An Interview with Blacknuts 552 Karl Douglas
(interview published February 11 2015 in the lead up to the 2015 Unlimited Banger BBA Supreme Championship)

Age: 36
Home Town: Bow
Occupation: Yard manager for a skip company
Family: Partner Danielle and two daughters
Racing career: First race was in Bangers at Arena Essex in 2000

You have qualified for the unlimited banger Supreme Championship for the first time this year, is this a race you are looking forward to?
It’s funny because last year I actually drove Georgie Lee out for the parade lap for the race and it gave me a bit of a buzz and I actually thought to myself there and then that I would like to do the race the next year so I was really pleased when I found out I’d qualified and yes I’m looking forward to it a lot, it will be nice to be driven out myself this year and actually take part!

What was it that appealed to you?
The race is a lot of things that I like. It’s unlimited and rear wheel drive and it’s shale and I don’t get the chance to mix those two that often so that’s a good thing but also it’s a big race, all the big names are there and there was a big crowd there last year so the atmosphere was fantastic when I drove Georgie out and it was a great race as well so it has all the things that appeal to me which is why I wanted to try and get in it for this year.

You’ve made a small number of unlimited appearances at Mildenhall, is this a format you enjoy?
It is, anything rear wheel drive on shale is always good fun, I’ve even enjoyed racing the Reliants on shale at Mildenhall as well so I think it’s just any rear wheel drive car, race it on shale and that’s a great combination I think. I tend to do the Coventry Masters at Coventry most years and that is another meeting I really enjoy. Even though it’s much bigger than Mildenhall I think you get a similar kind of atmosphere at Coventry that you do at Mildenhall and it’s a great track to race at. Also it’s been good for me the last couple of years because I could go there and escape all the battles I was having every other week and have a race or a crash depending on how it went so it was a nice change.

How do you rate your chances in the race or do you have any personal goals?
I’d be very happy to finish the race. Having watched it last year, that was a really destructive race with only a few finishers and I think if there is a similar sized grid for this year’s race you can probably expect it to be similar. Any time there is a big field of unlimited cars at Mildenhall, it’s always likely to be lively so for me finishing would be good enough but anything more than that would just be brilliant, I would love to get a top 10 but we will have to see but I suspect that if I am still running at the end the chances are you will be around the top 10 because I doubt many more will finish.

Have you made a decision on what car you are going to race?
It will be an Ultima. For me it’s more a matter of just sticking to what I know really. I don’t tend to do that much unlimited racing but I am hoping to do a bit more this year because I’ve found I’m enjoying those kind of meetings a bit more lately. People keep saying to me that I should take a Volvo but I don’t really know what I’m doing with them, I’ve always been a Granada and Jaguar man for this kind of meetings and I think an Ultima is probably the best car that I will know what I’m doing with. The only downside to the Ultimas I think is I think the front ends can be a bit weak but other than that they are good cars and I think it will be the best car for me for this one, at least I know what I am doing with one (laughs).

You qualified for the championship by finishing second in the PRI World Final, were you pleased with that result or disappointed to not quite get the title?
I had mixed feelings to be honest. When I was interviewed before the race I said all I wanted to do was finish because I had never finished (a PRI World Final) before so on the one hand I was really pleased to have finally finished one but at first I was a little gutted to come second especially because at the end I was starting to catch Scott (Cornish) and at first I thought maybe I’d let myself down somehow and I could have won it. But then the disappointment went away and I realised how good it was to finish so well in a race like that and I consider Scott a friend so I was pleased for him so ultimately I was chuffed but at first I admit to being a little disappointed.

It’s an unusual question but if we may, you are one of the few coloured drivers in the sport and we believe the first to qualify for the Supreme Championship, is that something you are aware off and is that something you are pleased about?
Do you mean I’m black (laughs)? I didn’t know that but the same time I’m not surprised because there are so few black or coloured people who race, I’ve never really understood why that is. I suppose it is nice to be the first but I’m not sure it is a great achievement because there are so few of us (laughs).

Have you any idea why there are so few coloured drivers in our sport?
I’ve no idea, honestly I don’t and it’s not just drivers, you don’t even see that many watching which I find a little strange although just lately I’ve seen a few more watching at Arena and I wondered if they had got lost (laughs). It is a little weird why we don’t see more and I can honestly say I’ve never been treated any differently because of who I am at a track which I guess is a really good thing about the sport, I’ve been to so many different tracks now and met loads of different people from fans to drivers and promoters and I’ve never been treated any differently.

PRI have a few different things on their fixtures for this season including the return of World qualifying rounds, is that something you are pleased about?
I think we will have to wait and see how it works. At least they are trying to do something to make the racing better because there were a few poor meetings there last year and so I’m glad they are doing things to try and improve matters and I guess the qualifying rounds are an attempt to get people to go there to try and qualify for the World Final without having to do all the meetings. I think a lot of it will depend on what else is on the day of those meetings, if it’s a quiet day then they could be good because we had some wildcard meetings before which were really good but then others which were not so good and I think a lot of that was because drivers were racing elsewhere.

For the past few years you have been very much involved in the long running rivalry between the Cream Team and the Gladiators. For the past few months the two sides have rarely raced together and you have even started racing in your own colours. Do you think this battle is over and what do you think about some views that the feud went on for too and long and possibly went too far at times?
I think you can agree that there were times when both sides maybe went in a bit harder than they should have and we probably should have come off the throttle a little. I can admit there were times when it wasn’t just about stopping the car and I know what some people will think about that but there was honestly a time when it did get that bad and I do believe both sides were guilty of that so I think it probably did go a bit too far at some point and I think that was because it went on for so long. But I think a lot changed when drivers started to get hurt because deep down no-one on either side wanted that and it started to ease off a little. For me personally, I did enjoy those meetings, it helped me improve because whenever the Gladiators were there I had to make sure my car was perfect and that I was on it and I wasn’t alone in that so I think the war did make a lot of us better drivers now which I think is a good thing. As for racing in my own colours, that was just something I wanted to do, I wanted a break and a change but I still get on with and help the boys still in Cream colours and I’m pretty sure if I race against the Gladiators again we’ll be trading some hits regardless of the colours I’m in, they don’t forget do they (laughs).

We’ve just seen the new construction rules for 2015 announced, have you any thoughts?
They seem ok to me, I’m quite pleased with the tyre rule. I’d personally like to see it where National Bangers has a control tyre and that is the only one you can use like you have in other formulas but I can understand the difficulties in that but I think until the day that happens tyres are always going to be an issue. Personally I would have liked to have seen more done to stop people playing with their suspensions and stuff like that because I don’t think that is banger racing myself and it’s one of the reasons why it’s so hard for new drivers to come in, if you took away stuff like that I would limit the use of good engines and tyres and make it easier for new people to try it out.

What are your plans for the remainder of 2015?
Well to be honest I think after this year I might try something else other than bangers. I’ve done 1300cc Stockcars and Lightning Rods and it just doesn’t give me the same kind of buzz so I fancy a go at Autograss racing, I’m not sure what exactly but I fancy trying something completely different but I hope to have a good year this year. I’d like to get in the PRI World Final again and there are a few tracks I fancy visiting as well.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
My misses as she is so supportive of me and my racing and just lets me get on with everything, my uncle Chalky for getting me into the sport in the first place and all his help over the years and also Nathan Roberts and Richie Ahern who have also done so much to help me for a long time.

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