Hi everyone, i hope everyone is well in what is becoming I'm sure, one of the most difficult and odd times in all our lives, hopefully this will be a good read for you all and inspire some others to do the same. I was just thinking about things that has happened over my ten years with Trackstar and perhaps it might be interesting to have a read through, there are some achievements from drivers, personal highlights and some laughs. Hope it makes a few smile…
1. The Roy Gedge 1500cc National Banger Championship back to back double
Damien Widdows Photo
In 2009 Roy Boy won his maiden 1500cc National Championship title, which was a fantastic achievement in itself, but roll on a year and without doing a single 1500cc meeting, as defending Champion Roy took his place at the back of the grid, behind the last chance drivers. As the race unfolded, Roy was working his way through the pack. Now, these events have always been hotly contested, but in his Rover he hunted each and every one of them down in 2010 and claimed the double; taking the lead with just a couple of laps left. To some people I can understand why they would be thinking why has this made it, but those of you who know Roy, will also know that he is a driver who stepped away from national bangers far too early. Probably one of the first questions I ever ask him when he gets a win in the Robins is "So when are you getting back in a Banger"? The lad is full of talent, as I'm sure the Team Black boys will agree with and his running mate back then Max Stott winning the Saloon Championship of the World, shows that between the two they have some serious talent. Roy teamed up with Callum White in the Siamese bangers last year and if you had a driver like him thrown into the mix at every domestic, you'd want to keep paying to come back. This was one hell of an achievement, but the reason this makes it is because I know he would have won so much more, seriously talented driver and a nice bloke too match it. So Roy, when's the return?
2. Creams vs The Glads!!!
When I came into starting with Trackstar I hadn't much knowledge of what it was all about, I watched a few times on my own after work and then the opportunity came up to do the commentary, so when it came round to the first couple of 2 litre World Finals I did, I had to go away and do my homework on visiting seeds and any visitors on the booking list. As per usual I stand outside and welcome everyone in, and the first ever dealings I had with either side was Turkish and Noddy just saying to me...."we ain't keen on those boys" and pointing at the creams, now this was all relatively new to me so I thought it was friendly banter...….until heat one in 2010 or 2011 I just remember seeing Shane Tilley t-boning little Osbourn half way down the straight, I'd been to Arena a couple of times with The Ox, and knew it was mad, but when your stood on the middle watching it, it was just crazy, it was like they were having a separate race...well a battle of their own whilst everyone else carried on. I think it was 2012 when Karl Douglas who, having spoke to him when he raced his saloon is a top bloke, t-boning one of the glads against the fence and if you watch the meeting dvd its the only time I have ever heard Neil Hurst straight away say "that's a load up". I never had a Radio on me and I think it was Hackett from the Glads came over to me and said "these Creams are taking liberties, radio up and tell them" I was a bit naïve at the time and held my hands out and said "with what". Just anyone who has ever worked at a promotion and hosted that rivalry, I'm sure we'd all agree that we all looked forward to it, but also knew that it was also going to be chaos!!!
3. Jonny Atkin's 2012 2litre Banger World Championship victory
The Mad Hatters were a side that always supported our meetings, local lads that dished it out, in 2010 Davey Cox had won the title, but in 2011 Pikey had took the gold in a race that Jack Garrod was so unlucky, but as somebody who has always wanted our own boys to do well, I felt we needed to bring it back. When Jonny won the title it was great to see, these young lads had supported every meeting and I mean every meeting and it was almost for me the catalyst for everyone around to take notice and start respecting that we had some serious drivers in our ranks. I honestly feel that this win for Jonny went on to take our banger drivers onto the next level and we now have a domestic scene that should have a far bigger audience than what it does get. Roll on two years and it was David Gibson who took the title for the Mad Hatters and that race also created one of the biggest domestic rivalries we have had for a long time in The Mad Hatters vs Jackpot, and whilst it was great to watch at times. I think from a personal point of view it was a massive shame, as both sides did and still do give so much to the promotion which we will always be entirely grateful for, it just became hard to watch as more drivers got involved that just didn't need too. I think we have to look back and realise what the Mad Hatters gave the local scene, just a great bunch of lads who loved a crash and took two world titles home with it! I know they are getting older, but I still keep in contact with Gibbo and Jonny and I'm in no doubt we will see a bit more of them when the time is right, but they will always have a place in history as one of the top teams to have ever graced the shale here at King's Lynn, a formidable force at their peak!
