SIX OF THE BEST – OUR ONES TO WATCH
17 Rob McDonald
Car: Simpson Race Exhausts/ Motorsport Transmissions Vauxhall Tigra A
Based: Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland
Biggest win(s): 2019 World Championship, 2019 National Championship
Best World Final finish: 1st 2019
When McDonald became the first ever Scottish World Final winner, he could never have dreamt he would not be required to defend his title more than two years later… He explains: “It’s been quite good setting a record as the longest ever to hold it without racing again. But as far as having the race late in the year goes, it mucks up all your plans. It doesn’t ruin everything but we always assume it’s the same time every year.”
McDonald thinks the later staging of the race will mean technical changes. “It will make a big difference in the set-up of the car,” he explains. “Obviously it’s going to be colder with more chance of it raining. But it’s the same for everybody. It might be faster as well because the car will be cool, the air will be cool.”
It’s well known that McDonald had already decided to race considerably less in 2021-2. But what happens if he wins the World again? “Let’s take one step at a time with that,” he quips.
524 Perry Cooke
Car: Dolphin Travel Vauxhall Tigra A
Based: Norwich, Norfolk
Biggest win(s): Final win at Yarmouth, 2020
Best World Final finish: 13th 2018
Ever since Perry Cooke burst onto the scene in 2018, the young racer has attracted attention that brings with it the epithet ‘he’s going to win something big’. Without the pandemic that might have happened by now.
Cooke explains: “Covid hasn’t affected the team much but it’s affected me. I’ve lost a bit of experience and some racecraft. But now we’re racing again it’s all become a rush to get sorted for the World with paint and panels and so on.”
Cooke has two cars, which one will be going to Ipswich? He says: “We’ve now settled on using the new car so the old one is just sitting in the shop. I was finding it a struggle, switching between two cars that handled differently, so we’ve thrown all our eggs in one basket.”
Despite his limited experience of World Finals, Cooke views an autumn staging as beneficial: “Having it later has helped me as doing the Nationals first boosted me on. And I think having the race now is the right time. The weather mightn’t be great but it’ll be a learning curve.”
305 Billy Wood
Car: Spedeworth Motorsport Vauxhall Tigra A
Based: Fleet, Hampshire
Biggest win(s): 2018 World Championship, 2018 National Championship
Best World Final finish: 1st 2018
As the son of Spedeworth promoter Deane Wood, Wood Jr has seen the uncertainties of
