As we enter the major countdown with 8 days to go, Ryan Walker talks to one of the great Scottish hopes - George McMillan Jnr (100)
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| George in the Middle- courtesy of George Melville http://www.big-geo.com/ |
NAME - George McMillan
HOMETOWN- Glasgow
AGE- 25
F2 DEBUT- Cowdenbeath World Qualifier, 3rd May 2003.
NUMBER- 100
PREVIOUS FORMULAE RACED- Ministox
CURRENT F2- Polleysport.
HIGHEST GRADE ACHEIVED- Superstar
ACHEIVEMENTS TO DATE- Eh... Not much, Won the Chapman Trophy last year, that's about all the trophy races I've won. Finished 2nd in plenty of Scottish championships and track championships!
NICKNAMES- none really.
FAVOURITE TRACK- Cowdenbeath is my favourite track to drive, but like everyone else, I hate the way it's being run these days, so Skegness, and more recently, Hednesford and Kings Lynn!
TRACKS RACED- Cowdenbeath, Knockhill, Crimond, Barford, Belle Vue, Buxton, Birmingham, Hednesford, Northampton, Skegness, Kings Lynn, Bristol, Taunton, Nutts Corner, Ballymena.
RW: Thanks for taking the time to do the interview for the Stoxblog. So how did it all begin for you?GM: I've been going racing forever! Suppose it would have started at Newtongrange for me, going with my dad who was racing at the time. My family has been involved for a lot longer than tho. My grandad had a successful career in the 60's and early 70's. My dad started racing in 1972 when he was 16. I always wanted to race for as long as I can remember, so ma dad built me a ministock and I started when I was 12.
RW: You come from a racing dynasty, was there ever a point, nah I'm not gonna follow my dad?
GM: Never. I always wanted to race, and I always wanted to race F2's.
RW: What made you follow your dad?
GM: Just being so involved in my dad racing when I was so young. Watching him be so successful aswell. He won a lot when I was growing up, the British championship being a highlight when I was just 7. I just couldn't wait to do it myself.
RW: So how was your first meeting and where did you make your debut and any memories of how it went?GM: My first stock car meeting was 2nd of May 1998 in the mini. I was slow! lol. First F2 meeting was the WCQR meeting at Cowdy in 2003. I had only bald tyres and it rained just before the meeting! I just took it easy and tried to get a feel for it. I wasn't as slow as my first mini race! lol. It was a speedweekend at Cowdy and we raced both days. We lost Raymond Gunn (ed. Saloon driver 228) on the Sunday. Not the kind of memory you want to have from your first meeting, but sadly it's the one thing I remember about it more than anything else.
RW: You start a way back on an unfamiliar surface, what's your race plan going to be?
GM: Well we're not that far back, on row 5. There's 28 cars starting behind me! We are out of our comfort zone a bit on the shale, but we raced Kings Lynn last Saturday (Aug 27th) and although I didn't get great results as I was just taking it easy and trying to get the feel of it, we found out on our way home that I had been fastest in my heat and in the grand national, and I had set the 2nd fastest time if the meeting, so I feel alot better about our chances now. Biggest problem will be the first lap. We'll be very lucky if we get through in one piece, but if I do, I know I have a decent chance. But again, traffic will be the biggest issue.
RW: How do you deal with racing with Gordon Moodie each week?
GM: You just do what you can. Everyone knows how fast he is, so the times you do beat him, you know it's an achievement. It just doesn't happen all that often! He's not always dominant round Cowdy though. Burgoyne gives him a run for his money most weeks. Then there's Kirkaldy, Dawson, Middler, Sime, they're all hard to beat when they're having a good night! And that's just some of the locals, we have some fast visitors now and then too.
RW: To the casual racing fan in Scotland seems to be taking a bit of a dive in terms of numbers. Why is this and what would you suggest to improve it?
GM: As I said above, nobody is happy with the lack of any organisation or common sense from the men in charge at GMP meetings these days. It's very hard to stay interested when the guys in charge make the wrong decision 90% of the time in my opinion. That together with the cost of racing these days, and the high risk of damage at Cowdenbeath is just too much for the average working man. Then again, they could just throw some shale over the track and we'd get 50 cars every week!
RW: You have won titles, is there anything else in the sport that you have to do?
GM: Well I haven't won any titles yet! I would love to win the Scottish. My grandad won the Scottish in 1967 at Cowdenbeath. It was Superstox then but there was no Brisca in Scotland so that was the only Scottish title then. My Dad won the F2 Scottish at Newtongrange in 82, and I would love to be a 3rd generation champion. Same goes for the Cowdenbeath track points too. They both won that a couple of times each so that would be great aswell. I've finished 2nd in both those titles for the last 2 years running so I'm hoping for 3rd time lucky.
RW: Do you have any thank yous?
GM: Yes, first to my dad and grandad as they spend so much time preparing the car every week. And my sponsors- Polleysport, NB Autos, Causewayside Garage, Sibbald Ltd, and everyone else who's helped over the years.