4. Terry Garrod triple crown
Terry Garrod was a man on a mission wasn't he, winning the 2013, 2014, 2015 1500cc National Championships and also in 2013 and 2014 claiming the National Points Championship! This achievement has never been done before and I highly doubt it will ever be matched. Seeing how much it means to him when we talk about it always makes me smile. A real down to earth guy, who would give somebody a leg if it meant helping them out. The hat trick in the National Championship was just an incredible achievement, it was a title he never wanted to give up and you could see that in the way he drove in those races, if you could tell that a man was driving like he wanted to win, then that was it. Terry has always been someone who settles, he is a born winner, and if he had the money some of the others had, then trust me he would have won the lot, and I don't say that to be kind. It takes a special driver to do what he did in those years, he still continues in that vein these days and has won many more titles, but it will be that certain success that he will always be remembered for, and rightly so, it has a high ranking place in the Trackstar history books, that's for sure!
5. The collapsing SteetStox
Sometimes you wonder if Paul Butler has been hit over the head and wakes up in a strange mood! Well giving 6 Streetstox a booking was certainly just that, I remember it being a bank holiday Monday, and despite all the jokes amongst staff, you tend to think to yourself how the hell can you dress this up to the crowd to be exciting!!! Let's be honest we were all thinking it.....turns out they could do that themselves, well we had heat one with five cars as Dan Weavers was running late and we ventured into heat two and it all just seemed to happen in slow motion really. I remember this red thing clipping a tyre at five miles an hour and the driver called for the race to be stopped, so I venture over and bits of mental are just falling off this car, but in a comical way it was just happening in parts, first the front bumper, then the side railings, then the back bumper. I know it sounds bad but I was in tears of laughter and couldn't speak on the mic, because the driver was chasing round the car picking bits of metal up as more fell off, so I look up to the box and look to Alistair to help, well he was no better off than me. I can only apologise to the driver who must have been very embarrassed as me and the ox stumbled our way through the next five minutes of trying to keep a straight face.
6. Axetiction/Heinegone
Damien Widdows Photos
Two of the biggest banger meetings in recent times and an absolute pleasure to be part of, to get to know both drivers properly in the lead up and just how many cars were in the pits several hours before the meeting show how much people respected the pair of them. Luckily, we have Psycho on our scrutineer team now and we still get the odd visit from Peewee. Both meetings though were incredible and went by in a flash, I've had to watch the DVD of both meetings because they just fly past, and they were just so much fun to be part of. Psychos ending of being blown up by Matty Threlkelds yank and Peewee doing every race at his own meeting with a little help from Joe Geeves, both meetings had so many talking points and getting a Mexican wave going with a banger crowd is a personal highlight. Both meetings will love long in the memory that is for sure.
7. Head To Head meetings
Matt Bull Photo
I think in my ten years at Trackstar this and my next memory have to be some of the most enjoyable and biggest achievements. When I suggested the idea along with Dan Lathan, Paul and Graham backed it I knew we would have our work cut out to make it work, but I honestly feel we did for the home and away leg. From my point of view we have such a strong driver base and everyone wanted to be part of it, I never had one driver let me down and be a no show over either leg which was incredible. The action was superb in front of big crowds and it really was a highlight for me, the work that went into it was immense and working with Dan, Mel and Terry we couldn't have done anymore and produced two fantastic meetings and it will be something that lives with me for a long time. I've just been lucky enough to have two promoters in Paul and Graham that allow me to contribute ideas to the table with a fantastic driver base that backs them, and trust me there are plenty more to come.
