Our third interview "victim" is a driver who always turns out beautiful self built cars, and is getting areputation as a rain master, the south coast driver Matt Linfield (464).
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| In the pits at Bristol |
NAME Matthew Linfield
HOMETOWN Southwater
AGE 32
F2 DEBUT Arena Essex WQ 2002
NUMBER 464
PREVIOUS FORMULAE RACED Superstox and Lawn Mowers, I won the World 24 Hour Endurance in 1998 on a Westwood Lawn Bug, like the odd serious Karting Trip too.
CURRENT F2 2 self built cars and Engines, 1 for tarmac and 1 for shale.
HIGHEST GRADE ACHEIVED Red
ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE Won a few Finals and many heats
SPONSORS Linfield Precision Engineering, GW & G Bridges, Quantum Racing Services, Neil Dunne Welding + More needed, any offers??
NICKNAME..........You will have to give me one as I don't have any!!
FAVOURITE TRACK Eastbourne / Taunton
TRACKS RACED NIR, Birmingham, Taunton, Bristol, Arena Essex, Wimbledon, Eastbourne, Coventry, Ringwood, Bovingdon, Rousbrook (NL) Warneton (B) + more but I cant remember them all
JHo -How did you start in the sport?
Matt- Dad had raced Superstox since 1968, and my Uncle from 1965 until 1988. We have always gone racing and enjoyed it, I was about 3 weeks old when I first went along.
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| 2011 car.... |
Matt- In 1992 Dad started to slow up when Aldershot sadly closed and Wimbledon was tarmac rather than shale, (Dad loved the shale) I don’t think he had the incentive to carry on and a new car was really needed to do so. Steve had a brief go but he was too busy with other commitments within the sport to make a real go of it. In 1998 I had a one off go at Ringwood who ran independent Superstox and loved it! Did a full season the following year in an old HCD once owned by Shawn Bradbury.
JHo- You are certinaly one of the most travelled drivers, as your nearest track is a fair way away, how come you come Brisca when Spedeworth is on your doorstep?
Matt- Yes we do have to travel a lot, other than Arena Essex. They are nearly all 2-1/2 hours or more away. I have 3 Spedeworth tracks within 1 hour. I race Brisca because Spedeworth is too small, 40 drivers all racing each other every week is simply not appealing, you only need to turn up 3 times and you are in the World Final!! How crap is that! I did do 6 meetings in 2001 but as a family we were ill treated by the promotion and we where asked to leave, although spedeworth has changed hands since then I am 100% sure the poisoned DNA will remain and I would never return for these reasons.
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| Does a bit of shale too... |
JHo -What's it like having a commentator brother! (Steve Linfield, is Autospeed's and Mendip's lead commentator)
Matt- It must be harder for him than me, he has to act professional if win!! And try not to laugh when I crash. You would not know he is my brother behind the mike, he is a true professional and probably the best in the country for F2’s.
JHo- Whats been the best bits so far? Your highlights?
Matt- Won a few finals and heats from the red grade. Beating people with factory cars and expensive engines on a very small budget, My budget is less than most spend on a engine!!
JHo- What else do you want to do want to achieve in the sport?
Matt- I would love to win heat final and Grand national, that would be awesome!
JHo- How can the sport be improved?
Matt- Reduce the costs to make it accessible to the man on the street again. The Yokohama tires are great, you bolt them on and go racing but at some tracks you can get thru a couple a meeting this isn’t cheap if you race every week. But I would rather that than softener any day!! Make every meeting wet so that I can win the National points, World Final........I do love wet weather racing.
JHo- Do you have any thank yous?
Matt- My family, Claire for letting me go out and play in the workshop, Mum for supplying food and for looking after my daughter Ellie at meetings, Steve for coming with me even though he has his own racing commitments and a special thanks to Dad. He puts so much effort in to help get the car ready every time without him I could not race at the moment.
Matt- Reduce the costs to make it accessible to the man on the street again. The Yokohama tires are great, you bolt them on and go racing but at some tracks you can get thru a couple a meeting this isn’t cheap if you race every week. But I would rather that than softener any day!! Make every meeting wet so that I can win the National points, World Final........I do love wet weather racing.
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| Raining and leading! |
JHo- Do you have any thank yous?
Matt- My family, Claire for letting me go out and play in the workshop, Mum for supplying food and for looking after my daughter Ellie at meetings, Steve for coming with me even though he has his own racing commitments and a special thanks to Dad. He puts so much effort in to help get the car ready every time without him I could not race at the moment.
Matt Linfield was talking the Stoxblog's Jonny Hoare
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