want to try and do some more unlimited meetings on shale and try and get better in unlimiteds. I’ve got some more (unlimited) cars in stock so I’m looking forward to racing them a bit more and I want to try and go to Coventry for the first time and might go for their Granada meeting.
You’ve been confirmed as racing for the Dover Boys at the Suffolk Open team championship on Good Friday, your first time with the team, is that something you are looking forward too?
Yes. There are a great team and it was nice of them to ask so I thought I would try it out, I’ve only done the meeting a couple of times so I’m looking forward to doing it again with a different group of drivers.
The announcement of the ORCi technical rules for 2014 has been a large talking point in recent weeks, have you any thoughts?
Most of it is ok if you ask me, my only issue is with tyres. I can understand them banning certain makes which are expensive and give drivers a big advantage but I don’t agree with the higher profile rule. A lot of modern cars come with low profile tyres and these are now not allowed so I think someone like me is going to have to go out and buy tyres just so I can race certain cars which I don’t think is a particularly good idea.
Is there anyone you would like to mention or thank?
My dad for all his support and the whole family especially the misses for all she puts up with and all my mates who help out especially my main mechanic Simon Ward and Karl.