As any classic car enthusiast or collector knows, the expense and stress of finding your dream car is often too costly and way out-of-reach.

However, the accessibility and opportunity to restore and convert classic models back to their original form has become one of the most beneficial and rewarding past-times for car enthusiasts alike. For classic cars specifically, the beauty of preserving the historic features and past aesthetic of an original model completely out-ways any frustrations or setbacks you might face in the process.

 At Mini Sport, we have had some great opportunities to visit motoring events and exhibitions across the country and the pride we see for fully restored cars is phenomenal. Restoring and converting from home offers the freedom to do what you can, when you can – a continuous project with a priceless outcome.

Starting with an efficient plan-of-attack, a personal time and the perseverance to succeed, restoration has proved to be the best investment for the average car collector and the most gratifying way to owning your dream car.

In the past year, we’ve been involved in some exciting restoration projects, re-instating the previous character and condition of various vehicles that had seen much better days, including Mike Cooper’s ‘Cooper F3 T72′, previously raced in competition by Sir Jackie Stewart. We really enjoy the restoration process and the enthusiasm to restore each historic element of the cars style and substance brings an additional degree of excitement to the average restoration or conversion project.

Speaking to the guys down in the garage, who contributed to these restorations we managed to break them down to a short list of those restored Mini’s favoured and remembered throughout the year. A little inspiration for your possible restoration plans!

Restoration Stats: A brand new body shell, fully built new sub-frame, new suspension components and a full reconditioning of engine and gear box ensured this Mini left us in top notch condition.

Restoration Stats: A complete body restoration which completely revamped a well-loved model, embracing it’s original form and quality.

Restoration Stats: This Mini came to us for brand new body shell complete with a full paint-job. It was fully rebuilt using brand new parts where appropriate. After lacking in style for so long, this Mini has now reclaimed it’s original cool.

Restoration Stats: A full front-end repair in the Bodyshop brightened up this blue boy.

Restoration Stats: A full body restoration with additional parts and accessories transformed this Cooper.

Please let us know if you have any restoration plans and what you hope to do. We love to share a story and help you out if possible. Plus – we have all restoration parts sub-categorised for Mini over on our site here. Let 2015 be the year  of the restoration!

In 1964, The Beatles were at the height of their success, Mohammed Ali won his first World heavyweight championship title, Sean Connery in ‘Goldfinger’ ranked the top of the box office and Paddy Hopkirk, a humble man from Belfast helped turn the modest Mini into an iconic car that represented an era. Paddy’s win at the Monte Carlo rally in 1964 in his Mini Cooper S, saw him fight of talent from Porsche, Mercedes and Saab for the ultimate and most unexpected victory. This notorious win catapulted Paddy and his Mini into Motorsport stardom as he went on to be regarded as ‘The Mini Legend’ by fans across the globe, receiving telegrams from the British Government and The Beatles in appreciation. Paddy continued to compete internationally following the win and was elected a life member of the British Racing Drivers’ Club in 1967. However, despite a renowned win at The Monte Carlo Rally and generous contributions to Motorsport across his 60 year career; it seems almost inconceivable that Paddy Hopkirk has never received a recognised accolade for his achievements.

Paddy now acts as the President of the Historic Rally Car Register, which celebrates cars manufactured between the 1950′s and 1980′s with a series of events and rally competitions. A collection of car parts and accessories which replicate the quality and aesthetic of the originally innovative Classic Mini have now been launched under the ‘Paddy Hopkirk‘ brand, designed by Paddy in collaboration with Mini Sport.

Outside of Motorsport, Paddy acts as a supporter for several charities. Most significantly ‘Skidz’ to which Paddy is a Patron, with a hands-on approach to educating youths whom face unemployment and ‘The Integrated Education Fund’ which aims to develop integrated schools in Ireland.

It’s without doubt that Paddy Hopkirk deserves recognition for his continuous contributions as a sportsman in Northern Ireland and merit for his personal achievements beyond his acknowledged exploits.

