The Growth of the GAZ Shocks 116 Trophy and 120 Coupe Series
In this episode of the Backseat Driver Podcast, I dive into the remarkable growth of the GAZ Shocks 116 Trophy and 120 Coupe Series, which are rapidly becoming key players in UK motorsport. Our discussions, sparked by the recent event at Oulton Park, showcase the incredible rise of these racing series, highlighted by full grids and a passionate field of competitors.
I’m joined by Mark Bate, the founder of the series, who provides insights into the increasing popularity and competitive nature that are helping to define these thrilling events. We also speak with drivers who share their experiences of switching between the 116 and 120 Coupe models, offering a fascinating look at the unique driving dynamics and technical intricacies that each car brings to the track.
In this episode, I speak with key figures from the GAZ Shocks 116 Trophy and 120 Coupe Series, including founder Mark Bate, drivers Rob Carvell, Alan Caufield, Anthony Seddon, Peter Keen, and Matt Highcock, who share their insights on the series' rapid growth, the competitive nature of the events, and their personal experiences with both models.
The enthusiasm surrounding this series is undeniable, with new drivers constantly joining the fold, guaranteeing a bright and exciting future for the GAZ Shocks series. This episode truly captures the growing energy and spirit of motorsport that is alive and thriving in the UK.
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Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker A:Yes, it's me, Mike Stone and this is the Backseat Driver podcast.
Speaker A:It's the fastest, it's the friendliest, and it's for all the family.
Speaker A:The Gas Shocks 116 Trophy and 120 Coupe cup are the fastest growing race series in the UK, taking in six one hour races and eight sprints at all the top circuits.
Speaker A:Visit 116triportunet.com to find out more.
Speaker A:And get yourself behind the wheel.
Speaker A:From a pot of tea to TT motorbikes, from a classic English breakfast to a full serving of classic cars, Bridge House Tearooms is the northwest premier classic car meeting location for coys, bikes, tractors and owner's clubs.
Speaker A: -: Speaker A:Well, here we are Alton park for the north west round of the Gas Shocks 116 Trophy.
Speaker A:Two sprint races today, not the endurance one.
Speaker A:So I'm here again to talk to Mark Bate, great supporter of the Backseat Driver podcast.
Speaker A:We'll find out how things are going to go and what is looking likely for the future.
Speaker A: y running over Alton Park May: Speaker A:And I'm here with the man himself, the man who supported the Backstreet driver podcast for as long as I can remember and the man who brough this racing series into being, Mark Bate.
Speaker A:Mark, welcome back to the Backseat Driver podcast.
Speaker B:Thanks for having me, Mark.
Speaker B:It's good to see you.
Speaker A:How is it going?
Speaker A:Because this series now seems to be going from strength to strength.
Speaker B:We're at the.
Speaker B:Sometimes, I mean, I ask myself the same question.
Speaker B:We're at the point now where we're.
Speaker B:Without sounding like a lunatic, we're the biggest series in the country when it comes to grids.
Speaker B:We've got our new coupe on the way which is slow, not slow car.
Speaker B:It's a quick car on the track but it's slow to take off.
Speaker B:But it is taking off steady.
Speaker B:But the, the 116 sprint, which we're here today.
Speaker B:The trophy's not here today because we normally race the trophy on a Sunday.
Speaker B:Well, I hope everyone's trying to keep up with this, but we are only sprinting today.
Speaker B:But the, the actual series itself as a Whole is, is absolutely booming and we just, we just seem to keep getting things right.
Speaker B:I think that's the thing.
Speaker A:And I know it was technically going to be its own race series but I noticed today the 116 and the 120 coupes are out together.
Speaker B:Yeah, we're still at the transition period where the coupes are still running with the trophy cars.
Speaker B:We're lucky in the fact that they don't impede the racing.
Speaker B:As you've seen today, they sort of get off at the front and they stay there.
Speaker A:Technically the 120 will be a little bit quicker than 116, won't it?
Speaker B:Yeah, the 120 is 50 horsepower more.
Speaker B:It doesn't look like that on the track.
Speaker B:Once the cars get going off the start, the trophy car can sort of, it doesn't, the coupe doesn't drop the trophy once they're moving properly.
Speaker B:So it's slightly different so they don't impede each other.
Speaker B:But we are looking at, as the numbers build in the, in the coupes that we'll, we'll have it, we'll come up, there'll come a day where we've got an issue.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So that issue will be a good one and we'll have to say to ourselves, right, are we moving it now to its own, its own grids?
Speaker A:So I mean the last time we were talking, one thing we were talking about is because the 116s are the original little 116 BMWs and there's only a finite number because I know you were debating whether to start admitting some of the newer models.
