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telemetry. I would just go out and drive as hard as I<br />
could, then after the chequered flag my dad would<br />
hand me a piece of paper with the times on. The<br />
race was pure chaos and a lot of fun, but I ended<br />
up finishing second. I definitely realised there was so<br />
much that I needed to learn about racing after that<br />
first weekend, but I was very encouraged that I could<br />
hold my own against guys who had been racing for<br />
years. That was the first time that I thought that this<br />
racing thing might actually go somewhere.<br />
MP: Are there any qualities or skills you have<br />
developed as an actor that have helped you to<br />
flourish as an amateur racing driver?<br />
KF: I guess the ability to focus, the adrenaline you<br />
feel as an actor is very similar at the start of a race,<br />
especially just before the lights go green, that is very<br />
similar to when I go on stage or before I go and do<br />
a take or something like that. Your adrenaline’s up<br />
there, your heart rate’s up there and it’s just getting<br />
that clarity and ability to focus, you’re feeling nervous<br />
but you tell yourself that’s fine, you work with it,<br />
rather than that being a bit of a mental block, that<br />
you get so worked up and anxious that you forget<br />
what you’re doing. I’ve learnt to embrace that<br />
nervous energy and use it for good, so after you get<br />
through turn one… boom! It all quiets down and you<br />
get on with it, away you go.<br />
and different distractions<br />
on race weekend, how do<br />
you channel that focus<br />
between Kelvin Fletcher<br />
the famous actor and<br />
flip the switch to become<br />
Kelvin Fletcher the racing<br />
driver?<br />
KF: It’s always been a<br />
challenge, because generally I<br />
am one of the busiest drivers<br />
on race weekends, but as<br />
(the racing) it’s got more<br />
competitive every year, like<br />
last weekend when we were<br />
going for the championship,<br />
you obviously want to be<br />
calm and relaxed to focus<br />
on the race, but in a way<br />
the outside distractions help<br />
because when you are taken<br />
away you’re able to stay relaxed. Sometimes when<br />
you’ve not got that distraction and all you can think<br />
about is racing, that’s when I find myself get too<br />
nervous, too worked up… you know what you need<br />
to do instinctively when you get in that car, you just<br />
work off your instincts anyway and from what you’ve<br />
(Martin) taught me.<br />
KELVIN ON THE BRITISH GT<br />
CHAMPIONSHIP PODIUM<br />
MP: You were consistently one of the fastest<br />
amateur drivers this season in British GT<br />
and a stand-out performer against newer,<br />
faster cars. How do you feel you can improve<br />
on this season?<br />
KF: The main way I need to improve is to just be<br />
quicker. I need to keep comparing myself and learn<br />
from the pro drivers out there. If I am already one<br />
of the fastest amateurs like you say I am, then unless<br />
I aim higher I’m not really going to reach higher.<br />
My goal for next year has got to be to close that gap<br />
between the amateurs and the professionals. If I can<br />
get myself in the mix and be mid-pack amongst the<br />
professionals that would be my target for next year.<br />
I think I might as well wipe off (sic), not bother trying<br />
to chase you, because at one point this year I think<br />
I got within six tenths of a second a lap from you,<br />
and then you just go back out and go another half a<br />
second quicker and I think…f***g hell Martin!<br />
MP: How do you cope with the pressure,<br />
because obviously you’re a popular lad and<br />
you get pulled in a million directions by fans<br />
MP: That’s one thing that I’ve noticed is<br />
that you’ve definitely been pushing me<br />
and keeping me on my toes, because you<br />
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