THE GOLDIN BOY

Rob Hughes talks to F2 Superstar 401 Barry Goldin

Full name Barry Goldin
Age 29
Town Bolton
Occupation Motor mechanic in family firm
Fav food Indian take away
Drink Cider
Road car Vauxhall Vectra
Family Girl friend Jo Polley
Other pastimes/hobbies No time. Tried nitro R/C radio controlled cars but otherwise just too busy with the stockcars!

How did you get involved with stockcar racing?

My dad used to hang about with a local farmer, who took him along to the stockcars in the ‘60’s…..me dad then got to know Stuart Smith and started mechanicing for him….my mum and dad met each other through stockcars and that’s how I came along….real stockcar pedigree! I’ve been stockcar racing all my life. I can just remember me in a pushchair on a Monday night at Sheffield…must have been ‘78/79…and Andy Smith and the Hodgson brothers were pushing me at top speed round Sheffield Grandstand!

So how did you actually get involved with racing stockcars Barry?

I’m not too sure how it was really. My Dad had backed away from his involvement with stockcar racing when he and my Mum first got married, and they had a family. But by the age of 10, Dad a gotten the bug again and had started to help Rob Speak out, who at that time had just started in F2 after racing Minis. I obviously went along too and seeing Speaky do so well as a kid, that’s how the bug bit me too. I wanted to have a go. At the age of 10 though, I wasn’t really mature enough. I had learnt to drive in old scrap cars up and down the farm lane we have by our house. But Mum and dad knew that I wanted to have a go at racing. I had some birthday money and job savings put away and when it came to my 13th birthday, they asked me what I wanted to do with it. They had seen a trailer for sale and suggested that if I bought the trailer, they would buy me a mini-stox. I didn’t really push for it too much. When I did get it, it was a bit of a surprise.

Your Mini-Stox career was a very successful one wasn’t it?

Yeah, didn’t do too bad did I? (laughter). The only thing about Minis is just when you’re beginning to get good at it, you have to retire! I suppose it was because I was a bit of a late starter. The first Mini I got was a second hand one from up Scotland. It just had a standard engine in it. But it did me good that first season. Started getting places right from the out-set really, Eventually I won a race, then a final and by the year’s end was involved in chasing points for the Novice of the Year.

And by 16 you’d got the Silver Roof on the 101 car……….

Yeah….had some learning to do before then though! After the first Scottish Mini I had we moved on to one built by Daniel Roger’s dad – Simon. He’d also built Minis for Rob Speak. But even by then into my second/third season in-spite of best efforts, I was beginning to struggle as the newer light-weight space framed Mini’s were coming on the scene. This was all started off by Mick Sworder. Fortunately, Dad and I had got friendly with the Roger’s and they gave us from plans and measurements so we could build our own space frame Mini-Stox and during the summer holidays that year, I remember racing down to the garage on my push-bike to help build this car. I learnt how to fabricate and weld that Summer! The difference was incredible. A lot of people used to reckon that you needed a heavy car for shale, but we took this space-framed car out at Crewe for the first time and won! Through the winter hols dad and I built another car so we had one for tarmac and one for shale so that we were in as good a position as possible for my last Mini season….then before I knew it I was 16 and had to retire! I really enjoyed my Mini days. There were a lot of good drivers who I raced with, though oddly, not so many of them continued to race after they finished in Minis….

But you did Barry! So the obvious question is, ‘Why Formula Two?’

Erm..dunno…there seemed to be a bit of an attraction there! I mean we knew that we really couldn’t afford to do a Formula One. The initial outlay for a One is fantastic – if you want to do things properly, and dad and I always took the view that we did want to compete and we did want to be competitive. We felt that is was possible to be in this position in F2 though. Also, we were heavily influenced by Rob Speak who at that time in the early ‘90’s was really setting the F2 scene alight. He was bringing a lot of attention to the sport and the Ones did seem to be in the doldrums.. drivers strikes…tyre troubles etc…so F2 did seem the right and natural choice for me. I had to finish in Minis when I turned 16 in July ’93. We sold the Minis and that got some money in and I also built and sold two more Minis for customers. All the money we got from this we ploughed into getting me started in F2 and in the Winter of 93/94 I built myself my first Formula Two….