The Belfast Telegraph Sports Awards have noted Paddy, as one of twenty sportsmen and women from Northern Ireland who compete for the Number One title of ‘Northern Irelands Greatest Ever Sports Star’. Voting closes on the 12^th of January and we urge you to vote for Paddy Hopkirk – The Mini Legend to be awarded as ‘Northern Irelands Greatest Ever Sports Star‘.  Please click here to make the difference.

2014 has proved to be a busy year at Mini Sport! An abundance of restorations, conversions and exciting projects has further fortified our passion for classic cars, contemporary models and of course, an indisputable dedication to the Mini. We’ve been fortunate enough to attend some spectacular events across the country, sponsor some notable driving talent and support remarkable charities throughout the year; which has most importantly offered the opportunity to meet with old friends and form new friendships – all at the heart of Mini culture. Undoubtedly, 2014 has brought us a great deal of excitement with some notable achievements in and outside of the company. So with the 2015 just around the corner we figured there’s no better time to recap our highlights of 2014 and get nostalgic about the last year at Mini Sport!

The British Mini Club Events

The year got a kick-start in January with The British Mini Club’s first event of ’14 – The Mini Fair. As proud sponsors of Britsh Mini Club events we continue to show our enthusiasm and dedication to the fantastic shows exhibited across the country throughout the year. Located at Bingley Hall on Staffordshire’s County Showground, Mini Fair 2014 marked the 15^th anniversary of the well-established annual event. With fantastic exhibition spaces for every model and make of Mini, the Mini Fair lead us into the year with great inspiration for winter restorations. The British Mini Club has been holding their annual Himley Hall & Park event for over 20 years and so in May we attended and sponsored the event, which proved to be the perfect introduction to the summer show season. The Himley Hall event, offers people the opportunity to showcase their Mini for judging or just for fun. In August, BMC’s largest event, Mini Fest approached. Held at the Uttoxeter Racecourse, this weekend event focuses primarily on specialists of restoration with a live arena for competitions and a camping site for weekend stays. We always enjoy the BMC events and value the positive response from other enthusiasts who attend. If you have the time next year – we really encourage you to make it down for a fun, family weekend of entertainment and exhibition!

Paddy Hopkirks 50th Anniversary

In February we were able to celebrate the great achievements of an official racing legend and long-term friend, Paddy Hopkirk. 2014 marked the 50^th anniversary of Paddy’s famous win at the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally and this iconic win was commemorated with a brilliant Gala held in Northern Ireland. As official supporters of this prestigious event, we were thrilled to witness such a great turnout for the celebratory parade of Minis and classic cars, which followed Paddy in his 33EJB replica through Belfast. This striking convoy halted at the Titanic, Belfast, for the official Gala to commence. We were able to promote our Paddy Hopkirk line and debut the limited edition 50^th anniversary merchandise to committed fans of Paddy and the Mini. Following a memorable day for all, the funds raised at the Gala were generously contributed to two great charities in association with Paddy Hopkirk. These charities were ‘Skidz Motor Education’ and the ‘Integrated Education Fund’. In total the Gala raised £55,000 which was split between these two great causes.

Skidz

We have continued to support Skidz with the sales of Paddy Hopkirk Memorabilia, which provides motor vehicle study courses for young people between the ages of 13 and 19. The charity aims to help disadvantaged young people who run the risk of becoming out of education, employment or training. Students helped through this charity have gone on to obtain apprenticeships and pursue careers in the motor industry.

Leon Wightman and Mini Se7en

Launched in 1966, the Mini Se7en racing club has become increasingly popular amongst the Mini Community.  Excellent performance and affordability makes the Mini Se7en races a great event for both drivers and spectators a-like. Following a visit from Team AL Motorsport for repairs and bodywork earlier in the year, we decided to back one of their drivers, Leon Wightman as he entered into the 47^th season of Mini Se7en. Finishing at 10^th in the previous season, the AL Motorsport team upgraded Leon’s Mini with a Selby Engine and a new Electronic Control Unit (ECU) alongside a Race technology dash and DL1 Data Logger. Leon raced at various courses as part of the competition including Castle Combe, Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Donnigton and Croft between April and September of 2014. Despite some issues, Leon eventually finished 4^th in the season. A great rise in position since the previous year and an all-round positive for Leon, Mini Sport and Team AL Motorsport.  We look forward to seeing Leon race again next season!

