An Interview with BriSCA F2 Stockcar World Championship Semi Finalist 290 Jay Tomkins
(interview published August 6 2014 in the lead up to the World Championship Semi-Finals at Mildenhall on August 23)

Age: 39
Home Town: Cornwall
Occupation: Snap-On tools dealer
Family: Married to Annie with two children
Racing career: Started racing aged 17 in bangers at St Day

Congratulations on qualifying for your second World Semi Final, are you pleased to have got this far in the World Championship series?
I am, it’s my 10th year of racing BriSCA F2 Stockcars and I sort of felt it was about time I took things a bit more seriously so to speak and finally have a proper go at trying to get into the World Final so that was the target this year and what we’ve been working towards and although I probably should have tried a little harder towards the end to try and get a little better grid position I am pleased to have at least qualified and now I can have a go at trying to get a top 10. Last year at Mendips was my first semi final and I had a bit of crash and did no good at all so hopefully this year might be better, especially as I’ve been doing some shale racing and the semis are at Mildenhall.

As you mentioned, you’ve been a regular on shale this season, despite being based in Cornwall, what influenced the decision to race on shale more when all your local tracks are tarmac?
I think the racing on tarmac has got a bit to serious now, it is certainly too serious for my liking. At the end of the day this racing is supposed to be what we all do for a bit of fun to get away from work and all the stress of day to day life and for me, the tarmac racing was just becoming another stress so we decided to have a bit more of a go on the shale scene and see what that was like and got a shale car built and did a bit more travelling this season and honestly, I’m so glad we did because I’ve had so much fun and it’s really got my enthusiasm back. Everything is so much more friendly and laid back at the shale meetings I find and I’ve found the drivers to be much more laid back and having fun with their racing which is exactly what it is meant to be and what I was looking for. I also love the fact that most of the shale meetings are Saturday night meetings which is great for me and I also love the fact that because most of them are night meetings they are completed pretty quickly and there doesn’t seem to be as much hanging around for me which I think is great. Another thing I like about shale meetings is that there isn’t any practice. That really helps me because we have to travel so far to get to the shale meetings and if there was practice we’d have to leave probably about three hours earlier to make sure we start the meeting on the same level as everyone else so the fact that there is no practice is great for me and it also means everyone starts their first heat in the same position which is how it should be in stockcars if you ask me. The only problem I’m having now, which is the same I have every year, is the sun has come out and I kind of lose my enthusiasm for racing when it does. For me, the wetter the better and when the weather is miserable all I want to do is go racing but when summer comes I slow down because I want to do other thing (laughs). I missed the two day meeting at Mildenhall because of work commitments which was a shame but that sort of thing happens to me unfortunately which is a shame.

What would it mean to you to qualify for the World Final for the first time?
It was be pretty awesome and again that was the goal when we started the season to have a good crack at it. Like I said maybe I should have tried a little harder at the end to try and get a better grid position but I’m in one and that is the important thing, to be honest I think starting towards the back might actually help me out a little bit.

How do you rate your chances of qualifying for the World Final?
I think I’ve got a pretty good chance to be honest. My plan is just to sit back, keep it steady, keep my nose clean and finish and I think I’ve a pretty good chance of that being enough because I think it I going to be a very hectic race and I think anyone who finishes will have a good chance of being in the top 10 and qualifying. Again, maybe being towards the back will help because there are a few people in front of me like Daz Kitson and Paul Broatch who I’d think are going to trash it in the first bend and there are definitely going to be some people who don’t make it out of the first lap so being at the back could be as good place a place to start as any, but if we don’t qualify we can always try again in the consolation semi-final race. I thought I’d qualified last year in that race but was told I was a lap down which I still don’t feel was right but anyway there is always another chance if it doesn’t work out, I’ll be giving it my best.

What do you expect the start of the race to be and who do you think are the leading contenders in your race?
It’s going to be chaos, again with the names I’ve just mentioned, they won’t hold back that’s for sure and I think I’m glad I’m behind them (laughs). There are so many good drivers in the race, I think Micky Brennan could be a good bet because he can go well on shale but everyone out there is good and one slip up is all it’s going to take for someone’s chances to be over. That’s the difference between the semis being on shale compared to tarmac, if this was on tarmac you could have a pretty good go at predicting the top 10 just by picking the fastest drivers out there but on shale it’s not so easy and I wouldn’t have a clue at trying to predict whose going to qualify and I think it’s great that it’s like that, it makes it more exciting and unpredictable which is what stockcar racing should be.

Having raced at Mildenhall a few times this year do you think you have an advantage over the drivers that haven’t?
I think so. I think whenever you race at a track that someone hasn’t, you’ve an edge, no matter how small it is, there is an advantage and I think that will certainly be the case at Mildenhall because it is so unique, it’s not like other shale tracks and the size of it makes it tricky as well so I do think those who’ve not raced at Mildenhall before will find it difficult and start the race at a disadvantage to those who have raced there before.

Looking beyond the semi-final meeting, can we expect to see you at Mildenhall again soon?
I hope so, as soon as the sun goes down again I’ll be racing all the time again (laughs). I’m away on business now but if I get home on time and the car is ready I would like to come up on (August 9), especially after missing (One Wild Weekend) but we’ll see how we get on.

Is there anyone you would like to thank or mention?
My mechanic, Useful Stu, without him I would have definitely retired this year, he’s been brilliant and without him I would struggled, John Harding for building my shale car and my misses for all her support, especially with all the extra travelling this season.