Speaker B: just looked round and it's a: Speaker B:This can't carry on.
Speaker B:But look, we're lucky in the fact that BMW made it.
Speaker B:They're not rust buckets, thank God the engines can last.
Speaker B:But like what you've just said then, can we keep getting these cars off the road?
Speaker B:Are they going to be on the road soon?
Speaker B:What are we going to do?
Speaker B:You know, but at the moment we're hanging on for dear life really.
Speaker A:Well, I know there's a Garage near to where I live as a coupe for sale for just about two and a half thousand quid.
Speaker A:And you think, should I be ringing Mr.
Speaker A:Bate up here and say, hey, there's one of these things here if you need it?
Speaker A:I mean the one thing you said when we all started this was the 116, the basic entry level car.
Speaker A:Like nearly every manufacturer's basic entry level cars are the best of the lot.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker B:I mean my experience on 53, 54 next.
Speaker B:And it's hard to believe and when you tell people that they don't understand the actual cars are designed and when they're designed, people think they're designed by the biggest engine and the M3 and this.
Speaker B:They're not designed like that.
Speaker B:The base model is how that all the money goes into the base model.
Speaker B:All the design work, every single, all the billions or the millions, you know, the biggest bills go into building the entry level cars.
Speaker B:And that's why, in my opinion, why the entry level cars become the best cars.
Speaker B:They last a long.
Speaker A:I mean ultimately, I mean it was designed as like a family or a lady shopping car in many ways, wasn't it?
Speaker A:A family, little family hatchback?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean I wasn't part of the development.
Speaker B:I mean I kept waiting by the phone but it never rang.
Speaker B:But they designed it with simplicity in mind.
Speaker B:They wanted a hatchback, they wanted it to be rear wheel drive.
Speaker B:They wanted, you know, they wanted the smallest engine, they wanted everything we eventually got.
Speaker B:And what we got was a really, really good racing car.
Speaker B:On paper it's pants, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
Speaker B:But the 116 on track, you've seen it, everyone's seen it now.
Speaker B:There's no denying it.
Speaker B:Everybody knows the 116 trophy, it is absolutely out this world.
Speaker A:I mean every car is identical apart from its livery.
Speaker A:But the one thing I've noticed is, I mean they will have been developed but if one's developed, they all have to be developed.
Speaker A:But they now seem to sit better.
Speaker A:These look like they handle better.
Speaker A:They definitely look like they go better.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean the first year when we was watching and me and Endo does ecus and looks after all the electronics, we was watching them go past.
Speaker B:You could literally, you know, you could wave at the driver but the car is actually very, very slow.
Speaker B:But we've had six years now, six seasons and these kids that are at the front now, they, they've developed around the car.
Speaker B:The car's not got any faster on paper and lap Times it's dropped dramatically.
Speaker B:The cars are miles faster but it's not the car the way they sit.
Speaker B:I agree they sit a little bit higher at the back and people are getting used to that now.
Speaker B:But the actual drivers have lear how to get the best out of the car and that's why the lap times have been dropping.
Speaker B:And they're really quick now over a lap they're fast.
Speaker A:And I noticed one name that seems to come up a lot.
Speaker A:Is it Matt Hikott?
Speaker B:Yeah, Matt Aycot.
Speaker B:Matt Aycott won the championship last year which was our first championship year.
Speaker B:He won it in the 116.
Speaker B:He's a fabulous driver.
Speaker B:He's come from nowhere.
Speaker B:His first race was actually here, me and you was here and when they red flagged it and he hit the barriers but even when he went back out that year, which is two seasons ago actually his back wheel was aiming and anyway he carried on, he was putting good lap times in so we sort of knew we had something special here.
Speaker B:But he's sort of, he's now semi pro level driver and a lot of our drivers are amateur.
Speaker B:I mean I shouldn't say this because it might offend a few people but it is an amateur race series, put it that way.
Speaker B:We've got some really good drivers in the coupes, we've got some really good drivers in the trophy.
Speaker B:But Matt's just jumped now from winning the championship in the trophy car into the coupe and he's just found the coupe to suit him again.
Speaker B:So he sort of just that little bit in front of the other guys and they're now catching him back up again.
Speaker A:And are there any new drivers in the series?
Speaker A:Because I mean it was attracting them like flies around a jump pot.
Speaker B:Yeah, we get new drivers every year and we get drivers that leave.
Speaker B:It's a very healthy series in that people leave, they leave on good terms, they come back and you know, as a club we'll always look after ex drivers.
Speaker B:That's how we are.
Speaker B:As far as we're concerned if you've driven a 116 or you're one of our drivers, we'll always back you up.
Speaker B:Anybody ever needs anything, they can always pick the phone up with me.