Self built Barry? Many thought it was a Higman…

Yes…it was a self built Higman chassis copy…! It was our first go at building a Two, so it did look a little rough round the edges! But Higgy cars were the thing to have in the early ‘90’s…anyone who was anyone at the time had one – Speaky, Bingley, a lot of the Scottish lads etc…so that’s what we did. Tried to keep the cost down by building our own car (in case I didn’t like it – laughter!) and we got a few ‘racey bits’ from Frank Anderson… and Dad, being a motor engineer by trade, he built me my first engine. I made my debut with it in the March of ’94. I think it was at Birmingham……

How did you go in your first season?

Getting used racing anti-clockwise was no problem at all! Though it did take me a little while to get used to the rear wheel drive after being used to front wheel drive in a Mini-Stox…in them I used to just throw it in the corner, keep my foot flat to the floor and the front would drag the rear round! No chance of that in a Two..you’d be doing more pirouettes than a ballerina!! Kept at it though that first season as I wanted to master things as soon as possible. Really cut my teeth so to speak. Did a fair bit of travelling, really throwing myself in at the deep end choosing the more challenging tracks. Raced at Hartlepool and Northampton in that first year and even took a trip to Cowdenbeath. Managed to get to Red Roof at one point in the season, which I was obviously delighted at, but it actually only served to highlight the critical level of your competitiveness by starting towards the back of the grid everytime. We soon realised that we needed a better engine and so after I dropped to Blue at the tail end of ’94, during the close season we dug deep and got an Anderson Two Litre. At the beginning of ’95 I returned to Star Grade and I’ve held it ever since…..

In order to stay competitive in the sport, you need the right car. You’ve used many different cars from the sport’s top car-builders during your long career. Tell me about them.

Well the first car was a Higman copy. The design was chosen for the reasons I explained earlier. Everybody had them!! As I said, that car took me to Red. I had it a season and a half. Put a better engine in it for ’95 and was holding down Red…when Speaky started to make an even greater impression than he was already doing using a brand new HCD car. He was flying and this was a clear signal to chasing drivers like me that this now was the car to have! So we got one for the second half of the 1995 season. It was such an improvement to my first car and I was able to hold Red and make more progression. Then for ’96 we got ourselves another HCD, this time a ‘Dozer’ chassis and with that I made it up to Superstar, a grade that I’ve held ever since….

Obvious question really Barry, but how did you therefore rate the HCD cars?

Very good! That was the car to have at the time again! It got me to Superstar and I used to be able to give Rob Speak a bit of a run for his money on occasions! Went brilliant on the little tight tracks like Barford and Taunton. Won loads of races there. Won quite a few Championship races and Track Championships at Barford. The HCD was superb round there…….

And then along came Terry George with his Elite Cars……………

Yes, Speaky once again doing great advertising! But I wanted to win and we had to keep up with the best driver. So by ’99 I converted to using an Elite Chassis, and the style of car that I’ve kept with ever since….. Those Elite cars when they first came out where somehow on a higher plain again you see? I remember taking the decision to get one…it was at a Swaffham one Saturday night, an’ Terry George was there.. and I asked him if I could go out in practice in Robert’s car. The story goes that someone there had a stop watch and declared that Rob Speak had just broken the lap record. But it was me driving the car! So that secured the deal on purchasing an Elite for me! (laughter!)

So obviously the cars have got better. How would you explain the technical progress that F2 has made in the last 10 to 15 years?

I think that a lot of the specialised stuff that was only initially available to the teams with the money when I first started have now, comparatively, come down a great deal in price. There’s a lot more technical stuff available these days to make the cars go quick to so many more people. I remember looking back to when we built my first car, I tried to use as fewer Rose-Joints as possible. In the early ‘90’s I think it was about £5 for one “half inch-half inch” Rose-Joint and these days you can see Rose-Joints advertised for sale “five Rose-Joints for £10!”. So there’s your example of high quality gear now available in quantity to all competitors. People have learnt so much more about the technical side of racing an F2 as well. A lot more ideas have been brought in from the States. You can read plenty of books about car set up… and the maths involved! (laughter!) There are so many more car builders now: RCE, DK, Randall, Bingleybuilt, Higman, all able to do what they do because there are plenty of racers who want what they have to offer. The standard of car is so high now and it’s available to all. Just look at the quality of cars the lower graders have now…just look how difficult they were to catch on British Championship night at Birmingham this year for example. The technical progress has brought into focus the most critical thing; the ability to get the cars round the corner as fast as possible in simple terms! I admit that this technical focus has, I think, meant that F2 is less about using the bumper than it was……..

So when you stand on the terrace today Barry and look at f2 racing, is this technical progress taking the sport in the right direction?

