SPEAKER_00 0:00

Just two weeks to go. Sam before it's lights out at Donington. Are you ready for this season?

SPEAKER_01 0:06

Um Yeah, yeah, I think so. Fair enough. Keep ticking them off one at a time, you know. Fix this on Ospo, fix that on Ospo. Sort of get merch ready for MOT. Oh list goes on.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

The life of a racing driver behind the scenes isn't as isn't as exotic as you might think.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

We've had some right variety this uh this offseason. I've been a quarry quarry uh manager, like geologist, um digger driver, um mechanic, truck fitter, engineer, c and c yeah, all sorts. Um and shakedown for testing. Yeah, shakedown for testing.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

So much to to um chat about. Um good to see you back with uh with Napa Racing. Um you had uh I think it's probably fair to say your best season last season. I remember that very emotional uh weekend at uh Silverstone, um, which was a tremendous one for you. You're still smiling from that weekend, I suspect.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Yeah, it weren't a bad one, were it?

SPEAKER_00 1:12

It was good, my friend. It was very good. I was so pleased for you.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Cheers.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

It was it was a good drive, but it was also it just seemed to sum up, you know, what you and your dad and and and the team have have done for you as a driver in in that team.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

Yeah, yeah. I mean, um, yeah, we're we're we're we're a family-run team. Um my dad takes it very seriously, um, like with anything he does. He he puts his heart, pause his heart and soul into it. So um here we're in in the workshop as well. So over winter he's been doing brake relines on him. He's really oh yeah, he loves getting stuck in. He's been under merch, we've been we've done all we've gone through the in the entire fleet of um of stuff that we've got, you know, and everything has to have an MOT, everything has to be inspected before it goes, brake tests, everything it all all needs doing, and that's from a physical point of view. It's it's not even half of that, really. When when you get into everything needs to be clean inside, you know, um hinges need to be fixed on doors. Uh the list goes on damage from just general wear and tear. These things are bespoke, and obviously there's always gonna be a little bit of damage, and you can't just buy parts off the shelf.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

No, you can't. Let's look uh forward to what's gonna think gonna be an exciting season. Um, staying with uh with Napa, but in the new saloon, which looks very, very nice. Yeah, it feels fast too. Does it? I was gonna say, uh is it handling differently to uh to last year's car?

SPEAKER_01 2:41

Yeah, yeah, it definitely handles differently from last year. Um the aero balance is completely different, so uh at high speed that's that's a big balance change. And then even at the low speed, you've got the weight difference. So um it's a little bit longer, even though the wheelbase is still exactly the same, it's still it the weight changes things quite quite massively. So it's it's it feels like a totally different car again.

SPEAKER_00 3:06

So yeah. Have you been happy with with what you've got out of it uh and what what you've been able to do in testing so far?

SPEAKER_01 3:12

Um yeah, yeah, I'd say I'd say we're working in in the right direction. Um we've still got a lot to figure out, um and and we're working in in into that. Um and Senna's been helping great and working with Rich and having that that base from last year to improve on um is is really helping us move forward in that in that way as well.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

I I guess from last season, you know, uh the highondi was the car to beat to some degree, wasn't it? Uh whereas previously the you know the the Ford had been the car to beat. Is that gonna swing back this uh this season, do you think?

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Who knows? You know, like everyone keeps saying, oh well, it it it's uh official test day, what do you think? And it's like well no one knows. No, no one knows are they running full boost, are they sandbagging, are they running full weight, are they running no weight? Are they running are they running softs, brand new softs, or last year's softs? There's so many questions that you never know until you know someone puts a deadline of this is what you have to run, um, because this is the optimum and this is the time to be, you know, and it really counts. So until that round one qualifying, you know, no one really knows.

SPEAKER_00 4:28

No, so now let's talk about round one and qualifying, uh, because it's a new format. Have you had a chance to fully understand how it works? Have you read the regs?

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Uh I I had a little bit of a reader, but you know, I'm one of the people who struggles to read. So I I think I got about halfway through it, and then my eye started reading a different line and was like, oh, okay, time to uh uh the old dyslexia's kicking in and playing playing havoc with the words.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

But you've you've got a general idea about uh how the system now works, but there's there's the one the one free practice session, and then there's the qualifying uh race, which is going to shake things up, isn't it? Ah, qualifying race. It's it's officially called the qualifying race. Oh yes. Be careful uh what you call it.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

I'm probably gonna upset a load of people by saying that.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

We'll call it the qualifying race. Um and that's gonna really shake things up because everybody is going to be you know not qualifying in a race, which uh you know is gonna make things exciting, certainly for the fans track side.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

Yeah, yeah. Well, well, I'm terrible at qualifying, but I'm alright at racing, so I might be mediocre at qualified races.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Yes, this could play right into your hands for it 50-50, isn't it? Um you've got uh a test day here uh at uh brands hatch tomorrow. Uh the weather is gonna be really warm, so you've got warm track temperatures coming. What are you hoping to get out of uh that session?

