IN CONVERSATION

Les Lawrence reports on a conversation with local lad Daniel Rutterford

What did I do when I was eight years of age? Well in conversation with Daniel Rutterford recently I discovered I certainly didn't do what he was doing. At that age Daniel was roaring round a Castleacre race track on a 50cc automatic motor cycle pursuing his sport of Motor Cross Racing.

By the time he was ten he had won the track championship and was ready to move up to the next stage which was 80cc motor cycle racing. But he remembered the advice given to him by the late Neil Bee, who was his inspiration, which was to get out at the top. And with that Daniel turned to Mini Stock Racing driving 850cc cars at such circuits as Wisbech, Yarmouth, and Ipswich, winning numerous trophies in the process as a visit to his parent's living room will testify.

At the age of 14 Daniel became the National Points Champion and was presented with a trophy which was nearly as big as he was; this was a championship he was to retain on many occasions.

He then went on to race for the world title at the age of 16 at Wisbech and achieved second place. This event was featured on Anglia TV when a camera was installed at the rear of Daniel's car enabling the viewer to follow his every movement.

Daniel then progressed on to Super Stock Racing and, where as in the past he was racing against drivers of his own age, he was now also up against adults. Cars that race in Super Stock are purpose built one seater cars and Daniel together with his father had to set about producing one, which in it's self is no mean feat, together with it's financial implications.

Daniel was by now travelling to other circuits, including Ipswich, in addition to the other venues previously mentioned, but again it was time to move on, this time to Brisca F2, a form of racing which is similar to Super Stock, but much more aggressive. This is contact racing whereby if someone is blocking your progress you knock them out of your way. That is not as easy as it seems as you require a certain amount of physical and mental ability when you are up against drivers much older than you, drivers who are there to win and not interested in considering any youthful opposition. Even so, in his first race in this type of racing Daniel came 3rd, this time the venue was Skegness and later on he was to win the East Anglian Championship.

Yet again it was moving on time, to American Legend Racing, which is non contact racing. He was now travelling to venues at Northampton, Ipswich, Birmingham, and also abroad to Ireland and Belgium, and sure enough still picking up the trophies when he became National Champion.

On one occasion travelling to a meeting, Daniel and his family became lost some 150 miles from home, and on asking a farmer for directions the farmer replied, "I know who you are, I've seen you on the telly".

Well I never did go racing, but then I haven't been on TV either.

Les Lawrence