Well, difficult to say,.particularly looking from a fan’s point of view. Different people expect to see different things don’t they? One thing’s for certain, the sport – competitor-wise – has not declined in the past 10 to 15 years has it? The technical side of racing is as much an inspiration and a motivation to the driver and his team as is going out on track and simply racing your socks off! Everybody’s got such a great hunger to win. That’s what racing is all about – winning! That’s why we all learn all we can about how to set up our race cars the best we can – to get the very best out of them to beat the rest of them out on track! Because the lower graders are now able to win ‘straight out of the box’ these days, it’s not so much about being able to simply bash’em out of the way to the front. Very often you simply will never get to them to ever have the opportunity to even use the bumper, so you’ve got to be the best at your track craft and getting the most out of your car to even have any opportunity of just catching them these days………..

Yes, that night at British Championship at Birmingham was a good example wasn’t it? You had to race really hard all night…..

Yeah…I struggled with speed and the traffic there all night didn’t I? Birmingham is a very fast open sweeping track. There’s not much opportunity for crash-bang-wallop! You don’t get many race cautions there because of the size of the track. There is so much room!

So, to review - car wise, you’ve progressed from Higman (copy) to HCD, then to Elite. How did your working relationship with Darren Bingley come about Barry, and the use of Bingleybuilt race cars these days?

We were both involved with racing from about the same era – the early ‘90’s, though Darren started in F2 just a few seasons before me. We’re from the same area of the country, less than a hour away from each other. Therefore, we naturally used to race at many of the same tracks. Off the track we got on well, though on it we were always out there to beat one another! It was a great shame that Darren had to retire from racing through the injury he sustained at the 2001 Semi-Final at Mildenhall. It was around this time though that Terry George moved down south and away from the F2 scene. I needed a proven car builder and I knew that Darren had always built his own cars and that they were good. He had built for others in the past. He had the premises and the equipment so I approached him about building cars for me. We took a team approach to things as we both were able to pool our ideas to build the best and there, I think, is where we are at today. We both get something out of it. Darren’s always enjoyed the tech side of F2. He doesn’t miss not being able to race himself these days too much though I’m sure that if he could race again today, he’d be back out there still winning races and vying for Championships! Not sure of what he would make of it out on track though…..it has changed compared to what he was used to. Darren was always a very hard driver…………

You mention Darren in a ‘what if’’ scenario there Barry. There’s been plenty of speculation about ‘what if’ Rob Speak
would ever return to racing F2. If he did, how do you think he would find the racing these days?

Sure, Robert would find it different. But Speaky’s Speaky! He could adapt and adapt quickly. Given the right equipment he would be battling at the top of the sport again. Robert’s a born racer. He can race anything from Bangers upwards and win. Look how he did in ASCAR a few years ago at Rockingham. A completely different ball game and he undoubtedly proved himself in that!

So let’s move onto your more recent times in your career. Into the 21st century, you started to enjoy a very rich vain of success…….

I think Richard from Redline racing Engines had quite a bit to do with that. When I first got an Elite car, I swopped over to using Redline engines. He could build a good engine, he was local too so it was handy to be able to go over to his workshop etc. Basically I was enjoying the benefit of the best car and engine combination I could get at the time. By 2000/2001 I’d been racing quite a few seasons by then. I’d built up the kit, the supply, the on the shelf items, the track knowledge…it all really just started snowballing from there. I’d taken my fist Championship, the Ben Fund at Barford, and your confidence starts growing. Success just kinda bred success.

And what triggered the decision to go and chase the National Points?

Well, it was just sort of a natural progression really…I’d won the points in the Mini-Stox, and I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of racing everywhere…different tracks and different drivers, you know? I’d got to Superstar by ’96 and got third in the points that year when Rob Speak and Bert Finnikin were battling it out. I was second the year after and when Rob retired…well, I was there to take it over! (laughter!) Don’t get me wrong…it was more than simply the case of walking in Dead Man’s Shoes. You’ve still gotta beat everyone else every time your race. But that first year after Rob finished, well, nobody else was really going for it…I didn’t really have to up my game that much more from what I had been already doing. I just found that I was doing well and doing more meetings than everyone else! The task was really set though when Gordon Moodie chased us for the Silver Roof as well. 2001/2/3 were really hectic seasons!

The Silver wasn’t the only Championship you won though was it? There was the little matter of winning the World Title at Taunton…….

