197 Glen ‘Microchip’ Woodward Interview

Ahead of the Wild Boyz appearance at the 1500 Icebreaker, Bryson caught up with lively Trackstar entertainer 197 Glen Woodward to discuss his career to date, and what we can expect from him and the team going forward.

As is the case with the vast majority of drivers these days, they follow their family footsteps into the racing, and this was very much the case with Glen, or ‘Microchip’ as he is more affectionately known. ‘Well racing has been in my blood since I was a kid really. My dad (97 Glenn Woodward) used to be full time years ago, and then kind of eased off with the racing. He has started having a few meetings here and there again.’

Having grown up watching his father race, Microchip finally got the opportunity himself. ‘Mmy first meeting was at my local track, Brampton, or “The Cowfeild” as it’s better known by. I was nearly 17. I did Street Bangers, which are supposed to be nudge and spin and I got jacked up flat-out at the end of the straight,’ Glen laughs. ‘We pulled the car for the next race and I just had a plod around. It was a good day to be honest – not big finishes but I was just happy to be on track in a banger!’

Since that day, Glen hasn’t really looked back, becoming a main feature at the Adrian Flux Arena, as well as Scunthorpe Raceway among the Micro and Unders (1500/1800 Bangers), but what does he prefer? ‘That’s a hard one to call,’ Glen admits. ‘1500s are always lively. I started off in Focuses; bringing home a scrap car every meeting, before having a go in astras. They’re always a good crashing formula, but so are Micro Bangers. Its good, fast racing aswell in both at times. It has to he 1500s at the minute, purely because I’m on track with the rest of the lads and knowing we’ve all got each others backs no matter what!’

Glen mentions the team element of racing, which ties in nicely with discussing the upcoming Icebreaker event. ‘There’s no better feeling than being on track with a team that you know have always got your back. All the lads are top notch. Granted, we aren’t all the best of drivers, but we are all up for a crash and buzz off pulling a big shot off. The team meetings are the best type of meeting in my opinion!’

The Wild Boyz were in top form at the 1500 Banger East Anglian Team Championship meeting here at the Adrian Flux Arena last year, which Glen featured highly in. ‘Yes that wasn’t a bad do. It was a mega meeting for the team as a whole. A more standout performance for myself personally has got to be at Trackstar vs Mildenhall. I decided to race 2 cars, so wasn’t sure how it was going to plan out really. I had a top day crashing all day, and just generally done what needed to be done, and to top it off, the better side won!’

Wild Boyz have three teams with an A, B and C team booked in for the day, with Glen featuring among the A team alongside his dad, 98 Matt Harrison and 249 Mitchell Bailey. ‘We never really plan on doing anything specific, but we will all try our best to get stuck into the action wherever we can. Hopefully it will be a good one!’

Going forward, what can we expect to see from Glen? ‘I would love to do the Crash for MND meeting – big vans, but we will see how the year goes. Good Friday teams is another one I’m personally looking forward to, as it was always the meeting to watch growing up as a kid.’

The Wild Boyz remain relatively competitive whoever they come against, but I thought it would be interesting to see what individual driver Glen would add to the team as a full time member if he had the opportunity, and he didn’t hesitate with an answer! ‘Definitely 551 Brett Jackson, purely because he’s always got the right attitude to racing! He is always up for a crash no matter who he’s hitting, and would certainly be a worthy team member.’

Glen would like to conclude the interview with a few thank you’s. ‘The main one to thank is the old man, without all the time money and effort he puts into my racing, none of this would be possible. I’d like to thank all the rest of the lads that help when they can. Oh, and the mother for letting us bomb-site the garden 24/7,’ Glenn chuckles.

We wish Glen and the Wild Boyz all the best of luck for the event. If you hadn’t sussed by the jist of his interview, you’ll likely see him getting stuck into the thick of the action.