MOTOR racing enthusiast Roger Darkes from Tavistock is hoping to strike gold next year when he takes part in the hotrod Cornish championship. Roger, who lives in Monksmead, has raced cars successfully on grass track for many years in club competition but now has his sights on 1400cc Hotrod formula racing. The amateur enthusiast raced motorbikes and motor cars for more than 25 years and as a member of the North Cornwall Motor Racing Club he competed on grass track in a two litre Sierra. He decided to retire from the sport when he reached 50 in 2003 but continued his love for the sport by acting as chief marshal and starter at the racetrack, running the races. But his competitive spirit could not be subdued and two years on he put his driving overalls on again and moved from grass track to short oval track racing to try his luck on the tarmac at St Columb. 'Racing is in my blood,' said Roger, 'I love competing. I enjoy the speed and the adrenalin buzz. Win or lose it is just the competition, it's not the prizes because it's purely amateur. It's the love of the sport.' His hotrod has a 16 valve, 1400cc Honda Civic engine and it can reach speeds of 65 to 70mph on the short racing circuit, racing against up to 20 other drivers. Driving on slick tyres was going to be a steep learning curve for Roger and he would be competing with drivers who had many years of experience behind them. In short oval track racing the faster you are, the more points you earn but the more points you earn, the farther back on the grid you are placed. He said: 'In this kind of racing, you soon learn which drivers you can trust and which you can't. You are racing inches apart and can be put in the wall but if you can trust other drivers, then you are okay. Some drivers you have to give the whole track to and some you don't, because being slammed into the wall hurts you as well as your wallet.' The veteran driver took part in the Hotrod formula Cornish championship in May, over a 2-day meeting. The final race saw Roger back in 16th place in the grid but he worked his way to sixth place. In the point's track championship, which is decided over a year, Roger was back in eigth position in the table but fought his way to a commendable second place in his first year on tarmac. He is now looking forward to the Christmas Cracker event at St Columb and more events at Easter. Roger, who works as a doors and window finisher in Launceston, said that racing is expensive and over a year the costs can be more than £4,500 with slick tyres alone costing £200. Currently he is stripping down the engine and working on the hotrod's suspension. He is looking for sponsorship for next year from Tavistock businesses, such as he had in the past, local Peugeot Citreon specialist Richard Walke. Hopefully, he can win gold in the Cornish Championship and enjoy further success in the Track Championship. Roger can be contacted on 01822 614851.
