Superb Snetterton

The Mini 7 Racing Club’s visit to East Anglia in mid-April produced another sizzling weekend of action, with four superb races in glorious conditions on Snetterton’s longer 300 circuit

The form book was well and truly set in the opening Se7en/S-Class race on Saturday afternoon, with polesitter Mike Jordan making it three-from-three ahead of Connor O’Brien and Joe Thompson. Having rolled out of the lead in the previous Silverstone round, Spencer Wanstall was back in the hunt in a replacement car, but a mid-race spin dropped him back behind the equally competitive Glen Woodbridge in 4th. Sunday’s encounter saw the same trio out front from their reverse-grid starts, but on this occasion O’Brien made an early break to win with ease, leaving Thompson and Jordan to dispute the podium spots. Wanstall was again in the hunt before a penalty demoted him to 5th, again behind Woodbridge.

In S-Class, reigning champion and Silverstone double-winner Michael Winkworth almost saw his weekend over after a faltering getaway from pole position, somehow continuing as other cars collided in avoidance. Despite this delay, Winkworth eventually found a way back to head the class from Frazer Hack and Damien Harrington for his 3rd win of the season. Starting from the 4th row for Sunday’s second run, Winkworth banged-in a mega opening lap to secure the lead once more, thereafter working his way efficiently through ‘traffic’ to keep Hack in 2nd once more, with Matt Ayres edging Harrington and Matthew Page for the final class podium position after a terrific scrap.

Arguably the Miglias were the slipstreaming stars on both days, with the leading battles featuring no less than half-a-dozen contenders throughout. Rupert Deeth got the nod in the first race, edging out Aaron Smith by just 0.208s at the chequered flag, followed in a blink by Jeff Smith, Kane Astin, Ben Colburn and Ashley Davies. On Sunday, Aaron Smith went one better despite a ‘bump’ at The Esses with Astin, Jeff Smith taking the runner-up spot from Astin as Deeth dropped to 4th ahead of Davies and Lewis Selby once Colburn had lost ground when edged out at The Bombhole.

Unfortunately in the Libre category, post-qualifying woes for his rivals meant only Richard Colburn came to the grid but the veteran brought his 5-porter home on both occasions to assume the class points lead heading to Cadwell Park on 21-22 May, and what promises to be a cracker around the scenic Lincolnshire venue ●

 

 

RESULTS:            Snetterton 300            16-17 April 2022

 

Round 3            Se7en / S-Class            9 laps

1st            88            M Jordan – 7

2nd            87            C O’Brien – 7

3rd            80            J Thompson – 7             (new lap record)

10th            728            M Winkworth – S             (new lap record)

 

Round 3            Miglia / Libre            9laps

1st            23            R Deeth – M

2nd            21            A Smith – M

3rd            46            J Smith – M

15th            219            R Colburn – L

 

Round 4            Se7en / S-Class            9 laps

1st            87            C O’Brien – 7

2nd            80            J Thompson – 7

3rd            88            M Jordan – 7

9th            728            M Winkworth – S

 

Round 4            Miglia / Libre            9 laps

1st            21            A Smith – M

2nd            46            J Smith – M

3rd            11            K Astin – M                         (new lap record)

16th            219            R Colburn – L

 

 

Full results can be viewed at www.tst-timing-com

Provisional points go to www.mini7.co.uk

 

 

Words: Rich Williamson

STARTLING SILVERSTONE

A brand new season of Mini racing kicked off at Silverstone in late March, with four terrific races streamed live to huge online audiences.

Packed grids and non-stop action were highlights of the opening Mini racing weekend at Silverstone on 26-27 March, rounds 1 & 2 in both the main Dunlop ‘National’ and also ‘0-Plate’ Winter Challenges.

Following Saturday qualifying in near-summertime conditions, Sunday morning was rather grey and cooler for the first Miglia/Libre race, but that didn’t prevent a fantastic battle among up to half-a-dozen challengers, Rupert Deeth converting his pole position into victory by a scant 0.171s margin ahead of Aaron Smith.

This pair broke clear after a yellow flag interlude, leaving Chris Morgan to lead home the rest by several seconds. In the Libre category, Dan Lewis won the duel of the 8-ports from Craig Cox.

