F2 Stock Car 213 Tom Bennett Interview

#213 Tom Bennett interview, by Mark Paulson

Our BriSCA Formula Two season opener is always a special event. We finally get to blow off those winter cobwebs and enjoy a night of proper stock car action, with plenty of new cars, new drivers and a big entry guaranteed for the first World Championship qualifying round of the season.

This year, the event holds extra significance. Not only is it the first step on the road to gold, but the path to silver starts here too, for tonight is also the inaugural round of the completely revamped National Points Series. The prized silver roof awaits the winner of the 40-round season-long series.

One man who has his sights set on silver is North Lincolnshire’s #213 Tom Bennett, the country’s most prolific racer over the past two years.

“The silver roof’s the one,” says the 21-year-old. “Growing up as a kid, that was my dream. I’ll do every single round. Other meetings will depend on work commitments.”

Since first moving away from the traditional format, where every single meeting counted (with well over 100 on the fixture list), in 2017, the BriSCA F2 National Points Championship has had a bumpy history. The first end-of-season ‘shootout’ was a great success, with #7 Gordon Moodie winning the silver roof for a 12th time, and retaining it a year later. But enthusiasm gradually declined, with the format sometimes not confirmed until late in the season, and three times – including last year – the contest was not held at all.

Now, the relaunch is aimed at striking a balance between the traditional season-long contest rewarding maximum commitment, while not favouring regions with more meetings or requiring quite such large quantities of travelling. The format has earned a big thumbs up from Bennett.

“I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction, 100%,” he says, “because we’ve got a lot of championships over a one-day period [i.e. one-off events] and the Shootout was only seven meetings. I totally agree in F2s it’d be hard to do national points [over every single meeting] because there’s so many Scottish drivers, south-west drivers, and I agree it’s too much for everyone. But I’d say this is nearly the best outcome you could have. There’s a fixture list, and ‘There you go, lads, have a go.’ And it’s got a good mix of Tarmac and shale so to be at the top you have to be good on both surfaces.”

While it is not an official contest, Bennett still considers there’s a prestige to topping the season-long grading points. He was disappointed to fall agonisingly short last year, just four points shy of Moodie having raced at 67 meetings during the season.

“I just fell short at the final hurdle for the points,” he rues. “That’s the one I really wanted but there’s no-one I can blame but myself.”

It was, nonetheless, incredibly impress for a driver in only his third season in the formula. Like so many racers, Bennett followed his father into stock car racing. His dad Matthew raced in BriSCA F1 for over decade before Tom was born, and has been his guiding hand ever since he started racing in Stoxkarts – not a formula we see here at King’s Lynn – in 2020.

Following two pandemic-disrupted seasons, Bennett Jr graduated to BriSCA F2 in 2022. He has since contested 142 points-scoring meetings as well as our Christmas bash here over the winter.

“I was always aiming to be in a ‘bigger’ formula, in my opinion,” Bennett says of his time in the Stoxkarts. “It learnt me to drive because although they are small, they are bloomin’ hard to drive!

“Growing up, maybe Formula One is everyone’s dream. But you’ve got to be realistic, haven’t you? And I want to be competitive in what I do. No disrespect to the F1 drivers, but I just think there’s more competition in the F2s, especially nowadays. I don’t know how many he’s booked in for this meeting – 60, 70 cars? It’s a challenge in itself to qualify for a final!”

For local fans, or those who focus only on shale racing, Bennett may not be a very familiar name. He has focused mainly on Tarmac racing to date, with only a handful of appearances at each of the country’s shale tracks. But that is set to change this year, as he seeks to become a true all-rounder.

“To be at the top you need to be good on both surfaces,” he reiterates. “So we’re going to aim to do a bit more shale this year. My first meeting I did [at King’s Lynn] was in 2023 and I only did one meeting that year because I’d hired a car. It wasn’t really for me but it was a learning curve to say the least. My first rollover!

“But then after that I’ve done the rest in my own car. I think I’ve only done two since [including the Christmas meeting], plus the practice day and every time I’m improving. But I just need to be in the seat more and I think I’ll get my head round it.”

Bennett certainly turned heads at our practice meeting last weekend. His Webster chassis was looking resplendent and boasts unique styling with what appear to be incredibly tight cab openings. Not a problem for pint-sized Bennett!

“I was reading some of the comments [online],” he laughs. “I didn’t want to get too involved but I can get in both sides with the helmet on as well, so don’t worry!

“It’s quite an old car, but revamped and made to suit me. Massive improvements made again [last weekend]. A few positive changes that worked.”

But while he’s still learning on loose-surfaced tracks, superstar-graded Bennett is already among the top Tarmac racers. Track champion at both Skegness and Buxton, he’s awaiting a first success in a major championship race. But there’s already been a few near misses, with second places in last year’s World Cup at Venray and also the English Open for each of the past two years.

“Yeah, two years running, and that’s obviously at King’s Lynn [this year, on 17 May],” he laughs. “My favourite position is second!”

Bennett’s World Cup result was particularly impressive considering it was his first-ever meeting at the big, fast oval in Holland.

“It wasn’t too bad,” he concedes, “but Mr Moodie had already set the standard because he won it the first time we went there. So I had a goal, but fell short.”

Then at the end of September last year, Bennett finished third in the biggest race of all, the World Final at Taunton. He crossed the line fourth but was promoted to the podium places after the car of on-the-road winner #127 Matt Stoneman failed post-race scrutineering.

“I was really happy about where I finished across the line, to be fair, so then to get third was even better,” Bennett reflects. “I think I’d only been there four meetings, maybe, if that. My first meeting there, it was the year before, and I did terrible. I think I ripped every wheel off the car. I said to my dad when the fixture list came out, I said, ‘Bloomin’ heck, I’m going to have to sort it out around there!’ And yeah, it fell right, really. We got the car flying around there.”

Tonight’s meeting is the first step on the road to this year’s World Final at the fearsome Cowdenbeath Racewall. It’s a track that Bennett has visited regularly.

“I like Cowdenbeath,” he says. “It’s maybe not a ‘stock car’ track, don’t get me wrong. Skegness is your best stock car track. But it’s one of the only tracks in the country that you’re racing the track, not just the drivers, in my opinion. That’s why I like it so much.”

Even after 22 appearances there, it remains intimidating. “It’s daunting still!” he admits. “To be fair, I enjoy it. Could do with just a few more cars [at domestic meetings], then it’d be better racing. The Saloon World Final weekend was brilliant.”

After a long off-season, the oil refinery mechanical fitter can’t wait to get going tonight and then again at his home track at Skegness tomorrow afternoon.

“I’ve got itchy feet now,” he admits. “As a Lincolnshire-based driver we try and support our local tracks as much as possible. We aim to do every meeting at Skegness. But we’ll definitely do a lot more shale, a lot more King’s Lynn.”

Just how does he manage to fit in 60-plus meetings a season?

“We do a lot of rushing!” Bennett laughs. “I couldn’t do it without any of the lads that help me. My dad does nigh-on all the driving. I’ll take credit for the half-three shift but my dad does nearly all the driving. I’ve got three lads that come with me everywhere, Lee Windall, Richard Mason and Paul Hammond. So without them three and my dad, it’d be a hard challenge. All the sponsors that help, we couldn’t do without them.”

Off-track support network: tick. Quality equipment: tick. Mega commitment: tick. Silver roof? Not yet, but that’s the target. Now it’s time to see how his campaign gets underway tonight.

“Hopefully it starts good, but with 70 cars round King’s Lynn... we’ll go from there, eh?”

Tom Bennett’s BriSCA F2 career record

(points-scoring meetings only)

By season

By track