AGE- 25
F2 DEBUT- Cowdenbeath World Qualifier, 3rd May 2003.
NUMBER- 100
PREVIOUS FORMULAE RACED- Ministox
CURRENT F2- Polleysport.
HIGHEST GRADE ACHEIVED- Superstar
ACHEIVEMENTS TO DATE- Eh... Not much, Won the Chapman Trophy last year, that's about all the trophy races I've won. Finished 2nd in plenty of Scottish championships and track championships!
NICKNAMES- none really.
FAVOURITE TRACK- Cowdenbeath is my favourite track to drive, but like everyone else, I hate the way it's being run these days, so Skegness, and more recently, Hednesford and Kings Lynn!
TRACKS RACED- Cowdenbeath, Knockhill, Crimond, Barford, Belle Vue, Buxton, Birmingham, Hednesford, Northampton, Skegness, Kings Lynn, Bristol, Taunton, Nutts Corner, Ballymena.
RW: Thanks for taking the time to do the interview for the Stoxblog. So how did it all begin for you?GM: I've been going racing forever! Suppose it would have started at Newtongrange for me, going with my dad who was racing at the time. My family has been involved for a lot longer than tho. My grandad had a successful career in the 60's and early 70's. My dad started racing in 1972 when he was 16. I always wanted to race for as long as I can remember, so ma dad built me a ministock and I started when I was 12.
RW: You come from a racing dynasty, was there ever a point, nah I'm not gonna follow my dad?
GM: Never. I always wanted to race, and I always wanted to race F2's.
RW: What made you follow your dad?
GM: Just being so involved in my dad racing when I was so young. Watching him be so successful aswell. He won a lot when I was growing up, the British championship being a highlight when I was just 7. I just couldn't wait to do it myself.
RW: So how was your first meeting and where did you make your debut and any memories of how it went?GM: My first stock car meeting was 2nd of May 1998 in the mini. I was slow! lol. First F2 meeting was the WCQR meeting at Cowdy in 2003. I had only bald tyres and it rained just before the meeting! I just took it easy and tried to get a feel for it. I wasn't as slow as my first mini race! lol. It was a speedweekend at Cowdy and we raced both days. We lost Raymond Gunn (ed. Saloon driver 228) on the Sunday. Not the kind of memory you want to have from your first meeting, but sadly it's the one thing I remember about it more than anything else.
RW: You start a way back on an unfamiliar surface, what's your race plan going to be?
GM: Well we're not that far back, on row 5. There's 28 cars starting behind me! We are out of our comfort zone a bit on the shale, but we raced Kings Lynn last Saturday (Aug 27th) and although I didn't get great results as I was just taking it easy and trying to get the feel of it, we found out on our way home that I had been fastest in my heat and in the grand national, and I had set the 2nd fastest time if the meeting, so I feel alot better about our chances now. Biggest problem will be the first lap. We'll be very lucky if we get through in one piece, but if I do, I know I have a decent chance. But again, traffic will be the biggest issue.
RW: How do you deal with racing with Gordon Moodie each week?
GM: You just do what you can. Everyone knows how fast he is, so the times you do beat him, you know it's an achievement. It just doesn't happen all that often! He's not always dominant round Cowdy though. Burgoyne gives him a run for his money most weeks. Then there's Kirkaldy, Dawson, Middler, Sime, they're all hard to beat when they're having a good night! And that's just some of the locals, we have some fast visitors now and then too.
RW: To the casual racing fan in Scotland seems to be taking a bit of a dive in terms of numbers. Why is this and what would you suggest to improve it?
GM: As I said above, nobody is happy with the lack of any organisation or common sense from the men in charge at GMP meetings these days. It's very hard to stay interested when the guys in charge make the wrong decision 90% of the time in my opinion. That together with the cost of racing these days, and the high risk of damage at Cowdenbeath is just too much for the average working man. Then again, they could just throw some shale over the track and we'd get 50 cars every week!
RW: You have won titles, is there anything else in the sport that you have to do?
GM: Well I haven't won any titles yet! I would love to win the Scottish. My grandad won the Scottish in 1967 at Cowdenbeath. It was Superstox then but there was no Brisca in Scotland so that was the only Scottish title then. My Dad won the F2 Scottish at Newtongrange in 82, and I would love to be a 3rd generation champion. Same goes for the Cowdenbeath track points too. They both won that a couple of times each so that would be great aswell. I've finished 2nd in both those titles for the last 2 years running so I'm hoping for 3rd time lucky.
RW: Do you have any thank yous?
GM: Yes, first to my dad and grandad as they spend so much time preparing the car every week. And my sponsors- Polleysport, NB Autos, Causewayside Garage, Sibbald Ltd, and everyone else who's helped over the years.
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| Showing the way around one of his new favourite tracks |
George McMillan was talking to the Stoxblog's Ryan Walker
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