8. Unlimited Icebreaker 2020
For the last few years we had awful weather and lower booking lists, and I just felt that it was an event that really should be getting a much better support than what it was getting. Luckily this year the drivers responded, Stinkbridge returning, along with the Blooz Boyz, this year we put it back on the map as a must do meeting. Like I said, I have two promoters who back me and it was a big call to take juniors off the list, but we ended up with 142 unlimited bangers I think it was and there was a lot of hard work go on behind the scenes to get it there. I think it shows where we are as a promotion at the moment, we really are on the crest of a wave as a promotion with a superb driver base. The crowd was amazing back in January and the drivers delivered for sure, hopefully it will be just as big next January!!!
9. F1 World Finals
Colin Casserley Photos
I must admit, I never get nervous, but with these I do. I don't think they should ever be taken granted, they are a special event, and the amount of people that attend them is incredible. The work that goes on behind the scenes in the weeks leading up to it from preparing the grandstand, to posting out merchandise, to sorting out advanced tickets. Then on the day there's the pre meeting interviews, it really is an incredible week to be part of. Some of my most enjoyable meetings have been watching the Dutch race on the Friday night and they make such a fantastic noise. Getting the Dutch in on a Friday morning for the weekend is a sight to be hold as well, it’s like a military operation!!!
10. Saloon carnage
I'm not even sure how or why it started but the Danny Colliver vs Scott Aldridge battle was unreal, I always remember the night when Danny smashed Scott's saloon up that bad it crumpled like a banger, then Rob come on the track and I swear if he hadn't have slipped on the tyre Danny would have been sent back to the pits flying over the back grandstand. I have never watched it back, but it was one of those moments that will never happen again. Then of course we had the most recent one between the Smith's and the Barnes boys, which was and has been savage between two sides that are just Stock Car racing through and through. It's a formula for me that really does deserve so much more support than it gets, and more drivers really, but it has given me so many good memories and they always produce the goods at King’s Lynn.
11. Allard vs DWO
2011 2 litre banger World Final was a superb meeting anyway, but the way Nemesis and Jonesy destroyed Allard that day was incredible, just how he got was a surprise in itself, and he really was a crowd favourite. I've never seen a Mondeo destroyed like that and he just carried on to the next meeting. If you get the chance to watch it back do so, the only thing close to it was how DWO despatched of Sparky at the 2017 War of the Worlds meeting, two fantastic entertainers in their own rights, but as a team DWO when they have come here, have always been impressive.
12. Back to back Stretch titles
Major Gilbert Photo
Since coming over from the old RDC regime Lee "Stretch" White has been a revelation here and has supported every meeting and won many titles, but the biggest achievement has to be his 2017 and 2018 National Points titles, the man is a machine with a Vauxhall and knows them inside out. I think he is one of the best all rounders we have ever had, he can certainly crash when the mood takes him there and at the moment he seems like a bit of a target. However those back to back titles shows how good he is and he is a driver who won those ahead of well over 200 other drivers that were licenced with us in those two years. He has also won the 25 and Under championship of Great Britain, and 1500 National Banger championship here. He’s always at the forefront at the battle, and for those who say he doesn't crash, I always remember him texting me on the eve of the first head to heads and asked to be one of the stoppers as Mildenhall wouldn't expect it, and he did an amazing job. Certainly, one of our best editions to the scene for some years.
Well I hope that this gives people five minutes of fun, racing will always be a big part of my life, maybe not my own racing from now on, but certainly looking forward to some more memories at Trackstar. Those of you who know me, will know that none of my family like racing at all, so everything I know now is just through pure passion for the promotion and working for two great blokes in Paul and Graham who have become friends. I hope that all of you are keeping safe and well through these difficult times and I know that when we are allowed to get back racing that we will all be working as hard as possible together to make Stock Car and Banger racing even more enjoyable to watch and to participate in. See you all soon.
Matt Black