Speaker B:They don't have to race with us.
Speaker B:So people come and people go.
Speaker B:But every year people come.
Speaker B:New people, new cars get built, fresh faces come and we're just living the dream really at the moment.
Speaker A:Well, I know on social media a week or so ago you did a video, a humorous one.
Speaker A:All your videos are humorous about.
Speaker A:Motor racing is expensive, which I have said many a time but I mean this has got to be the cheapest going Auntie.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean at the moment we've got Ollie, Ollie's coming, he used to race bikes and he's coming to the trophy and he's bought a car, 500 pound and we're trying to get this car ready for him to race.
Speaker B:So all he's coming to is quite dead panelling and we've hit it all straight away.
Speaker B:He's coming to the series, everybody likes him, he's got a quirky sense of humor.
Speaker B:But we're trying to put this car together for next to nothing, not using any of the expensive parts that people like, the shiny stuff.
Speaker B:We're just going to put the basic car together and we're going to see how we go.
Speaker B:But we were sat at my house because he came to stay last weekend because he was welding the cage in his car and I looked round and his wallet was literally dropping to bits.
Speaker B:The moths had.
Speaker A:Well, I saw that it wasn't looking healthy, was it?
Speaker B:It was well and tr.
Speaker B:Truly the moffs would have it.
Speaker B:And I just looked around, I went look at the state of your wallet.
Speaker B:That's motor racing for you, isn't it?
Speaker B:And he just happened to say I only bought it last week.
Speaker B:So it sort of prompted this video.
Speaker B:We just had to do a video.
Speaker B:But it, the video sort of says everything really.
Speaker B:He bought a brand new wallet two weeks ago and now it's completely worn out.
Speaker B:That's motor racing, you know.
Speaker A:And to be fair, you're never done dipping in them, are you?
Speaker B:No, I mean it's completely worn to pieces.
Speaker B:I mean it looks like it's been under the back wheels on a bus or something but it serves him right I suppose.
Speaker A:So what's coming for the 116 trophy and the 120 coupes?
Speaker B:Well, the 116 trophy staying exactly as it is.
Speaker B:We feel we've got what we need now.
Speaker B:We feel we can't get the car, we can't change it.
Speaker B:We don't like changes but sometimes you have to.
Speaker B:We haven't changed much this year, much last year the drivers are changing now, they're getting more used.
Speaker B:So we're happy with the 116 trophy.
Speaker B:We do want to split the coupe coupes away and we, we want to develop the coupe for next year now.
Speaker B:So it's.
Speaker B:So really we're not putting all our efforts into the coupe but there's things now that we feel that we can do on the coupe for next year.
Speaker B:Just a few little nice little tweaks that are just gonna make it more appealing to people and hopefully get some new drivers and just move it up a little level.
Speaker B:Because the first year that we did this coupe, we had some problems with the oil system on the engine and it was, it was, it was, it was lacking oil pressure on certain corners, which was catastroscopic for the engine.
Speaker B:They were blowing up.
Speaker B:We've not seen for nearly two seasons.
Speaker B:So now at the end of this year, we're doing some development work.
Speaker B:Anthony Seddons on his dyno and we're just going to push it on to the next bit.
Speaker B:But as far as that's concerned, it's business as usual, really.
Speaker A:As always, it's a pleasure chatting to Mr.
Speaker A:Mark Bate.
Speaker A:Always a sense of humour about.
Speaker A:He's always smiling at you when he's talking to you and it's nice to see his idea and his brainchild of racing these little BMWs.
Speaker A:The success is achieved.
Speaker A:So once again, Mark Bate, thanks very much.
Speaker B:Yeah, thanks for having us, Mark.
Speaker B:It's always good to see you.
Speaker B:And if anybod anybody is wanting to get into motorsport and my number's available on the website at 750 Motor Club, just give me a ring.
Speaker B:I've still got the same energy as when I started.
Speaker B:A new person comes, I'll literally walk you through it from start to finish.
Speaker B:I'll be there when you do your first race.
Speaker B:I'll give you an UG when you get out of the car.
Speaker B:I still got that venom in me that I want to bring people to motorsport.
Speaker A:And you're back racing again, aren't you?
Speaker B:I'm back racing.
Speaker B:Me and my brother are back racing, yeah.
Speaker B:And it's quite funny, really, and the drivers love it because they get the chance to really take the mickey and you know what it's like.
Speaker B:We like to take the mickey out of each other.
Speaker B:You know you're friendly with someone when you can have the banter.
Speaker B:So we're back racing at Snetterton in our new Cooper.
Speaker A:Especially when you can gently tap them around the corner and say, hey, I'm here.
Speaker B:Can you imagine if I did that?