Cooper Car Company

When approached by old-friend, Mike Cooper about the possibility of re-launching ‘Cooper Car Company’ as an official brand we jumped at the chance and in June of 2014, the brand was launched in association with Mini Sport. Inspired by the first Cooper garage, established by Mikes iconic Grandfather and Father, Charles and John Cooper, the brand aimed to revive and restore the original aesthetic and authenticity for classic Cooper parts. A range of Cooper products were launched alongside the brand with everything from interior and exterior accessories to complete conversion kits and memorabilia, available on an international scale. We’re all very proud to be part of this continuous project and the only official UK agents for a brand, which is packed not only with remarkable history but a unique background of exemplary motorsport heritage.

National Mini Cooper Day at Beaulieu

The significant re-launch of the ‘Cooper Car Company’ ran concurrent with the prestigious Mini Cooper Register event, theNational Mini Cooper Day at Beaulieu. This annual event, which aims to celebrate every Mini Cooper since ’61 paid great commemoration to the 50^th anniversaries for both the Monte Carlo Rally and The Mini Moke Clubs’ original and iconic car. The event enthuses all things Cooper and in the follow-up to the exciting re-launch certified the strong enthusiasm that still stands strong for Classic Cooper.

Goodwood Festival of Speed, Paddy Hopkirk and the 33EJB Replica

Perhaps one of the most significant dates in the Mini Sport 2014 calendar was that of the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Established in 1993 the event has become renowned by motorists for it infamous hill climb. This year, we had even more reasons to be excited as we attended the event with Paddy Hopkirk and the 33EJB replica in tow. Paddy was invited as a guest following the 50^th anniversary of his win at Monte Carlo and drove the replica up the ‘hill-climb’ for a total of eight times across the weekend. The 33EJB replica has become close to us all at Mini Sport, as we now home the car and prepare it for all events and exhibitions. The replica is a fantastic car lovingly built by the late Graham McConnell and now owned by Paddy himself.

Goodwood Revival Meeting and the Cooper F3 T72

Like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the ‘Goodwood Revival Meeting’ has become equally accomplished. Goodwood revival focuses more on the racing aspect of motorsport with emphasis on the industry between the 1950’s and 1960’s.  We took Paddy Hopkirk 33EJB replica down to the event as well as debuting another extra special car, which had been awaiting its showcase. Earlier in the year Mike Cooper offered us the incredible opportunity to restore a Cooper F3 T72 back to its original form. Not only did the car reflect the style and substance of formula 3 cars in 1963 with exceptional charm but hadpreviously acted as one of the first cars driven by Sir Jackie Stewart in competition. The car was intricately restored with every accurate attention to detail and was fully converted back to its former glory at Mini Sport. The cars debut at Goodwood Revival in September was greeted with a great sense of nostalgia, as the car had previous connections with Goodwood when Sir Jackie drove it at the Goodwood tests before being scouted as an F1 driver. Sir Jackie Stewart was able to, once more drive this car at the revival before signing the front, a priceless mark for an unprecedented piece of motorsport history.

Steven Entwistle and the ‘Orange Box’

In October, Steven Entwistle one of our sponsored Rally drivers reviewed his first season at the Historic Road Rally Championship 2014. His car, the infamously renowned ‘orange box’ had a rally history, which dated way back to 1962. Stevens decision to compete for the first time lead him to Mini Sport to re-engine the 1000cc under the bonnet. Daniel Harper of Mini Sport came up with a suitable spec for the 1293cc engine, which would offer the ideal balance between power and performance. To ensure that the car stays tractable, an engine was built and fitted initially with the twin 1.25” SU carburetors from the old 997 engine. Steven and navigator, Bob Hagreaves competed with a few small problems, eventually coming in at 4^th place. A remarkably high position for the the first time competing at the HRRC. We were proud to back Steven and Bob and power his ‘orange box’ for competition. Read Stevens personally written review of the championship here.