A problem in qualifying and a delayed getaway meant reigning Champion Andrew Jordan could only recover to 4th in the opener, but he atoned for this in the afternoon run, forcing through into the lead pack to take victory by flagfall, Aaron Smith again runner-up with Deeth salvaging 3rd following a clash with Kane Astin which saw the latter in the barrier.

Triple Mini Se7en Champion Jeff Smith’s switch to the bigger class saw him bag a 4th and 5th respectively. Meanwhile, Lewis looked odds-on for a Libre double before a gearbox issue sent him pitwards, leaving Craig Cox clear of Huw Turner’s well driven 16-valver.

With a timetable delay due to early morning fog, the first Se7en/S-Class encounter actually got under way well past midday, but here the action was frenetic too.

With a class win under his belt in 2021, Mike Jordan was keen to show son Andrew the ‘old man’ has still got what it takes, and duly converted pole position into a race win, despite early yellow flags to retrieve a beached car.

Not that Connor O’Brien made it easy for him, the former S-Class titelist a mere 0.405s adrift, with Jo Polley recording her best result yet to complete the podium after Spencer Wanstall spun and Joe Thompson pulled off when both in the mix.

Carrying on from where he left off last season, S-Class title holder Michael Winkworth started from pole and led most of the way to finish 5th overall, with Damien Harrington best of the rest from Ben Seyfried once Ben Butler’s 10s jump start penalty dropped him to 5th in class.

By the final 20 min thrash, the organisers had clawed back enough time to actually be well ahead of schedule!

This didn’t seem to affect Jordan senior however, motoring through from Row 4 to ultimately a double-victory, again edging out O’Connor by a similar margin to the morning. Although the major talking point was Wanstall’s unfortunate multiple roll into the Vale chicane gravel when in a commanding lead, the driver thankfully climbing out unscathed bar dented panels and pride.

Third went to Thompson by a scant 0.604s from Polley. In S-Class, Winkworth mirrored Jordan’s feat, working his way up from the category’s 4th row to take his second win of the day – 6th overall – with Harrington edging Butler for 2nd.

Underlining the frantic pace of the opening race weekend, three new lap records were set, Jordan in Miglias, Lewis in Libres and Winkworth in S-Class.

Next stop is Snetterton in Norfolk over the 15-17 April weekend for Rounds 3 & 4 in the Dunlop Mini Challenges supported by Mini Spares. Don’t miss it! ●

 

 

RESULTS:            Silverstone Int.                        26-27 March 2022

 

Round 1            Miglia / Libre                        16 laps

1st            23            R Deeth- M

2nd            21            A Smith – M

3rd            45            C Morgan – M

16th            171            D Lewis – L

 

Round 1            Se7en / S-Class                        14 laps

1st            88            M Jordan – 7

2nd            87            C O’Brien – 7

3rd            76            J Polley – 7

5th            728            M Winkworth – S

 

Round 2            Miglia / Libre                        16 laps

1st            1            A Jordan – M

2nd            21            A Smith – M

3rd            23            R Deeth – M

12th            232            C Cox – L

 

Round 2            Se7en / S-Class                        14 laps

1st            88            M Jordan – 7

2nd            87            C O’Brien – 7

3rd            80            J Thompson – 7

6th            728            M Winkworth – S

 

 

Words: Rich Williamson

Silverstone season opener – 26/27 March

Two weeks on from the opening event of the 2022 season, the British Automobile Racing Club is back at Silverstone for another action-packed weekend – this time around the International layout of the Northamptonshire venue.

We’ll be joining the Classic Touring Car Racing Club with four high octane Mini races, rounds one and two of the 2022 championship. Tickets are available from £16 and can be purchased in advance from the Silverstone tickets store.

Schedule

Saturday will feature qualifying for the Mini Se7ens, S-Class, Mini Miglia and Libre. Sunday will see two races for the Miglia/Libre field and two for the Se7ens and S-Class.

We’ll be based in the outside paddock adjacent to the spectator parking, so please pop over and say hi.

Live streaming

We will once again be going live on Facebook and Youtube. Make sure to follow the BARC on Facebook and keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook page for pics and updates as the weekend progresses.

 

10 top tips to save money this season

Motorsport is inherently expensive, it always has been, but since 1966 we’ve been proudly flying the flag for affordability.

The cost of race entry fees, new tyres, engine builds, safety gear and purchasing a car is inevitable.