Speaker A:Once again, Mike, beer.
Speaker A:Thanks very much indeed.
Speaker B:Thank you, Mark.
Speaker A: Here with Rob Carville, car: Speaker A:How's it going?
Speaker C:Very well today, thank you.
Speaker C:Yeah, we're rare visitors to Alton park, but we're having a really good time so far.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker A:Now you were one of the original 116 races, weren't you?
Speaker C:Yes, that's right.
Speaker C:So five years ago, now that the series was starting to really take off and Richard Potter, who owns and built this car with Trevor Hill, built one of the very first cars which I think still races today.
Speaker C:And we had lots of success in that and had a good race win at one point.
Speaker A:The thing about these cars is especially the 116, they don't go out of date, do they?
Speaker A:They just keep on rolling.
Speaker C:They do, they're really well put together and they look quite modern design as well, which they look reasonably current and they perform very well over racing conditions because a lot, a lot of cars do degrade over the years, but these are very good.
Speaker A:And when did you switch to the 120s?
Speaker C:Last year was the first season, so there was a need for a development period for the 120s.
Speaker C:So a few of the teams got together and Richard was a big part of developing the 120s into what we see today, which is a reliable machine which is really, really does benefit from the extra power compared to the 116s.
Speaker A:Because I was talking to a couple of others saying it's.
Speaker A:And Mark Bate was saying technically they're about 50 brake horsepower more than the 116.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's about right.
Speaker C:And it really suits the car.
Speaker C:The chassis is capable of handling it and it opens up a lot more of interest in the car in the way the cars are set up with that extra power.
Speaker A:Now one or two have said that it's a different driving technique with the Coupe.
Speaker A:You're not as flat to the floor in them as you are with the 116.
Speaker C:Yeah, well, there are similarities.
Speaker C:So momentum is very precious in these anyway that's any good racing car needs to be, you know, carefully balanced and maintain, you know, maintains its momentum.
Speaker C:But these, I think you can argue, respond to what we say is normal driving conditions or driving approach where you can really play with the car and set it up using that extra power.
Speaker C:And then 116s are less easy to do that with but they have their own difficulties in different ways.
Speaker C:So it's a, yeah, it's a, it's a, it's a fascinating subject because the cars are so close and it's always the last half second that we all struggle with.
Speaker C:And the guys that access that last half second are really doing very well indeed.
Speaker A:Now the one thing I do notice, compared to the 116, which runs on reasonably, shall we say, more road orientated tyres the 120 is on more of a race orientated tyre.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So they are actually on paper, both road tyres.
Speaker C:But the 120s run on the most developed and grippy form of a tyre, which is still just about road legal.
Speaker C:So we call it a List 1A tyre which is, yeah, is the best you can do.
Speaker C:So, yeah, tyres we think are probably about half of the benefit.
Speaker C:So if you see a lap time comparison between a 120 and 116, you'd expect about half of the difference to be in the tyre and half the engine.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So because of the new tyres, different tyres, do you find there's a different style of driving with them?
Speaker A:Do they go off, do you start out well and then go off or are they consistent?
Speaker C:Yeah, well, all road based tyres do degrade during a race because technically they're.
Speaker A:Not designed to race, are they?
Speaker C:Yeah, that's right.
Speaker C:Especially with, you know, the best club drivers out there that they're getting used right into the limit, every single corner.
Speaker C:And they do degrade.
Speaker C:But that needs.
Speaker C:That's part of the story, is how you manage that as a driver and how you develop the car to do it the least to protect the tyres.
Speaker A:Now, given the cars are all technically identical, how much setting up can you do for your own individual preferences on this?
Speaker C:Yes, you've got scope to do everything that you need as a driver to change the balance of the car.
Speaker C:So there's not a lot to go at, but what is there to adjust is very, very important.
Speaker C:We do spend a lot of time wrestling with ideas and testing and we're not a big tester.
Speaker C:So that's another reason why us to be mixing it at the front in a race such as today is quite an achievement for us because we just don't go testing.
Speaker C:But the others do a lot.
Speaker A:Mind the good old days.
Speaker A:That's how a lot of endurance races used to be.
Speaker A:They used to turn up.
Speaker A:There's a famous story of people like Icks and Brian Redmond turning up.
Speaker A:By the case, by the way, there's the car, go and qualify and then you're racing and that was it.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:It's true.
Speaker C:When you're dealing with the best of the best, it is quite an ability to just jump in a car and just do it.
Speaker C:We can see that happening here as well.
Speaker C:But those multiple days of testing, you'll find something that little bit extra.
Speaker A:Do you not find, at times too much testing and there's that much fiddling and you leave at the end of the day with the car worse than when you started?
