Banger Racing or: How I learned to stop worrying and love grassroots motorsport
-I got a bit over excited there.
This is genuinely terrifying.
Yeah, we did.
Yes, yes, I'm banger racing.
I am scared.
I think I broken my ribs back.
I'm starting to go [unk].
-[unk] the faster you go up there, if you can find this red flag now it's reds around.
-If you have
even the slightest interest in motor racing, chances are you've heard of banger racing.
Now, you may think you need a trailer, lots of cars, lots of money to do it, but if you're newbies like Canter ex-cars, you can hire companies like Cecil's Rent A Rookie, who for a couple hundred quid, will get you a car and entry to a race.
So, we're giving it a go-- myself and researcher Nick.
I've got cars and the thing we're gonna get killed.
We go an hour to that first race.
We used to go and then make some and
have a chat with Steve, from Cecil's Rent A Rookie.
He's gonna talk to us through what we're gonna expect.
So, how badly we're gonna get hurt, Steve?
-You won't get hurt, hopefully-- yeah, fingers crossed.
No.
It's quite a safe sport, you know, you obviously, you are going out at the ravine potentially really big crashes.
But now it should be all right, I mean it looked a bit whiplashed, quite a little bit of stiff neck in the morning, but that's as all it ever could be.
-Right.
-What's the worst injury you've past?
-Thumbs and fingers are quite regular, you know, I've got quite a few crooked fingers, few crooked thumbs, wrist, ankles
there in the last couple of months, and when you drive, then you gotta keep your thumbs up the wheel.
Don't hold it like you're driving down to the shops, because the minute the wheel spins, it takes your thumb and that's what breaks your thumb.
-So, like this?
-Yeah, pretty much.
-Got thumbs up all the times.
-Pretty much thumbs up, yeah.
-Every moment?
-How's your breathing?
-The car's 700, they just hit this guy.
-That-- yeah, that's it, yeah.
-So, you gave it to him?
-But I hate purple cars.
-Oh, great.
Then we're gonna use one.
-This is my car?
-Yes.
-I hate purple cars, not a perfect storm that kind of hit me though.
-Yeah.
-Yeah, so and you've got 702.
-Okay, so 702--
-That's even worse.
-that's even worse?
-Yeah, yeah.
You're gonna enjoy your day racing.
-This is me, car 700.
The first of the ex-car cars, I've called it Mash and Gravy, thanks to a mate on Twitter.
It's a 1600 CC Astro Mark 3. Now as you can see, as a standard for Banger Racing, there is really nothing here.
No windscreen, no side windows because in a crash if they break, glass will go in my face
and I will be cut up like something that's cut up very badly.
-Okay, so here's my Astro car number 702, a number only slightly more hated than Alex's 700.
Mechanics have been furiously working on it which with just hours ago until the race, it's a little unnerving, then we kind of pouring various [unk] liquids into that.
I don't really know what they're doing and on the other side I've got a Let's Bang, which was actually courtesy of one of Alex's friends on his Tweeterview which maybe he collects a little charge, but I'm assuming we'll make everyone else
on the track want to kill me.
-Right, it's really just getting dressed.
It's, of course a lot of thing.
So I've got my-- got my racing shoes on.
Okay, where are we?
A little zip difficulty-- always, always good.
There we go.
Put some gloves, so I have a decent grip on the wheel.
We're here to race.
-Kind of fantasize that I look like Kimmy Rocket in this by that more like a Hillbilly.
-Jesus Christ, that's about five sizes too small.
-I was-- I was fine this morning.
I was like, "Yeah, you know what, this is really like a bit of fun." Now everyone is seeing this.
We've got cameras, we've got the everybody hates it purple car.
-We've got the numbers as well.
-We've got--
-Yeah,
-newbie numbers.
-Newbie numbers--
-They're out to get us.
-They really are.
I'm quite scared.
I don't see anything.
I mean I'm pretty scared.
-Tell me, Alex.
-Not hit.
First go at the moment that's the best thing I'm doing.
-Race one is now over--
-Thankfully.
-and thankfully.
Nick who was confident at the beginning today--
-We switch roles now.
It seems that now I'm-- complete humility at the moment.
-Nick's rear wheel went a little
bit off and his engine stopped working.