However, we’re fortunate to have bumper grids of cars, reducing the cost to drivers, as circuits typically charge per minute of race time, regardless of the number of entries.

For tyres we’re lucky to be supported by our long-term friends at Dunlop, making such a low-volume series-specific set of rubber feasible at all.

And once you’ve invested in a well-prepared race Mini, the value is unlikely to ever depreciate.

Placing the inevitable costs to one side, here’s 10 top tips to make your racing budget go further with the Mini 7 Racing Club…..

 

  1. Buy a proven used car

Take advantage of someone else’s time and money and buy a complete race Mini, as it will usually always prove cheaper than starting from scratch.

This is applicable whether you’re new to racing, or a seasoned driver, but be careful to choose the right car, and do check the current regulations to avoid hidden costs.

We’re a close-knit group of friends in the club, so join up as a social member if you haven’t already done so, and we’ll add you to the Mini 7 Facebook group chat.

There you’ll be able to connect with fellow racers and someone will always know the history of a particular Mini for sale.

Some cars aren’t even advertised publically, just through word of mouth.

Finding a proven race Mini with all the right parts, spares and setup knowledge is a massive short-cut to getting on the pace.

  1. Have an achievable goal

It’s rare for a new driver to join the club and be straight on the pace, and not everyone can win all the time, so top tip number two is to set an achievable goal.

Mini racing is so much fun, but chasing perfection is an expensive path to disappointment. Like any highly competitive sport, it can be easy to loose sight of the fun if your only aim is to win, and with that the costs can spiral out of control.

So set yourself a realistic target to suit your given budget, and enjoy it.

Unlike professional race teams, many of our drivers relish the opportunity to compete on a smaller budget than their competitors.

  1. Practice, practice, practice

If you want to go faster (who doesn’t?!), then maximising your time on track is everything, and gives the absolute best value for money when reducing your lap times.

The average club-level racer could easily save two seconds a lap through practice. To achieve the same improvements through engine and handling upgrades alone could cost thousands.

Our top tip is to book an open-pitlane trackday when you’re starting out, rather than an official test day. Test days allow overtaking in the corners, but attract much higher entry fees, and often much faster machinery to look out for in your mirrors.

Look for cheaper half-day track sessions, especially at unpopular times of the year. If the weather is rough, don’t worry – you’ll gain valuable car handling experience.

Also consider fitting a passenger seat and investing in driver tuition, because every day is a school day!

  1. Invest in good quality parts

And spend wisely, not lavishly. Yes it’s nice to have fancy looking titanium fixings and snazzy digital dashboards, but it doesn’t make your car any faster, more reliable, or fun to drive.

On the other hand, focus on buying the best quality mechanical parts and they are usually a better long-term investment.

Those who’ve spannered on Minis before will be well aware of cheap, poor quality components on the market from overseas; wheel bearings that disintegrate for breakfast and rubber gaiters that split if you look at them the wrong way.

Don’t forget we have a great relationship with Mini Spares, Spax, Dunlop, Piper Cams and Curley Specialised mouldings – so make the most of the best quality parts they can offer and it will pay dividends in the long run.

The Mini scene is incredibly well supported by specialists, so ask around for recommendations. Also consider where you may be able to refurbish original Rover parts with good quality spares and rebuild kits.

  1. Phone a friend

Whilst the racing can be highly competitive, in the paddock there will always be a friendly face to help out.

Many of our drivers work together in the paddock to form unofficial teams, sharing marquees, tools and spares. In fact, there are probably fewer drivers who go it alone on race weekends than those in a group.

Not only is this a lot more fun, especially when things go wrong, but it’ll likely save money too. Why not nominate one driver to sort the power tools, another to invest in the setup gauges and another to sort the barbeque?

Many of us enjoy being part of a race weekend as much as competing, so phone a friend and see if they could come and help out.

  1. Stay in shape

We apologise is this one is a bit insensitive, but here goes – if you are overweight, you will likely need to spend more money to keep up.

Our race series all have a minimum weight to include both the Mini and driver, and for the average driver this should be easily achievable.

In fact, many lighter drivers in the club need to add ballast to the floor of their cars to meet this minimum weight. It’s no secret that lowering the centre of gravity does good things.

