An Interview with BriSCA F2 Stockcar Scottish Champion 41 Dennis 'the Menace' Middler
(interview published September 7 2016 in the lead up to the BriSCA F2 Stockcar World Championship weekend on September 10 and 11)

Age: 30
Home Town: Carnoustie
Occupation: Mechanic
Family: Wife Laura and daughter Lana
Racing career: First race was in Ministox at Cowdenbeath, aged 19

Congratulations on qualifying for your third World Final, are you looking forward to it?
Aye, absolutely, I think races like this are the reason we go racing in the first place. The World Final race is the pinnacle as far as BriSCA F2 Stockcars goes, it’s the race everyone would like to win and everyone wants to just be a part of. I’m not saying I’m going to win it, especially being at a track like Mildenhall but then I never thought I would ever win the Scottish either so maybe it could happen (laughs). But for me, it’s massive thing to just to be a part of the race and be a part of the big occasions. I’m just hoping that things will continue to go well for me. I’ve got a new car this year and it’s given me such a huge confidence boost and that has made a really big difference. I got a shale car and have been doing a little more on shale as well when I can and I’ve been enjoying that as well and that has also boosted my confidence and I think that showed in the semi-finals at King’s Lynn where, to be honest I surprised myself a little with how well I went. After watching the first semi-final I really thought I would struggle with how well everyone was going but I was able to go out there and hold my own and qualify which was brilliant and again gave me a boost that I could do well in the World Final as well.

You mention racing on shale more this season, was that because of the semi-finals and World Final being on shale?
Yeah, it was definitely a part of it but it’s something I’ve been wanting to do a little bit for a while. I’ve always struggled a little with shale, my dad hates it (laughs) so that doesn’t help much but also I had a Randall car and I could never get it to go how I wanted on shale and no matter how hard they tried to help me with it, I couldn’t get it to work, so I thought I would try something different. I bought a chassis which I think was 16 years old and had been laying in a field for years for just £150 and gradually built my own car and did it how I wanted and to suite me and it’s been brilliant. Admittedly I spent a bit more than £150 getting it ready to race but it was still a cheap car as it was more labour and time than anyone else and the few times I’ve got to race it I’ve enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to using it in the World Final. I always wanted to be in the World Final, like I do every year but I wasn’t too confident doing it with the car I had so I felt this was the better way and to be honest I’m chuffed enough to be in the race with a car that I’ve put so much into myself.

Despite enjoying your shale racing this season, it has not translated to success with just four points scored on shale this season, half of them coming in your semi-final race.
(laughing) I guess the results aren’t very good are they! I admit to not having much luck, I find it much harder starting from the back of the grid in a shale race than I do in a tarmac race but I’m not sure why. Where I seem to struggle is that I can get up the order on shale but when I get there I seem to make a mistake or tangle with another car and crash out. But the car is quick, I’ve set good laps times which have been as quick as anyone else, it’s just me (laughs). That is why the semi-final result was so good for me because I started my semi-final towards the back and while I eventually finished ninth I was higher than that at one point so the race went really well and it was a big boost for myself before the World Final, knowing that the car is good enough, it’s just down to me now (laughs).

Was qualifying for the World Final always a target?
It was, again it’s a race I always want to be a part of. But it was hard this year. Usually I do just the qualifying rounds which are fairly local or maybe go to the ones which are a weekend but this year we had a wedding to go to which was the same weekend as the Scottish weekend so I missed the qualifiers at Cowdenbeath and Crimond which was a real blow qualifying and so I had to travel a little to get in, I went to Buxton which helped and I also went to King’s Lynn as well but that was also to have a go there, knowing if I did qualify I would have to race at Lynn in the semi-finals. So all things considered I was pleased to qualify for the semi-finals, missing the Scottish rounds did make it harder than it would have been had I done those meetings but in the end it worked up well as despite being a fair way down my semi grid I still qualified. You never know, had I started nearer the front it might not have been the same.

This will again be your third time in the World Final having not had the best of fortunes in the semi-final races in recent years, was you starting to think the semis were cursed for you?
(laughs) They are! I qualified in my first semi-final which was in 2008 but admittedly it was at Cowdenbeath which helped but I’ve been in a semi-final every year since and only qualified once more until this year so no, they never go very well for me do they. In my defence I would have qualified last year at Skegness but the race got stopped and on the restart I got drilled and the car came out of gear and I finished 11th or 12th as a result. That was Rob Speak’s fault because he’d done Gordon Moodie. It’s always his fault isn’t it (laughs). Personally, and I guess I would say this, but I’m not a big fan of the system. I think it is a bit unfair that you can do all the work all year, get up the top of the qualifying points and then it all comes down to one race. But having said that if the World Final grid was just determined by the qualifying points there is a chance as well that the World Final could be a bit more boring as a result because the semi-finals certainly mix things up. And this year, for a chance, the semi-finals have helped me because I only finished 50th in the qualifying points and now I’m in the World Final (laughs).

