Part 1.
Interviewer: In today’s Sporting World, we have a racing driver with us – Simon Webster.
Welcome, Simon. Tell me, at the age of twenty-one, do you find it helpful to talk to older
drivers?
Simon: I do, and they are happy to give advice if I need it. I always talk to drivers with more
experience if I’m going to drive on a track I haven’t raced on before. I try to get as much
information as possible, so I don’t make any mistakes.
Interviewer: You must get very tired.
Simon: Well, we race at weekends, and on Fridays we’re getting everything ready but I usually
only do a race every three weeks and not in the winter. We race from April to October.
Interviewer: I see. And what’s the hardest thing for you about being a racing driver?
Simon: I find it very difficult to take time off. I do go away on holiday, probably not as often as
I should. But the mistake I always make before a race is to push myself to keep training when
really I should rest. When I train too much, I’m tired when the race actually starts. The thing is I
know I can continue to get better.
Interviewer: What skills do you need to be a top racing driver?
Simon: You do need to know a certain amount about how the car works but other people will
check the car for you. I always think when you’re actually racing it helps to be a tiny bit
frightened as it means you really pay attention. That’s really important – if you stop
concentrating it could be very dangerous.
Interviewer: A lot of small boys are keen on cars. How did you get interested?
Simon: My friends were all more interested in football but my dad did a bit of racing. I started
going to race tracks with him. As soon as he let me try, he realised I would be good at it and
wanted me to succeed. I know it’s really popular now with kids who watch it on TV but I never
did.
Interviewer: What about young racing drivers? What advice would you give them?
Simon: Some people say you should study and go to university first. The problem is, if you do
that you’ll be too old when you have enough time. If you really want to be a top racing driver,
you need to train and get as fit as you can by going to the gym. Don’t risk playing other sports
because you might get injured.
Interviewer: Well, thank you very much for talking to us today.
Simon: Thank you.
Part 2.
Interviewer: And now Judy is going to tell us about Wemport’s new sports centre. Judy, you’re
the new manager.
Judy: Yes, thank you. I’m looking forward to welcoming all your listeners to the new sports
centre. It was due to open last week on 5th May but we had a problem with the roof so it’s
actually opening on 12th May. So I do hope as many people as possible will come and join and
also come to our party on Saturday 14th May. That will be from two in the afternoon. It’s not
on the same site as the old sports centre which was next to the supermarket. The new one is on
the other side of the road from the station. There used to be a hotel there. There’s a large car
park if you want to drive there. The entrance to the car park is down a small side road –
Fortescue Road. That’s F-O-R-T-E-S-C-U-E. Please don’t try to park in the road or outside the
centre. You can pay for membership for a week, a month or a year. For a year’s membership it
costs £450, monthly membership is £40 and if you pay weekly it will cost you £9.50. So you
save money by paying for a whole year. You need to wear trainers and suitable clothes but you
don’t need to bring a towel. That saves carrying a huge bag around with you. We are very lucky
to have Sonia Smith joining us, who is going to give dance classes daily at 5.30. Check on our
website to get more information about that. We will also have exercise and yoga classes but
those times aren’t decided yet. So that’s all I have to say for the moment. I look forward to ...