‘Diddy’ Dave, Louise and Melanie

‘Diddy’ Dave Thomas has had ties with Mini Sport for quite a while, forming a great friendship from a mutual love of Mini’s. ‘Diddy Dave’ has become renowned for his journeys across the world, launching fandom when he converted his Minivan for global navigation. You can keep a note on Dave’s latest ventures at his official Facebook fan page ‘The Wrong Way Round’. However, this year it was Dave’s daughter Louise Thomas and her friend and co-driver Melanie Whittaker who stole the limelight. Louise and Melanie decided to enter into The Mull Rally in her Classic Mini in order to raise money for a charity close to their hearts. The Mini, prepared by MiniSport was to act as the catalyst in their fundraising and rallying efforts, helping to raise awareness for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Despite some mechanical issues the girls managed to raise significant funds for Marie Curie at the Rally as well as being awarded ‘the best prepared Mini’ award at The Mull Rally. An outstanding effort from Louise and Melanie for fantastic cause.

The International Mini Meet

The last official event of the year was the International Mini Meet, which was this year, held in Kent. The international event receives a fantastic reception from Mini enthusiasts across the globe. Often held in a range of international locations, this year we only had to travel down south for the show. This was spectacular event that brought over 4000 Mini’s and their owners to Kent. We can’t wait for next years – we just hope the weather is as good! Mini Sport Website Re-Launch

October witnessed the re-launch of the Mini Sport website. The website had been re-designed with functionality and navigation in mind for every shopper. The capability of the site improved for better service and a more user-friendly approach. The interactive part-selector now allows you to pick the parts you need based on detailed diagrams of different models whilst restoration and services are broken down to appropriate sub-services with full photography for every item. We hope you all like it!

So, this is just a brief run-down of some of the events and achievements that have kept us busy throughout 2014. Please keep an eye on the blog for our next post which will illustrate some notable restorations from the last year. here’s hoping to another busy one and we’ll see you in the next year!

At Mini Sport we have become globally recognised as leaders in supplying parts, spares and accessories for all classic and contemporary models of Mini. However, despite a passion for Mini, to which the company was built on, we continue to enthuse that our specialised knowledge and skill in the motor industry, will never be primarily exclusive, to just the Mini.

Located in Padiham, Lancashire, Mini Sport doesn’t only offer an impressive showroom, but a full restoration and service centre, which accommodates for a comprehensive range of car designs and developments. Our hard-working team of notable experts in engineering and automotive restoration remain on-hand to advise and inform on any queries in regards to your vehicle.

With this in mind, we would like to introduce you to our latest conversion finished just this week in time for Christmas! The new Land Rover Defender was delivered to us with the request for a complete conversion and a supercharged re-style that would boast a modern and impressive aesthetic as well as capability and compatibility for it’s off-road roots.

A striking range of KBX grilles were fitted to the front of the Land Rover, an upgrade which effectively enhanced the initial presentation of the vehicle and channeled remarkable augmentation to it’s original form. New headlights perfected with HID lamps, a flasher unit for LED indicators and front sidelights, finish off the front perspective with fearless character and constitution.

A steering guard and boss complete the new steering wheel for optimum off-road control. New dampers, springs, brake discs and brake pads reinforce efficiency and ensure the Defenders performance lives up to its physical presence.

An armoured battery cable and an anti-roll bar at rear provide additional security and safety. Equipped with an in-car tracking device to trace the location of the vehicle in the event of a theft and installed with a sub system for superior audio quality – the conversions on this Land Rover extend beyond visual attributes with adept technology for fortified style and safety.

All external bolts have been replaced with stainless steel and alloy alternatives to prevent corrosion, with a powder coating on all rear and side steps for durability and hard finish, that will deliver long after it has left our garage.  To finish the vision of the Land Rover Defender a practical swing away rear wheel carrier has been implemented for dynamic functionality. Goodrich ‘All Terrain’ Tyres have been fitted on new wheels with Hub Nuts for complete versatility and excellent traction on every landscape; including Tarmac, Gravel, Mud and Sand. These final alterations effectively complete this conversion with the defenders sole purpose full-filled in both style and substance.

