| STOXWORLD ARTICLE
2002: Everyone loves an underdog,
and nowhere more so than in stock car racing
where every race gives you the chance to root
for the David's in their battle against the
Goliaths. Unless of course it's your
favourite Goliath who is on the receiving
end!
When John
Lund passed Nigel Whalley to take the lead on
the last lap of a Coventry consolation in
1997 the then white top won himself a host of
new fans with a muck or bust lunge to try and
take back the place. The 198 pilot ended up
on his roof as Lund took the flag but it's an
incident Nigel fondly remembers: Looking back
I maybe should have settled for second but
you've got to have a go haven't you.
Afterwards the amount of people who came up
to offer their congratulations just for
trying was incredible. One chap came up and
stuck a load of fivers into my hand and told
me it was the best thing he'd seen in years.
I think he gave me £50 when the prize money
would have only been about £20 so it nearly
made it worthwhile!
Taken to his
first ever meeting as a toddler the young
Nigel and his family became regular visitors
to all the North West tracks until he went to
college: We used to go every week because
there were so many tracks near to where we
lived. I used to love it at Belle Vue, the
atmosphere there was something else and at
White City too. Then when I went to college I
couldn't get to go, in fact the only meeting
I did in three years was the '87 World Final
at the Vue. As soon as I finished college I
thought 'that's it I can start going racing
again', but something had changed. When I
stopped going the crowds seemed bigger but
now although the racing was as good there
were less cars and the atmosphere was poor.
It felt like the sport was dying. I really
thought it was on its way out. When I was a
kid I'd always said when I had some money
behind me I'd get a car and have a go, and so
at the start of 1992 I thought I'd better do
it in case I don't have another chance.
On June 20th
that year Nigel took to the track behind the
wheel of a former Eddie Roberts car, making
his debut at the infamous Crewe oval. He
picked up six points and the grade award with
a consolation third, and was instantly
hooked. The Roberts car saw service for
nearly two years until it's roll cage was
transferred to a new self built chassis. I'd
got hold of a small block from EDA which we
put into the new car, then we realised that
the engine was great but the car wasn't! We
switched back to a 454 and that got the car
handling somewhere near and we kept plodding
away until I built Little Monster in 1998.
Over the
years many cars have assumed legendary
status, and in time Little Monster will be as
fondly remembered as Smithy's Gertie and the
Dodo, Harry Smith's Batmobile and John
Stirk's six-wheeler to name just a few, but
on it's first appearance most people just
took the mickey.It had so many nicknames, I
called it Little Monster from the start but
it was also known as the shopping trolley,
the fork-lift and the go-kart. Everyone had
something to say about it, even Andy Smith
started a rumour that I'd built it to fit in
a small garage! I know I race for fun but
some of the ribbing hurt and it just fired me
up to make it work. Throughout the whole of
'98 we didn't really get on with it, but I
knew I could win a race in it and then at the
start of '99 it fell into place. At the first
Coventry we got a sixth, a third at the next
one and then I finally picked up a win at the
Johnny Goodhall Memorial. Not only a win but
we broke the lap record. I only held it for
about quarter of an hour because Clinton
Dorrell then went out and broke it again, but
that has to be the high spot of my career.
The
following year proved to be Nigel's most
successful so far, Little Monster's successor
was named the Mega Monster and the decent
small block that had been lying idle was
pressed into service. A blue roof was
achieved and then held for most of the season
and he qualified for his first ever
semi-final. 2001 started badly with engine
problems in the Mega Monster and despite a
win at the May Sheffield he scored poorly in
the little car. With two qualifiers left a
second successive semi looked unlikely: We
set off for the penultimate round at Coventry
hoping for a few points, but then the wagon
broke down. I managed to borrow a landrover
and trailer hoping to get there in time for
the consolation and we did. It was just a
shame it had already started! They said we
could go out in the All-comers but just as we
were lining up they cancelled it because the
track was waterlogged. At the final round at
Belle Vue we had a great night and scored
enough points to sneak onto the back row of
the Skegness semi, but although I finished I
was outside the top ten.
By now the
Whalley stable boasted three cars with the
addition of the former Steve Baxter machine.
Nigel only supplies the power as Ken Hopes
actually owns the chassis, a continuation of
a friendship that dates back to 1994: Ken was
looking to offload all of his racing gear and
I was looking for some wheels and tyres.
Somehow I ended up taking care of him and his
car! He's so old now he's got to the stage
where sitting in front of the telly is more
important than working on the car. He lets me
race the car as long as I look after it and
let him have a go when he wants. It suits
both of us, and he's a lot of fun to have
around. We have a similar sense of humour and
we share the same approach to racing - we
take it seriously but not too seriously!
This year
the Baxter car, now renamed High Hopes has
taken the pair to three wins and got Nigel to
his third semi-final, and he thinks it
is only just beginning to show it's
potential: It's quick but it's right at the
upper end of the weight limit. We seem to
have a lot of brake problems, probably
because of the weight. I only use bits I've
got straight from the salvage yard but to
make it work properly I think I'm going to
have to spend a bit more and try and find
something longer lasting. It's no fun
hammering down the straight only to find the
brakes have gone completely and it's too
heavy to take it easy into the corners but I
think we can make it work.
A former
Paul Bullock chassis has been built up for
the odd foray onto Tarmac but for the moment
Nigel admits that a lack of track time
prevents the car from being seen at it's
best, something else he aims to rectify next
year.Like many drivers Nigel's pit crew is
made up of family members, however his twin
sisters Vicky and Julie are a little more
glamorous than most other mechanics: Oh they
love it, like me they've been going since
they were little and when I started racing
they really got involved. Now if I'm not
racing they'll go and watch anyway. They help
me out with parts or little bits of
sponsorship as well, I really am very lucky
and I'm very grateful. The last team member
is Jason whose father owns a karting centre
in Wigan where Nigel organises an annual get
together every November. Apparently he just
came along to have a look and ended up being
roped into helping out.
Next season
he plans to campaign the same to two cars as
this, and although Mega Monster is ready to
race and available for hire he may be
prepared to let it go at the right price. At
every meeting Nigel is constantly asked about
Little Monster so don't be too surprised if
it makes a future reappearance!
Although a
red roof would be nice, his main ambition is
to qualify for a World Final and when he does
he intends to savour every moment: I race for
fun, it's a hobby, an expensive but very
enjoyable hobby and just to be part of
something like the World Final would give me
tremendous satisfaction. The biggest thrill
is still fans coming over and saying 'thanks
Nigel, I enjoyed that'. If people are
entertained than I know I'm doing something
right.
Nigel would
like to pass on his thanks to the following
friends, family and sponsors: To Vicky,
Julie, Jason and Ken for all they do to get
him out on track, to Ian Barton at Gadbury
Auto Salvage and to Martin of Martin Byrne
Commercials Ltd for their sponsorship. To
Dave Speed for the remarkable transformation
in the appearance of the cars this year and
to J&S Lewis tractors.
A final big
thank you goes to Nik Eastwood and Steph Valentine who have
put together a great website for us so that followers of
Nigel can keep up to date with a team that
are doing their best to put the fun back into
racing.
Anyone who
thinks that there aren't the characters left
in stock cars any more would do well to go
and spend a few minutes with Nigel, Ken and
the rest, they might just change their minds
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