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Um yeah, I mean, um I've not got my engineer for the season this year, um tomorrow. Um we've got uh a stand in as he's off playing with GTs, I think. Um but but yeah, no, uh we we just uh last time we came here we we had a bit of a car that was a bit of a handful. So we we came away, we chatted from the weekend, we've got some ideas, so here we are. We're back and um we'll see what as changes make, you know.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

We've already spoken about uh the the brilliant bit of last season uh and some of the good performances, which uh you know excellent performances which we shouldn't forget as well. On that basis, and with the experience you've got and staying with the with the team, what can you achieve this season, Sam? Have you have you given yourself a a sort of marker that uh that you've laid down?

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Yeah, I mean my goal's always been in to be to be in that competitive zone of the top ten um consistently. Um I think if we can stay in that in that window, um it's it's a lot it's a lot um what's the word? Um yeah, uh it's it's a lot more like satisfying knowing that you're at the sharp end of that. Um and I think being up there it then lends itself to you know a good race and and um working your way through and and getting to that front. Like when when you're in that clean air, it makes it so much easier to to fight and and not worry about engine temps overeating or intake temps overeating, or you know, it's it's it's one of them. Yeah, you get a knock and it knocks you track tracking out on first lap, and then you're just in for a world of pain throughout the race for a car that just wants to spin you.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Yes, absolutely. And and obviously having uh tasted the podium, uh you want some more of that, I suspect.

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Oh yeah, definitely, definitely. We've always wanted a bit more podium. Um I mean, yeah, yeah, who doesn't? You know, it's it's uh it was amazing. I mean, to see to see the the the look on everyone's face at the team was just ecstatic, you know, that that all a lot of them have been there from from day dot when we uh well before we were we took over it as as uh Alliance Racing, you know. It's it's um it's been a a a massive journey really from from starting off with Accelerate and then going to AMD and then then to Motobase and then making the leap of faith and and getting all of the team and you know bringing the car on and developing it to where it were and really getting it into a a real mega bit of kit and this feels like the next next chapter in the book, I think.

SPEAKER_00 8:44

It's been a great journey, and I'm sure it's gonna continue as well. And I wish you the very best for the season, Sam. It's really good to see about. I always enjoy chatting to you on race weekends without a shadow of a doubt. Um, just before we finish, as you know, we have a little bit of fun at this time of the year. Um a couple of questions. Um, it's the highway code. Oh. Oh okay. Pick a number one, two, or three.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Uh we'll go with we'll go with um we'll go with three. Three.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

So um you've had to pull over into an emergency refuge area. For a P, yeah. Uh for whatever reason. Before you rejoin the carriageway, what must you do according to Rule 278 of the highway code? Is it switch on your hazard warning lights, switch on your headlights, uh, use the emergency phone, or um wave your arm out of the window to indicate that you're rejoining the carriageway?

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Oh. Um well, waving your arm. I I tend to work by a process of elimination. So this is my weird old logic. Um, waving your hand out the window, that's normally if your indicators are broken or don't have any. So to me, that one's a a tick cross.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Switching your headlights on ain't gonna do out because stuff's coming from behind, not in front. So that's another one. Um hazards. I feel like you should have had your hazards on when pulling in. So switching them on would be a bit of a weird one, wouldn't it? So by that process, I would have said ring the phone.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

I'm just just looking across at my colleague. That as a process of elimination, Sam, is genius. You are a hundred percent correct. What a great way. What a great way to go about it, though. Uh yeah, the highway code, rule 278 says that you have to ring the emergency operator and tell them what your situation is, and they will advise you on the safest way to rejoin the carriageway, even if it means closing off a part of the carriageway so you can rejoin. It is actually in the highway code. What a brilliant way of deducing an answer. Um, let's do one more, because you're so good at this, let's do one more. So um number one or number two? Uh we'll go with number two this time. Number two. What shape is a stop sign? Um octagon? You're so close, it's hexagon. Yeah, that's it. But I'll give it's got a gone on the end. I'll give you that. So so far you're the winner, Sam. You've got both your questions right, which is really well done.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Uh that's okay then. That's not too bad.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

That it bodes well, that bodes well for the season, as far as I'm concerned. Sam, have a great season.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

It's good to see you. Thank you.