It was the year that everything just kind happened right. I’d done several manic seasons going for the National Points racing against Gordon Moodie, had obviously done a helluva got of meetings and had put in a lot of time and effort…but after winning the Silver three times on the trot I felt that I had proved myself…and well, you see the trouble with going for the Points is that you end up going to every meeting, including crazy drives to mid week sessions in Scotland, the East Coast and the West Country and getting back home at daft o’clock. Every race counts…when battling with Gordon it almost became a battle of high speed chess and I became so careful not to get any DNFs. I had to become so much more calculating when the critical points tally was at stake. Couldn’t therefore always afford to go for that last bend lunge of take some chances in a race…..To be honest this constant calculating approach was taking the shine off the individual races for me…so in 2003 we re-drew my racing strategy and upped the stakes a bit in my game plan for individual races again! In stockcar terms I was reverting to ‘taking each race as it comes’ once more! The World championship Qualifying Round points just seemed to come very easily in 2003. Got a couple of heat and finals. Everything just seemed to fall into place really. I won my semi so was on pole for the Big One at Taunton. I was feeling pretty confident as I’d done Taunton quite a few times in 2003. I won the final there at one meeting and had got my car set up right. But I do remember the start of the World Final race….it was atrocious really as the Starter just never gave us the Green and into the first turn the rest of the field just blindly hammered into the back of us. I was extremely lucky that the damage wasn’t too serious and we were able to repair it for the re-start. The confidence was there still though and I just remember feeling that the car felt right, I felt right and I was able to drive away in that World Final to take the win……

How does winning the Gold compare to winning Silver?

Well the impact on me was immensely different! We had sponsors approaching us wanting their name on the car as soon as I’d won the Gold! I’d never had that with Silver. Daft in many ways really when you think about it..you put in all that time, money , commitment into winning the National Points – a title which shows that you are consistently the best driver for the whole of that season, taking on everyone and everywhere, and by the seasons end your points total shows that you’ve been the best. In contrast the World Title is just one race. Yes I admit that you have to qualify to get there, but that process in itself is much more limited. To win the Gold you are the best driver’ just’ on the day…but it’s the title that everyone takes the most notice of….and this is certainly what I found.

I get the feeling Barry that winning Silver and the effort that reflected did mean a lot to you personally….particularly after your season long Battles with Gordon Moodie.
Looking back its funny how the on track rivalry came about. It was clear that we were both chasing for the points and we both were not going to back down. We did have a fair few comings together! I just made my mind up at the time that I was going to dig my heals in and win! There was no love lost out on track that was for certain! It certainly got the fans going didn’t it? It gave plenty for the fans to talk about, it filled the magazines and people new that no matter where the meeting was if Gordon and I were racing at that same meeting, it was gonna be a goodun! (laughter!)

This leads us on naturally…you’ve raced against Rob Speak, you now race against Gordon Moodie. What’s your opinion of the comparison between the two?

In my opinion they are top drivers from two slightly differing eras with very different racing styles. Speaky was a great intimidator out on track…he could ‘pound’ it out of you! Gordon’s very different, a master tactician who’s ability to read a race is quite phenomenal really! Gordon can simply ‘drive’ it out of you! Moodie can be very patient in a race. He watches for his moment and then he’s gone! Robert, well, if he knew that you were faster than he was, he’d just obliterate you! I was on the receiving end of Speaky’s treatment on quite a few occasions I can tell you!

Favourite track

Oh! Difficult question…..If you’d asked me that ten years ago I would have said Barford without question. I couldn’t put a wheel wrong on regular occasions around that track in my HCD. Won quite a few championships there and when I was defending my World Title there in 2004 I drove my balls off to finish third after losing so many places in the opening laps. Birmingham’s another track which I could have called my favourite in the more recent past. I’ve had my Bingleybuilt simply flying round there. This year? Well, I couldn’t really say. I’m not doing quite as well as I once was everywhere. Confidence level’s gone down a touch I suppose…but we’ll keep plugging away to get it right again. I enjoy racing at every track really. I just want to get better results again! (laughter!)

Worst track.

It’s my local track Belle Vue! Always attend. Daft not to. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy racing shale. I enjoy the challenge but I don’t get the results I would like at BV! Suppose I’ve always been more of a Tarmac racer, particularly years ago. But I am doing more shale meetings these days at the Vue, Sheffield, Coventry etc…..

Biggest Influence on racing career

Without hesitation – my Dad. He’s supported me, backed me, advised me. He’s always been there for me. I couldn’t do it without him. I know that he enjoys my racing now as much as he ever did do.

Most respected rival.

I’ll have to choose from the past – 218 Rob Speak. That bloke was a shot in the arm for F2. He was there bringing F2 to the forefront just when we were deciding which formula to race in. He was someone to inspire you and to benchmark yourself against. If you beat Speaky then that was really something!