-I don't think I shoot past the green flag because of the spank into the back of me and oh my god it was terrifying.
I was a human pinball.
-It was-- I'm actually really happy 'cause I actually survived--
-You did well.
-for quite a while.
-I was in the middle just watching you go around, keep going--
-And then-- and then got t-boned and then it was all over.
The engine went a little bit out.
-Yeah, I notice 'cause--
-Yeah.
-I was kind of on the flopper--
-It was--
-I like that the old cliché of how to fix a car, it's true 'cause you bash it with hammers--
-Yep.
-and you get the, what was it, the chainsaw--
-Yeah.
Grind-- angle grinder.
-There we
go.
-my car, oh really please.
The little purple Mash and Gravy has been fixed with liberal application of hammer.
-Of hammer yeah.
-Yeah.
-Such hammers--
-It's scared me--
-well, you just kinda bet for it.
-but it's looking like both cars will be up and running for race two.
-Which I'm very happy about 'cause I think I got that 2 lap and then you got the banger experience.
-Yeah.
-I have a headache.
-So, yeah, I'm ready for race two, hopefully, you'll last a bit longer there mate.
-Yeah, thanks.
Round one to you then.
-Round one to me.
-Okay.
-Here we go.
-[unk] clean as a dolphin.
-Right, race number two.
It didn't go spectacularly, you see, first gear was a little bit damage because-- well they have to move the engine back.
So, that was a very good rest and then after done some of the sighting, rolling start jumpy, I tried to get a second, got it, but there was no power coming through.
It's like the power just wasn't going down there, attach the wheels.
So, I immediately, like a true coward, got strength to be unveiled and waited for all the nasty men to start
driving around the circles so I could come back.
Nick, however--
-I did an even worse than the first race which was quite an impressive feat I think.
I didn't even start because unfortunately my car-- I had to have its entire suspension replacement, apparently it takes more than 10 minutes which I think is kinda floppy service.
-Yeah, it was.
-That's what you get when you come to banger.
-That's cheeky.
-Right.
-Yeah, the third race is where it all gets a bit real.
I'm quite scared, but-
-Yeah, they don't--
-let's see what we can do.
-they don't care if the car gets destroyed now.
So, it's all for nothing.
-First gear for the rolling start, second gear for the rest of the race, that's
what I've been told.
Oh--
-So, going hosed up.
Oh no, I'm still a little [unk]-- that was quite a bash.
-There's Nick.
Nick is done.
The Beast and Nick [unk]-- That's a big one.
-Yeah, I have got to rip out.
-Race three is now over and for both of us, it's ended prematurely.
I hit a wall then went to right angles to it and then we stuck there for the rest of the race, watching death comes towards me at quite someplace.
Then I got hit once, thankfully.
So it moved me even more out of the way, however, I've done my elbow, I've got a splitting headache, and I think I've done something to my rib, 'cause it really hurts.
However, the reason I was taken off is because this person decided to give me a little bit of a smack.
-It wasn't-- it wasn't-- it wasn't-- it wasn't very--
-Which is exactly what I'm trying to do to you.
-It was a very gentle one and it was an accidental one, if I may so.
-How was this accidental?
-I almost got-- I was getting carried by--
-Because it was my car just in the way of the better track you wanted to be on even though there was lots
to my side.
-It's just the name of the game really, isn't it?
So sorry.
So, how do you think we did?
-I actually think you've done really, really well.
Yeah, it was-- it was very destructive day, you know, there's a lot of cars there and more than we insist by it and you know, you practically save quite a lot damage than the first one.
-Could you settle one final argument for us?
In the third race, did he hit me?
-I'm sorry I didn't actually see that.
But I think, no.
Don't you think?
If we're gonna
-Actually--
-You know what, I think it is too because you did so much damage in the first one,
that you miss the second.
-He didn't have to run the second.
Let's see we call it a draw?
-I've got half a lot.
-Awfully, awfully that's a different draw.
-There we go.
I'm happy with that then.
How about that?
-So, all right, Steve.
Thank you so much.
-Yeah.
That was all right.
-Most appreciated--
-It's been great--
-Thanks, [unk]--
-and I'll definitely do that again.
-On my god.
I have [unk]--
-Well, sorry that was Nick that tipped off.
Oh.
That was Nick that tipped off, this is not good.
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