Speaker C:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker C:And that's not, not really, what would you say?
Speaker C:A disappointment because you will have learned what made it bad and you'd know what to take it all back off again and revert back to where you were.
Speaker A:Right, that's it.
Speaker A:Let's put it back to where we started.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it.
Speaker C:It's just learning trial and error and yeah, the engineering side is really important to all of us.
Speaker C:So we're not the jump in and have a team run the car.
Speaker C:We all work it out ourselves from scratch.
Speaker A:How did you do in this morning's race?
Speaker C:Good start.
Speaker C:Very, very, very happy to get up to second place and bear in mind that all the Alton specialists were behind me at that point, but then I threw away.
Speaker C:So I made one bad mistake and got swamped by Anthony and Alan and then I eventually lost a further place through yet another mistake.
Speaker C:So I'm happy with being at least mixing it with them.
Speaker C:And we had some absolutely mega racing in the process where there was no contact.
Speaker C:Very close, good moves all around, but I'm not looking to make any more mistakes.
Speaker C:I used up my quota today.
Speaker A:And after today here at Alton park, where's the next outing for you?
Speaker C:Cadwell park is the next on the calendar, so we're not sure that we're.
Speaker A:Doing it, but we're gonna try anyway, whatever happens.
Speaker A:All the best, young man.
Speaker A:Thanks very much indeed.
Speaker C:Thank you very much and see you.
Speaker B:Soon.
Speaker A:With Alan Caulfield racer sponsor, a manufacturer of a new range of racing equipment, arc.
Speaker A:Very nice, Arc.
Speaker A:Right, tell us the story.
Speaker D:So, yeah, hi, we bought a little company three years ago called Lille Raceware.
Speaker D:Lille Racewear is a 40 year old business that makes all of the martial suits.
Speaker D:So we make all of the martial suits in the UK pretty much for the guys and girls in orange and also the white Goodwood suits.
Speaker D:And when we bought the company, we thought what a great idea it would be to homologate an FIA full racing suit because there are no British manufacturers anymore.
Speaker D:It's mostly done in Italy.
Speaker D:So we set on that journey expecting it to be reasonably hard, maybe take 12 months.
Speaker D:But here we are two years later and we've just gone into production a couple of months ago.
Speaker D:And yeah, it's been hugely challenging to get everything tested and get everything agreed with the FIA and start the process.
Speaker A:Because the FIA are notoriously difficult to deal with, are they not?
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah, I mean they're fair but they don't miss anything.
Speaker D:They Dot every I, cross every T.
Speaker D:You're not only dealing with testing, you're dealing with the legal department of the Fiat and we're just a little business based in Telford.
Speaker D:So, you know, it's, it's, it's been hugely challenging, but they've been great, they've been supportive, but, you know, there's no slack.
Speaker D:You've got to do it right.
Speaker A:Over the years, I've been very thankful.
Speaker A:I was wearing Nomex.
Speaker A:A1 big accident and B1 fire where I got out.
Speaker A:Somebody said, what's it like to climb out of a burning car?
Speaker A:I said, you do get out exceedingly quickly if you can do.
Speaker A:But you suddenly realise that with a full underwear, the overalls, the gloves, the socks, the boots, the helmet, it gets very warm in a car because of it all.
Speaker A:But every now and again you realise why you wear it.
Speaker D:So, yeah, I mean, absolutely bang on.
Speaker D:And every time I get in a racing car, even though they might not be the fastest racing cars in the world on a track day, I will put all my kits on because you never know when you're going to need it.
Speaker D:And it's really important, I think, that you protect yourself when you're in one of these.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Now, how's the racing going?
Speaker D:Yeah, good.
Speaker D:So, bit of an unusual day for me today.
Speaker D:I Normally race the 116 with Anthony Seddon and an opportunity came up today to borrow a car from George Healer, so I've taken him up on that and I'm racing against Anthony today, so that's proving interesting.
Speaker D:Finished third in the first one, so, yeah, pretty happy really.
Speaker D:I'm learning how to drive the car.
Speaker A:So you've driven both.
Speaker A:You've driven the 116s and the 120s?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:So normally I race the 116 with Anthony in the endurance series and I have the odd little few laps in a 120, but, yeah, got the opportunity to race George's car today, so thought I'd take him up on it and see how we go.
Speaker A:Are you enjoying the coupe?
Speaker A:Because I've spoken to one or two and you've an extra 50 horse and they handle differently and you've stickier tires.
Speaker D:Yeah, you definitely gotta have your wits about you with the 120.
Speaker D:They're quick little cars, reasonable amount of grip, but you definitely got to be on top of it.
Speaker A:And if somebody wants to see your racing wares, arc, how do they find out about it?