At Mini Sport we aim to share every clients vision and inform you on all modifications and the benefits of their implementation on your vehicle. This Land Rover Defender underwent some exceptional changes and most definitely sparked some excitement across the company. No matter what make or model, we’re able to apply skills and knowledge to quality conversions and restorations on any car, as long as you have the vision to share!

Now in its 47th season the Mini Se7en Challenge has been providing great racing at an affordable price. Much has changed since the first ever Formula Mini 7 race in 1966 but the Mini Se7ens still provide great entertainment for driver and spectator alike.

Mini Se7ens use a modified 998cc A Series engine and the 650kg Mini can reach 60mph in 6.6 seconds, with a top speed of around 110mph. Running on treaded racing Dunlop rubber the cars stick to the road like the proverbial go-kart!

This formula provides some great racing and draws many entrants each year. One of these entrants, backed by Mini Sport, is Leon Wightman of Team AL Motosport.

Having visited Mini Sport earlier this year for some bodywork maintenance and repairs, AL Motorsport then proceeded to transplant a Selby Engine and upgrade the ECU. This coupled with a Race Technology Dash 2 and DL1 data logger, the car was brought into the 21st century. Having been finished the day of the first race Leon was set to go for 2014 and had high hopes of improving on last years performance, where he finished the season in 10th, as he now had a substantially upgraded Mini.

The season started at Castle Combe where it proved to be very difficult as many were having toothing problems and there were several incidents. This helped Leon who had some teething problems of his own and helped him finish in 8th and 6th. The issues were resolved and he went on to finish a well-earned 6th in both Rounds at Brands Hatch, during the Brands Hatch Mini Festival… a consistent start!

Now on high from Brands Hatch, Leon was looking forward to the new test of Cadwell Park, a course had never driven. However during free practice Leons Mini 7 lost all oil pressure and smoke began to billow from the car, all he could do was park up and pray for some good fortune. Unfortunately the weekend was over prematurely as the Oil Line out of the Engine Block had become unattached. Point dropped!

Thruxton marked the half way point and was more encouraging with Leon picking up the pace to finish in 6th and then 5th, moving him back up to 6th overall in the Championship with Oulton Park Mini Festival was next up in the season Calendar. Oulton Park proved to be a great weekend for Leon with a solid 5th in the first round there and then and pleasing 2nd place. It seemed Leon on his AL Motorsport Mini 7 had clicked and carved their way through the field, even overtaking the reigning champion. A great set of results left him in a healthy 5th position overall.

Donnington is one of Leon’s personal favourites and was up next as the penultimate track for the season. It seemed it was a favourite for a reason as he drove superbly to take 4th in the first race of the day and then made the most of a pile-up at the hairpin to jump up the field, hold his own and eventually take 2nd with a double overtake on the last corner! This bumped Leon up to 4th in the standings with two rounds left to play.

Croft Circuit was met with both anticipation and trepidation in equal amounts as all was to play for. Leon started well and was up to 3rd in the first race before dropping back to fifth. Leon eventually grabbed another place to finish 4th. This would prove to have been a good result as the last race of the season didn’t go to plan. Running in 6th, Leon was having a tussle as he approched the esses and some minor touches took place. This resulted in a puncture that threw Leon and his little Mini 7 straight into a freshly ploughed field and ending his race and season early.

However this bad luck had a silver lined cloud, as the points couldn’t change any more, effectively giving Leon 4th position in this years challenge.

“It’s a fantastic result and I have achieved so much more than I had set myself set at the beginning of the year. To have taken 2 x 2nd place finishes, 1x fastest lap and 4th overall is a superb pay day for all the hard work and effort that the whole team put in. A lot of which is in part down to Mini Sport.”

We are extremely happy for Leon and would like to congratulate him on what was a great season with plenty of progress shown.. who know how next season will shape up!

Here is Steven Entwisttles review of his season with Bob Hargreaves in his ‘Orange Box’ Mini, powered by a Mini Sport 1293cc Engine.

At the beginning of this year a decision was made to compete on the full eleven rounds of the Historic rally car registers Clubman’s rally championship the country’s premier historic road based series with events stretching from the wilds of north Yorkshire to deepest Wales and the far south coast of England. With over 75 registered contenders, many who do the championship year in year out it was going to be a steep learning curve.   My car the ‘infamous’ Orangebox Mini with rally history back to 1962 had been run successfully with just 1000cc under the bonnet all its life but a decision was made to re-engine it to help get on terms with the Porsche 911s and RS2000 Escorts that dominate the events these days.