Mentioning the only other time you have qualified for the World Final, that was two years ago via the semi-finals at Mildenhall where you finished 10th, does that help with your confidence in this race?
It does, especially because it was such a fast race and I think I did pretty well to get a 10th in that one. Now, with a car which I think is much better suited to racing on shale and having done a bit more shale racing this year and with having much more confidence at the moment, honestly I think this is the best season I’ve ever had and a lot of that is down to winning the Scottish Championship because that has made a massive difference to me, hopefully it will all come together. I actually find Mildenhall to be one of my better shale tracks, typically it’s also the one which is the furthest away for me, I think part of it is because I used to race my Ministox there so it’s a been a track I’ve raced at pretty much most of my career, it’ll be really cool now to do a BriSCA F2 World Final there as I did the last Ministox World Championship which was at Mildenhall (in 2000) but I didn’t get anywhere, hopefully this will go better (laughs).

You’re set to start the race on the outside of row 13, are you happy with your grid position?
I honestly don’t think it will make much of a difference. I’m just happy to be on the grid and would have been happy to have started anywhere. I think, especially being at Mildenhall, your starting place doesn’t matter too much because it is impossible to say where or when anything is doing to happen. Any place could be a good or a bad starting place. I guess the only thing is I’ll have the consolation semi-final qualifiers starting pretty close behind me and I’d think they are going to be keen to get on with it and make some moves early on so I don’t think it will be possible to hold back at the start. Sometimes in a big race like this, if you start near the back you can take the first lap or two a little easier, get settled and then go from there but I don’t think that will be the case here, I think everyone is going to be on it from the start, right until the finish. As for being on the outside, yeah I’d have preferred to have been on the inside, but it is what it is, you just have to get on with it now, I can hardly complain as I did roll over in the final at King’s Lynn (laughs).

Have you a goal in mind for the race, especially are yet to place in a World Final?
I’ve actually not finished one yet so that would be a start (laughs). My target is a top 10 but to be honest I think finishing and finishing in the top 10 might be the same thing as I suspect the majority of finishers will be in the top 10, especially those who manage to stay on the lead lap. I think all the time you are on the same lap as the leader you are going to have a chance in the race because things happen so quickly at Mildenhall and you can make up a lap or lose one very quickly. It won’t be hard to stay on the lead lap because I suspect almost as soon as the race starts the leaders will be in with those starting at the back which is why I think those starting near the back will be keen to get on with it at the start of the race but if I can survive and stay on the lead lap I think I’ve a chance of the top 10 and that would be great, I managed it in the semi-final two years ago so why not (laughs)?

Who do you think stands out as the leading contenders?
You have to fancy Andrew Palmer I think don’t you. He’s everything going for him, starting on pole, going well and a track he knows very well, he’s got a great chance but I think there are a lot of people out there capable of winning, I think Wim Peeters could be one to watch for, especially if he qualifies on the third row which I think he has a great chance of doing.

Much has been said of the state of the sport in 2016 and the attempts to try and improve it, how do you feel the sport is at the moment?
I think it’s ok and it’s nice to see people trying to get involved and try and make it better for everyone but I think it’s too soon to tell really, we need to see the changes when they come and what effect they have but it is good that people are trying at least.

There is also talk of having a shootout style series to decide the National Points Championship much like BriSCA F1 Stockcars has, would you support that?
I do and I don’t. I don’t think it’s a bad idea but my concern is how it would work. Would there be a round at each track or only certain tracks. If it was every track then I don’t know if everyone involved would be able to support it, even if it’s only certain tracks I don’t know if all those involved would be willing to do every round, I think for it to work you would need to have drivers who are committed to the series and willing to do every round.

Is there anyone else you would like to thank or mention?
My old man, Dennis Snr, without him I couldn’t race and my mum. She’s not very well at the moment and is a real inspiration to me and my racing and my wife Laura and wee Menace Lana for their support and understanding the time the racing needs in the workshop and the travelling. My team behind the scenes, sorry if I miss anyone, the Bear, Derek, Davis, Davina, Steve, Peter, John, Sean, Cameron and all my sponsors. Westfield Motors, David Murray Transport, RJS Autocare, Wheeie Quick Couriers, Stratchan’s Garage, GB Building Contractors, Hiretubs2U, Racewall Hospitality Services, Custom Cable Assemblies,Angue Auto Spares, Stuart’s Coaches Carluke, AW Motors Dundee, Mills Engineering, Gray and Adams, T and B Van Breakers, Finns Coffee Lounge, DMAC coach works and GSN for protech shocks.