The addition of Nathan Hocquet saw the Caged! team add an extra dimension with a guaranteed platform for European bangers and an individual to shed the light on individuals across the water that sometimes get overlooked otherwise.
Nathan, like many in the banger community first got into racing through his family roots. ‘My dad was racing at Warneton when I was 4 years old. We were always at the circuit at the weekend, he has now stopped racing but I have always loved this sport. I always looked forward to going to Warneton at the weekend. My Dad would repair the car and I was always with him, summer or winter. When he was on the track he told me not to move in the grandstand and then he came back to pick me up at the end of his race. Even today we say to ourselves that it was not very responsible, but we were carefree,’ Emmen looks back and reflects with great fondness. ‘He drove a golf Mk1, and that’s also where my passion for old Volkswagen’s started! I will never forget those times!’
Growing up mainly watching racing on the continent, Nathan got to see many top meetings that the casual UK based fan would have missed out. He discusses some of his favourite moments growing up. ‘The European Championship at Warneton every September will forever be one of my fondest memories. Seeing the English drivers come to race such as 959 Aaron Keoghan or James Ellis 85, but also The Bears. It was still an amazing race day with the biggest crashes I have ever seen. My first trips to England for World Final at Ipswich, last firecracker too was amazing, I’ll never forget them. My first teamrace at emmen where I wondered how it was possible to have 31 races with 250 bangers in one day,’ Nathan laughs.
Nathan mentions the big meetings of the European stage, the EK and Emmen Teamrace, but why does he feel that there is a big appeal to racing and watching over in Europe. ‘I just think the bangers on my side of the water have the best attitude’, he admits. ‘The drivers have little or no interest in the look of their bangers, they build rusty Volvos and usually have a day with a car ending with good shots/trains, while shaking hands. There’s nothing really serious; all for the fun and that’s what it’s all about!’
Nathan is very much known around the raceways, whether it be at Emmen, or on his travels across to the UK, and he contributes that mostly down to the use of social media. ‘I used to take pictures of every meeting I went to. By taking photos regularly of each race, I had a few people who follow me through social networks to see photos of the different races. On the one hand, the Dutch look at the photos from England, and the English from Emmen/Warneton. I am now proud to be able to put photos on our Caged page!’
Nathan mentions joining the team here at Caged; a very valuable member he is indeed, and as previously stated, brings a fresh dimension to the overall brand. He reflects on joining. ‘I was proud because Caged is an important page in the world of bangers. I also think it is interesting to have someone at every meeting in the Netherlands and Belgium. I hope I can have a good time with the team for a long time to come.’
You can tell a lot about an individual based on the drivers they admire, and Nathan reveals those that he looks out for. ‘At the moment I admire a lot of Dutch pilots such as Hansma 827, Marcel 630 or Spin 182. They are always absolutely on it; they never give up. On the English side, I really like Aston Burt 246, a very good entertainer and I also love jags. I also like 100 Cock, 178 Slim or Roona 262.’
Looking ahead, Nathan outlines his plans for the year ahead, having already been across twice to the UK for the Civil War, as well as a Weekender taking in Arlington BWS and the 1500 Icebreaker. ‘My goal is to do every meeting at Emmen like last year, as well as every BWS. I’ll also do Easter weekend, Mildenhall weekender, Nigel 421 Testimonial and then the 2 worlds finals at Ipswich. I think it will be good!’ That’s one thing about our Nathan. He is very keen for a bit of bangers, and you certainly cannot knock the commitment, especially considering the time and money it costs to come across from Belgium on that many occasions.
Nathan would like to conclude the interview by saying, ‘thank you to the people who like my posts, pictures and always wish me a safe trip. Roll on 2023!’