Best Meeting/Event

Surprisingly, it not the World Final that I won. In other forms of racing, to qualify on pole and lead from the off to the flag is the perfect race. But it’s not what it’s all about in stockcars. I get a better kick out of starting right at the very back in a domestic final and coming through a field of say thirty cars to win. The British Championship’s always been a favourite event of mine. All those qualifying heats on the night….the British Title that I won at Cowdenbeath a few years ago in the pouring rain stands out to me as my favourite. I got pole position with Moodie and Barry Stephen for company. Many said that pole on a rain soaked night in a Championship event at Racewall is never the best place to be…but I managed to pull away and win it…it was very satisfying.

Worst Incident

Going into the fence at full flight backwards on a rainy night at Cowdenbeath courtesy of Rob Speak and being knocked out. I have to admit that it was only one of a few crashes that I’ve had where it really did hurt. I hope never to experience anything like that again.

Dislikes about the sport.

The politics! You don’t notice it when you first start out. Everything’s new and you’re just there enjoying your racing. The trouble with sticking at one thing for a great length of time is that you start to learn the ins and outs of everything…how it’s run – or not run as the case may be!! It would be ideal if the sport could have some full time staff to keep the sport on the straight and narrow – to make sure clear rules were laid down, everyone understood and adhered to them and we had a sensible tyre policy!

Biggest Ambition

Well won quite a bit! (laughter!). I Just want to keep racing because I enjoy what I do. I haven’t won the Scottish of the European or the F2 Nationals…me Dad wants me to win that….!....coz it’s a lovely little trophy with a model stockcar on it! Would look very nice on the mantle piece! (laughter!)

Mention to the 401 Team

Firstly, gotta thank me mum and for backing me and for giving me so much support and encouragement over the years. Also my partner Jo (Polley) for putting up with me! Being at the garage al the time in the week…and being stressed out at the meetings!!! Must also thank Darren Bingley for building some great cars for me, and Richard from Redline Racing Engines. Also, Stuart from Newline, who’s sprayed all my cars for me. It’s a pain painting stockcar chassis, but he does a terrific job!

With thanks to 401 Barry Goldin. Interview recorded over the phone August 2007 while Barry was on his hols in Eastbourne!





Rob Hughes
[I][/I]

I seem to remember reading that interview in unloaded sometime last year

Good interview it was to ,all we need now is some of the scottish drivers to do interviews .

Good write up Hughes on twos.

Ye i know Walker.......I put in Unloaded tail end of last season...its just that another forum user who a big Goldin fan didnt read the copy.....and Steve said it was ok to pop it on here the now...

Rob

Rob youre a diamond Cheers for that

Yet again ANOTHER great interview, its good to read the details of a famous driver, makes them seem human if you know what i mean., but, Whats a family girlfriend anyone?

As a new member to the ftooz forum, i must just say how much i enjoyed reading the
interview with 401 Barry Goldin. It was a frank and honest discussion which gave a real
insight into life as a top f2 stockcar driver. Well done to Hughes on Twos for takin the time to get this piece done.

As most of you are aware im a good friend of Barrys but does anyone have any pictures of Barrys old days?

Top top work Rob and like Smoke says it would be great to see it finished off with some photos and may be some of Travs stats. If this type of thing was in unloaded a bit more often I would be tempted to buy it every month, fantastic interview, like Bump says The Goldin one comes across as human, now I challenge you to get the same result from a Bryn Thomas interview, then you really would have established yourself as the God of the scribes.

PS Bumpy a family girl friend is one that gets passed around amongst family members, cousins , brothers etc. So its obviously a typo and just a very small mistake in what is an extraordinary interview, I might even think of holidaying in Eastbourne now, another great tip. I have always enjoyed Bazza racing and you know that if he gets the opportunity to stick the bumper in for a win or high place he will give it a go, a quality driver who has earned my respect.

Here you go Smoke. Im sure I have a fair few more kicking about but these are the only 1's i had on the computer.

that first pic is a wicked car!

Here are a few pictures for you Smoke
National Points & British Champion
1st Bingley Built Car
Redline Engine
Photo PBP

Ill see what i can do for you mr sovpres im currently doing a set of stats for someone and after that ill have a go at Barrys for you

great interview as always Mr hughes and i agree with sovpres again would be great to see more of these interviews with f2 and loon drivers in unloaded

Hi

Has anyone any pics of the Higman car

Barry's 1st car Higman copy

2003 World Champion
Bingley Built
Redline Engine
Photo by PBP