Speaker D:Yeah, head over to our website, arc.co.uk and you can see what we're doing or give us a call or find Lille Raceware on the web as well.
Speaker D:Just give us a call.
Speaker D:We're there to answer the phone and help you.
Speaker A:So Lille Racewear still exists as such?
Speaker D:Yeah, it does, yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:The company is still called Lille Racewear.
Speaker D:We just decided that when we developed the FIA suit, we give it its own separate brand, just to differentiate it a bit.
Speaker D:But it's all under one roof, it's all the same company.
Speaker A:And of course, it's all across the windscreens of the cars.
Speaker A:Gold is for the winners, the red stripe is for them.
Speaker A:That's done well.
Speaker A:And blue is for the ostrich.
Speaker A:Hoping to do well.
Speaker D:Absolutely, yeah.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I'm not sure.
Speaker D:I mean, Mark's idea was that people would see in their mirror who was coming up behind them.
Speaker D:But to be honest, I don't think anybody takes any notice.
Speaker D:So, yeah, all good stuff.
Speaker D:But it's great to have the marketing and the sport of Mark and with the series.
Speaker D:Really appreciate that.
Speaker D:We had a nice little deal on that.
Speaker D:So good to get the brand out there.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:Thank you very much indeed.
Speaker A:And a good day's racing.
Speaker A:Keep it on the black stuff as they used to.
Speaker D:Thanks, Mark.
Speaker D:Really appreciate your time.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker A:One of the characters of the 116 and now 120 Coupe series, you've quite a few cars here today, haven't you?
Speaker E:I have a few.
Speaker E:Just a few, yeah.
Speaker A:How many?
Speaker E:I think it's eight today.
Speaker E:We have run 11 on one event.
Speaker E:So, yeah, this is a quiet day.
Speaker A:Why so many?
Speaker E:Because we ended up taking on more drivers from last year and it's kind of worked for them.
Speaker E:I think it's a win win for all of us.
Speaker A:And you're running both the 116 and the 120s, aren't you?
Speaker E:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Do you have a preference coupe?
Speaker E:Yeah, the 120.
Speaker E:The 120, apart from my ability to get it off the line is the only problem.
Speaker F:Go on.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker E:Well, in the last race I was.
Speaker E:I think I qualified fourth and I was immediately sixth.
Speaker E:So I had a great race to get back to second.
Speaker E:But.
Speaker A:I mean, I'll ask you the question I've asked everybody.
Speaker A:Which do you prefer racing?
Speaker A:Because from what I can gather, the cars, though theoretically they run on the same chassis.
Speaker A:They are a completely different character.
Speaker E:They are very different in character.
Speaker E:To be honest, I like them both.
Speaker E:And I keep getting in the 116 thinking that, you know, I'm not really into this, but I am.
Speaker E:So definitely I'm into both of them.
Speaker A:So, I mean, how are you doing?
Speaker A:Can you race them both in the series?
Speaker E:Well, yeah, so we're racing on the Saturday with these generally, and then the Sunday's the endurance race.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So it's Back to the 116 with it.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker E:So, yeah.
Speaker A:And do you prefer the sprints or the endurance?
Speaker E:No, I like both events.
Speaker E:I like both formats.
Speaker E:The only problem with the Sunday race is with a two driver team, you're slightly handicapped because to win the race, the 116 race, or to have a very good chance of winning the race or being on the podium, you need to pit in the first 16 minutes as soon as pit window opens and then immediately do your second pit stop.
Speaker E:The reason for that is quite easy.
Speaker E:So at that point where you've pitted, you're now in 25th position.
Speaker E:Safety car comes out, picks the leader up.
Speaker E:The leader hasn't stopped, obviously, and weighs.
Speaker E:If you're the person that's in front or the theoretical leader, you get waved through and that lap is effectively giving you the race.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So it's as tactical as it is skilful.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker E:Personally, I think it's unfair because me and Alan, Alan and I driving means that one of us only does 15 minutes if we really wanted to be competitive.
Speaker E:And also there's an element of luck with that.
Speaker E:There always is.
Speaker E:There's been instances where people have been in that position in front of the leader and for reasons that only the 750 club can tell you, he never waved them through.
Speaker E:One of them was a girl called Melissa.
Speaker E:She was in tears after the race, literally.
Speaker E:Toby, Toby O'Reilly, by the way, through here, he got third place.
Speaker E:He would normally be 18th, 15th, that sort of position.
Speaker A:Have you ever thought of running the Monaco or Grand Prix?
Speaker E:Well, we run.
Speaker E:I don't know if, you know, we run classic F1 cars.
Speaker E:So we go to Monaco.
Speaker E:Well, next year.