If you’re heavier, 100kg or more, you may need to resort to more lightweight composite panels and featherweight electrics, and you’ll also have less control over weight distribution.

Big lead acid batteries and GRP front ends are cheap, lithium batteries and lightweight carbon front ends are not, so you get the general idea here.

And while weight is certainly no indication of general fitness, stay in shape physically and you’ll perform much better over the course of an intense 20-minute race, especially at tight and twisty circuits in the heat of summer.

  1. Sponsorship

Companies will rarely hand out cash willy-nilly to club racers, gaining sponsorship is tough, so our advice would be to turn the whole plan on its head.

Think about how you can add value to a potential sponsor, not what they can do for you.

Minis are iconic; everyone loves a Mini, so use that. Whether it’s the offer to place your car on a company’s exhibition stand at a show, to fit a passenger seat and give their staff some hot laps, or send them regular usable race reports and pics.

In other words, you’ll need to be proactive if you’re aiming to attract sponsors, and be prepared to give them plenty of valuable publicity in return.

Many companies will have a marketing budget to help with discounts or free parts, but always consider why they would funnel funds in your direction rather than regular advertising.

If you need reach statistics from our social media channels, as a club we have almost 24,000 followers on Facebook, with an average daily reach of 10-15,000 users. In 2021 we achieved 19,500 hours of watch time on Youtube, equivalent to 812.5 days, or 2.3 years!

We have arguably the best club motorsport in the country, a loyal fan base and stunning looking race cars – so there’s your publicity platform. Over to you…

  1. Mechanical sympathy

When the adrenaline kicks in and you’re battling with a rival on track, this is easier said than done, but maintaining some degree of mechanical sympathy will go a very long way to reduce your running costs.

The smoothest drivers are often the fastest, and in-turn they’ll likely spend much easier on the car.

A fierce downshift from 8000rpm, for example, places huge strains upon the crankshaft and transmission, twisting the nose of the crank and hammering the gear dogs (or synchro hubs).

A-Series are pretty robust little engines, considering they’re being pushed to around two or three times their original power output, but there’s only so much a mechanical object can take.

Change the oil frequently, keep an eye on the gauges, focus on smoother driving and perform regular inspections, and the engine budget will be considerably reduced.

Avoiding harsh kerbs will maintain the suspension for longer, while avoiding contact by all means has some pretty direct implications on your bodywork costs. Try not to crash…

  1. Choose the right series

Be realistic when choosing which of our four championships to race in. In terms of hierarchy, look to the Mini Se7en S-Class as a budget-friendly starting point, Mini Libre if you fancy a bit more power, Mini Se7en for the proper race car experience, and Mini Miglia for the ultimate circuit racing Mini.

There will always be drivers prepared to spend more than others, it happens, but that doesn’t mean they will be the fastest.

Just don’t expect to jump in at the very deep end and win on a limited budget, as it will be a frustrating experience.

Instead, choose the series where you are likely to get the most enjoyment.

  1. In the know

When a club has been racing the same car since 1966, there is bound to be a mountain of knowledge, be that suspension setup, modifications for reliability or improvement to safety.

Of course there will be many close-guarded secrets from those in the know, looking to extract the very last drop of performance, but also a monumental amount of good advice on offer.

Knowledge is power by all accounts, so do your research, speak to drivers, committee members, trusted specialists. Our paddock has an absolute wealth of Mini ‘legends’, from the leading engine tuners to race preparation firms and multiple champions.

They’re all wandering about, chatting, often covered in grease and getting down to business between races. Some might bite, but most are pretty approachable, so go and say hi.

Everyone in the paddock wants to see others having fun and enjoying the racing, making progress, and not constantly fixing break downs, so be social and lap up the help on offer. Cookies and beer go a long way.

Mini Se7en for sale

Looking to join us this year but don’t have your car ready yet? Adam Gould is selling his JPS-inspired Mini Se7en and all the bits.

The car was previously campaigned by Leon Wightman to good success, and is the perfect starting point for anyone wishing to race in our original race series, going strong since 1966.

The advert:

“Mini Se7en 998cc complete package ready to race in 2022!

Engine just rebuilt with new rings and dyno’d (Dyno sheet available).

Car mechanically sound and well maintained. Comes with some wheels, tyres and spares.

Also included is a Brian James Mino trailer, good condition, with tyre rack/winch/front storage box and LED rear lights.

