BSB according to Larry 'Scoop' Carter.

Larry Carter or Scoop as he is affectionately known to BSB fans looks after Stobart Honda's PR. As well as working for the team, he's a very good friend of team owner Paul Bird.

Crash.net Radio caught up with the talkative pit lane pundit at the Stobart Honda launch.

Q:
What is your involvement with the Stobart squad?

Larry Carter

My company Carter Sport has looked after the PR and press work for Paul for, well since he more or less started in the British Championship racing, which I think was nine or ten years ago. Paul rang me one day and said he would like a little bit of help in that direction, and we had just started the business as a full time venture at that point in time. I went across to see Paul and we struck up a friendship straight away and it has gone on from that day. I think it is fair to say that I wouldn't be doing the job that I do in British Superbike had it not been for Paul. He has been very supportive of me, he has become a very good friend over the years to the point where he asks us to do a job like this (hosting the team launch) we come along to the launch and we are quite happy to help him out with it. The problems we've had here today in actually getting here (big smash on M25 left Paul and Larry stuck in traffic for three hours) almost precluded us from being here!

Since the early days, Vimto Honda as it was then with John McGuinness, Paul Jones, Jason Davis, Eugene McManus, that was another rider that was involved in the early days, progressing through to James Toseland, Stuart Easton and then onto the Superbikes with my good friend the late, great Steve Hislop. Venturing then through the years to Shakey, Sean Emmett, McWilliams, Gary Mason, the list goes on and on. My company, Carter Sport, in a nut shell looks after the press and PR work for Paul Bird Motorsport as one of our many customers and we are very proud to do so.

Q:
I believe you and Paul have a common interest in rallying?

LC:
I think if you were to ask Paul about this he would probably point the finger in my direction and say I've cost him a hell of a lot of money over the years, because in our early days I was co-driving in the BTRDA Rally Championship and Paul and I were talking one day and he said, "I didn't realise you did a bit of that." I'd been in a car with Paul going to various engagements and Paul can drive a car, so I said "I've been in with some drivers in my time have you never thought about it?" He had a Subaru at the time and he said "I've never really thought about it" so I said "I tell you what I challenge you, if you get your self a rally licence, I'll co-drive for you." Not thinking for one moment that he would and low and behold he rings me up and says "I've done the deed, I've hired a car, I've got a licence and you are going to co-drive for me."

We went from there, it was a little bit of fun in the early days and I had a lot more experience than Paul did. I guess I was quite good teaching him the ropes as it were and one of the first events that we did was what is now known as Rally GB then it was the Network Q Rally of Great Britain. Paul and I entered it as raw novices, we had never made a pace note in our lives and we didn't know anything about it. We sat at the start of the first stage and it was like "What do we do here?" I had a blank piece of paper and I thought "I've got to make a pace note, but what is a pace note?!" We went through that and it was an adventure I think is fair to say. It was very, very tough at times, we fell out in the car more times than we care to admit but at the end of the day we got to the finish. We finished about 30th overall and with me being a journalist I won the Fleet Street Award and beat a certain Tony Jardine in the process, which he wasn't too happy about.

But from then on Paul needed a better co-driver, I didn't have the time as the business was starting to blossom and I was really, really struggling to give up the time to do the recces and everything else and I just said to Paul "I really enjoy it but I'll get you a different co-driver" and he went off and did his thing and I went off and did mine and he became British Rally Champion. I'm still very involved and we were talking about going rallying again on the plane on the way down here. It never ever leaves you and I must say Paul is one of the best drivers in Great Britain. He plays it down a hell of a lot, he can drive a rally car, and he can drive anything. He is one of those talented people, if you didn't know him you would hate him because he is good at everything, football whatever. Not many people realise that he used to be a male model, he's actually had his pictures in catalogues- but that's another story!

Q:
What do you make of the new signings for next year?

LC:

I think from a British Superbike Championship point, which is where I tend to view things from now-a-days. I think it was fantastic to have Shakey Byrne back in the Championship with Rizla Suzuki last year, but for what ever reason it didn't happen for him, I'm sure there are circumstances there and I am sure there are two sides to every story, but the beauty about it is Shakey and Paul know each other inside out, and remember he won the British Superbike Championship for Paul on the Monster Mob Ducati in 2003. I think that the team knows Shakey and Shakey knows the team and that has been a big, big thing over the last few years when Paul has signed the likes of Sean Emmett, the likes of Michael Rutter, the likes of Jeremy McWilliams, there has been a bit of "I'm not too sure" and the way the team works is unique.

Believe you me I've seen it from an inside point of view they are very unique in the way they work and it suits Shakey down to the ground. Tom Sykes is one for the future; remember Paul brought on Stuart Easton many, many years ago and in Stuart many great things were expected of him, he did well but perhaps it didn't work out since he left Paul's team. I think if you look at Tom Sykes, who I've known for a number of years, and I see good things in Tom. He is one for the future, providing everything goes well I think that Tom will be hanging around with Birdy for a year or two.

More from Carter to follow soon.....