Speaker E:Last year we were there.
Speaker A:So a bit of a difference.
Speaker E:Yes.
Speaker E:But basically it's running cars for clients.
Speaker E:Obviously I'm not racing one.
Speaker E:They're a lot of money, but they're amazing weekend.
Speaker E:You know when you're sat on the, the.
Speaker E:On the swimming pool, on the track, on the swimming pool, eating a meal in the evening.
Speaker E:That's.
Speaker E:That's pretty special.
Speaker A:Something else is on it.
Speaker E:Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Speaker A:All the best for today and all the rest of the series.
Speaker A:Thanks very much indeed.
Speaker A:Anthony Seddon.
Speaker E:Thank you.
Speaker E:See you soon.
Speaker A:Here with Peter Keane, winner of the 111six trophy race.
Speaker A:Second race of the afternoon here at Ulm Park.
Speaker A:Well done, young man.
Speaker G:Thank you very much.
Speaker G:Yeah, it was mega.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:How are you enjoying it?
Speaker G:Yes, of course I am.
Speaker G:Yeah, it was brilliant.
Speaker G:Today's been an absolute mega day.
Speaker G:Won both races, you know, P2 and P1.
Speaker G:Qualifying car was brilliant.
Speaker G:Track was brilliant.
Speaker G:I love this circuit, it's one of my favourite circuits.
Speaker G:So, yeah, really happy.
Speaker A:How long have you been driving the 116?
Speaker G:This is my fourth season, so, yeah, four years, I guess.
Speaker G:Well, three and a bit years.
Speaker A:Any intentions of moving to the 120s?
Speaker G:I don't know.
Speaker G:Really.
Speaker G:Possibly, yeah.
Speaker G:We'll see if obviously the grid numbers increase a little bit.
Speaker G:Might be tempted.
Speaker G:Obviously we're doing quite well in this at the moment, so we get this year out of the way, see how we can.
Speaker A:See if you can get the gold stripe on your windscreen.
Speaker G:Yeah, that's the one.
Speaker G:Yeah.
Speaker G:Yeah.
Speaker G:So hopefully that we're going in the right direction.
Speaker G:So with a bit of luck.
Speaker G:Yeah.
Speaker G:And then obviously next year we'll see what we want to do.
Speaker G:But if the numbers increase and there's more cars, then, yeah, definitely be thinking about it.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And if you don't mind me saying, you do have something to live up to, don't you?
Speaker A:Since I have it on good authority your brother was one of the Stigs.
Speaker G:Yes, he was, yeah.
Speaker G:Well, the secret's out now, obviously, because he's done it.
Speaker G:Yeah, he was, yeah.
Speaker G:On Top Gear.
Speaker G:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Have you learned anything from him?
Speaker A:Has he learned from you?
Speaker G:From me, yeah.
Speaker G:No, the quicker keen, they call me.
Speaker G:No, joking.
Speaker G:He's.
Speaker G:No, he's brilliant, obviously.
Speaker G:Fresco racing driver, you know, he's been doing it a very long time.
Speaker G:He's taught me a lot and watching him over the years and, and everything like that, watching him race, obviously has taught me a lot as well and he does help me out and, you know, give me some advice and things like that, car setup and things.
Speaker G:So, yeah, yeah, he's brilliant.
Speaker G:Help.
Speaker A:From what I can gather, the 116 is a car that will teach you a lot about racing.
Speaker G:Yeah, I think it is one make series, always will be because the cars are so equal.
Speaker G:So, you know, you're racing each other with equal machinery.
Speaker G:So it's all about racecraft and, you know, getting the car set up right, you and the car, you know, happy.
Speaker G:It's all about racecraft and picking your moments, etc.
Speaker G:But yeah, it definitely will help you with going up the formulas.
Speaker G:Definitely.
Speaker G:Yeah.
Speaker A:So all the best for the rest of the season.
Speaker A:Thank you very much indeed.
Speaker G:Thank you very much.
Speaker G:Cheers.
Speaker B:Lovely.
Speaker A:Thanks.
Speaker A:At Alton park with Matt haikok, last year's 116 champion, now driving triple five, the 120 coupe.
Speaker A:Matt, welcome back to the Backseat driver podcast.
Speaker F:Thank you very much.
Speaker A:Why the trunk?
Speaker A:Why the move from the hatchback to the coupe?
Speaker F:Well, I've done.
Speaker F:I did three years straight in the hatch in the 116.
Speaker F:I just felt like it was time to move on something a bit quicker, you know, a bit.
Speaker F:Bit faster.
Speaker F:A bit more of a challenging car, if you like.
Speaker F:So bought it off Mark Bait, the series organizer, and, yeah, been loving it.