Selling due to lack of time to race last year/this year!

For more information call Andy 07802253322.”

Three M7RC drivers make Autosport top 50!

Congratulations to Michael Winkworth, Andrew Jordan and Endaf Owens for making the top 50 in Autosport’s 2021 National Driver Rankings.

The rankings are based upon the number of wins a driver has taken during the season with each victory treated equally, regardless of the category.

Michael took 12 S-Class wins to finish 21st in the UK, Andrew 26th and Endaf in 48th, both of whom also compete in historic classes.

Click here to see the full list.

0-plate Winter Challenge points

Congratulations to our confirmed 2021 Mini 7 Racing Club Winter Champions – Endaf Owens, Peter Hills, Jeff Smith and Ryan Taylor. The Mini Miglia and Mini Se7en winners are eligible to run the ‘0’ plate in 2022, putting them top of all entry lists.

For 2022 we are expanding our Winter series to seven rounds, where points gained in the first four races of the National Championship (Silverstone and Snetterton) will also count towards the Winter points. The final showdown will take place at Brands Hatch in November.

Awards Night – January 22nd

Since the announcement of the forthcoming annual end-of-season Awards evening in the last issue of Pit & Paddock, sales of tickets have been rapidly taking off.

With the cancellation of the end-of-season 2020 event that was due to be held back in January this year, there is a clear sense that this time around the Club and its members have a lot of socialising to catch up on!

Be sure to book your place at the dinner table and a room for the night as soon as possible, as the evening is sure to be a highlight of the new year!

Ticket booking is available from Mark Sims via mss@clearsons.co.uk, and cost £55 each.

To book your room at the hotel, call 01676 522335 and quote the code U77 for a special discounted rate of £106.

VENUE:
Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club Maxstoke Lane
Meriden
CV7 HR

DATE:
Saturday 22nd January 2022

AGM – 22nd January

On January 22nd we will have our annual technical meeting / annual general meeting at the Annual Trophy Awards. The ATD / AGM will start at 1pm and close at 4pm without fail. The venue – Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel.

This is the annual opportunity for all members to put forward any proposals for changes, be they sporting or technical regulation changes. Sporting regulation changes, for example, reversing the reverse grid regulation (sorry, could not resist the punnery), if approved, can be implemented and be effective for the 2022 season.

For the technical regulation changes, unless there are force majeure reasons, these will not be introduced until the following year, so for example, if there was a change to [say] the wheel regulations, this would only be effective for the 2023 season.

If you do have a change to propose, and as a democratically run club, we warmly encourage you to propose anyone to propose any set of ideas to make this club more successful, then please follow this five-step process:

  1. Identify the regulation # you want to change…or if a new one, call out where it needs to be in the regulations.
  2. Put together THE EXACT set of words that you would want to see published in the future set of regulations. Members can only vote on the words you submit.
  3. Find someone to second the proposal, and ideally, please share with your class drivers rep (Mark, Phil, Ben or Darren)
  4. Beneath your proposal provide some brief commentary, context and the problem you believe your proposal will “fix”
  5. Finally, think about your regulation change from the viewpoint of the MuK eligibility officer, how can / will they be able to enforce the regulation, and what can be the possible sanctions if found to be non-compliant.

Your proposal/proposals needs to be with Phil Harvey by one minute to midnight on Friday December 10th. His email is: motley.mini@virgin.net

The agenda and full set of proposals can then be issued to club members well in advance of the January 22nd meeting. Thank you, Colin

Provisional champions and a provisional 2022 calendar

Many provisional updates for you, as we’re delighted to announce our provisional series champions following the national season finale at Donington Park.

Congratulations to;

Andrew Jordan, 2021 Mini Miglia champion

Jeff Smith, 2021 Mini Se7en champion

Michael Winkworth, 2021 Mini Se7en S-Class champion

Peter Crewes, 2021 Mini Libre champion


In other news, we have a calendar loosely in place for 2022, and it’s going to be another fantastic season.

26-27 March, Silverstone International (Winter series)

23-24 April, Croft

21-22 May, Cadwell Park

11-12 June, Castle Combe

9-10 July, Donington Park

5-7 August, Brands Hatch

3-4 September, Anglesey

15-16 October, Silverstone International

5-6 November, Brands Hatch (Winter Series)