Speaker A:It's really good now, I know.
Speaker A:According to mark, the 50 brake horsepower more than the hatchback.
Speaker A:Do you notice there's a power increase?
Speaker A:And what are they like to drive in comparison?
Speaker F:Oh, yeah.
Speaker F:To be honest, it feels like more than 50 horsepower.
Speaker F:The way they deliver it.
Speaker F:They're very.
Speaker F:The 120 is a very linear torque curve, so they go from the off, basically.
Speaker F:So in the 116, you kind of have to keep them going, keep them up high in the revs.
Speaker F:With the 120, you can just sort of use the torque and it feels a lot more than 50 horsepower difference anyway.
Speaker F:And with the tyres are a different compound as well.
Speaker F:We're on the AR1s, which are a lot softer, so you got more grip, better brakes, more power.
Speaker F:It's completely different car, you know.
Speaker F:Yeah.
Speaker A:Now, I noticed you won today's first race, so you're carrying on where you left off, aren't you?
Speaker F:Yeah, seem to be, yeah.
Speaker F:Yeah, seem to be, yeah.
Speaker F:It's the same chassis as the 116, so it handles similar.
Speaker F:So I think.
Speaker F:I mean, luckily I've been able to translate what I've learned in the 116 straight into the 120, because the weight balance is quite similar.
Speaker F:So you drive it almost the same, but you don't.
Speaker F:Not quite, no.
Speaker F:I mean, you got enough power that you can.
Speaker F:You could spin it if you wanted to.
Speaker F:Whereas in the 116s, they haven't.
Speaker F:You'd struggle to, you know, they haven't really got enough power to do that.
Speaker F:So you gotta be a bit more progressive with the throttle, get the car slowed down, nice and tidy, you know, you can't be launching it around sideways through every bend.
Speaker F:It doesn't work.
Speaker F:They don't like it.
Speaker F:So.
Speaker A:So basically, what you might call it, it's a smoother technique to drive in them.
Speaker F:Definitely, yeah.
Speaker F:It's made me drive smoother because the first.
Speaker F:First race, I think it was Brands Arch, I was struggling quite a bit because I hadn't done much testing in it.
Speaker F:Got in it and I went hell for leather into, you know, paddock then, like I would in the 116 and it just.
Speaker F:The lap times just weren't there.
Speaker F:And then I found the more I smoothed it out and sort of refined the lap, the quicker the car goes.
Speaker F:Yeah.
Speaker A:So apart from today's win, how's it been going up to press this season?
Speaker F:Good.
Speaker F:I've won the last I had at Brands, I had fourth, then first and then Thruxton had first and first and then I've won today as well.
Speaker F:One, so well see how the next race goes.
Speaker F:But yeah.
Speaker A:You're hoping for another double, Eddie?
Speaker F:I hope so.
Speaker F:It'd be nice.
Speaker F:Yeah, it'd be nice.
Speaker F:It depends.
Speaker F:If Anthony gets a good start, I think he'll give me a good run.
Speaker A:And what's the reaction from your fellow races?
Speaker A:Because at the moment nobody seems to be able to touch you.
Speaker F:I'm not sure, to be honest.
Speaker F:I haven't really asked them.
Speaker F:But, I mean, I get on well with Anthony and everyone that, you know.
Speaker F:The 116 paddock is very, very friendly anyway, so everyone I'm racing against, I know them well, you know, and we're friends already, so there's no animosity.
Speaker F:You know, we get on well and, you know.
Speaker F:Yeah, they seem.
Speaker F:Seem quite happy.
Speaker F:Yeah.
Speaker A:You hope.
Speaker F:I hope they are, yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, I hope so, Mat I come.
Speaker A:Continued success, I hope.
Speaker A:And thanks so much for joining me again today.
Speaker F:Thanks very much.
Speaker F:Pleasure.
Speaker A:Well, that's the end of another gas shocks 116 trophy round today here at Alton Park.
Speaker A:Interesting chatting to Mark and the drivers about how the season is going, how the series is going.
Speaker A:The enthusiasm and passion for the 116 and now the 120 Coupe Series is impressive to say the least.
Speaker A:One or two drivers leave because they're going on to other things, but for everyone, that leaves at least two more make an appearance.
Speaker A:It's absolutely fantastic.
Speaker A:It's been a great day.
Speaker A:If you need to know any more and want to get involved yourself, just go onto Facebook.
Speaker A:Gas Shocks 116 Trophy.
Speaker A:The link is in the Backseat Driver podcast promo every Wednesday and find out more for yourself.
Speaker A:But for today's edition of the Backseat Driver Podcast here at Alton Point with the Gas shocks, lads, it's been an absolute pleasure.