A chat with Daniel Harper at Mini Sport came up with a suitable spec for the 1293cc engine. A compromise is required between getting the best power/performance yet to keep the car tractable; an engine was built and fitted initially with the twin 1.25” SU carburettors off the old 997 engine. Along with going through the car to make sure it was fully fit myself and regular navigator, Bob Hargreaves from Ulverston were looking forward to round 1!.

The format of the events follow a similar pattern, comprising normally six regularities along with special tests of which there could be anything from 8 to 20 of them, in a route of around 150 miles. The regularities are usually held on public rural roads whereby you leave the start control and have to average a set speed throughout the section, sounds easy until you arrive in a control where you then lose 20/30 seconds while stationary, complicated by the fact the required average speed could change three or four times!. These sections can last up to an hour with several controls, and in some areas, namely Wales and Yorkshire where the route will go off on private land and you have to really push to stay on time, usually on unsurfaced roads. These regularities are timed to the second.

Some regularities are held solely on private/forestry commission land and are like ‘old style’ night road rallies, i.e. Very quick, with lots of controls close together, tricky junctions etc. The special tests are driven as fast as possible on every type of surface from farm tracks to kart circuits and everything in-between, with the odd Autotest type test.

Friday 28^th February saw us set off to Beeston in Cheshire with crew and car looking resplendent in their new Mini Sport decals/clothing. Knutsford DMC had attracted a 76 car entry for their very popular event with us seeded at car 19. We had fitted ‘knobbly’ type tyres in readiness for the muddy lanes and loose surfaced tests. We had a trouble free day and were pleased to finish the event 8^th overall. Winners were Mallagh in a Porsche with another 911 of Howard Warren second then John Ruddock’s 2-litre Escort. The power of the new 1293 engine came in very useful and we raised a few eyebrows with our performance on the tests!

A few weeks later we set off to the York area for round 2 the North York Historic, the Orangebox now running on twin 1.5” SU carbs and fitted with a new set of A008 Yokohama tyres on. A 60 car entry was received by the organizers who had seeded us at car 8. The morning went well though I thought we could do better on the tests, our times were good, but I felt we would have been quicker on the ‘knobblies’, at lunch we very happy to see we were leading!! The afternoon went really well on the regularities, Bob doing a sterling job, but the tests in Duncombe park were very rough, and along with heavy rain I eased back with us finishing the event 3^rd overall, behind winners Matt Warren in his Burton powered Escort and Mallagh in the very quick blue 911, we also won our class, an excellent days work!

The 13^th April (my wedding annivarsy!) we were back in Yorkshire for round 3 the Ilkley Jubilee, the organizers had received 72 entries and had seeded us at car 5. We were looking forward to this event, we had been 5^th the year before with the 997 engine. Our day started well but then on regularity the trip meter ‘froze’ which picked us up penalties. I had a mess with the sensor for the trip and it behaved itself for a while before going off and back on again another three times, absolutely disastrous!! This was a big disappointment to us and we ended the day in a disappointing 12^th overall with John Ruddock in the Escort winning.

Less than a month later saw us on the first of a summer of events all based a long way from home and we set off to compete on Ecurie Cymraegs Leukaemia rally based at Chepstow racecourse. They had a 48 car entry with a few of the regulars not entering but made up for with some quick local crews, we started at car 7 this time. The day got off to a good start with us getting FTD on the first of 21 tests, all of which were extremely fast! We had a good day marred by a ‘wrong slot’, we corrected it and went back but followed two other competitors into the long dusty sequence of dusty ‘white’ roads, the first moved other at the first opportunity, as you should when caught, but the other, a local, wouldn’t move. The result of 6^th overall was pleasing, though that wrong slot/baulk cost us a secure 3^rd!

Less than three weeks later saw us trekking all the way down to Ashford in Kent for Blackpalfrey Motor clubs Hughes Rally. They had 48 cars on their event with us seeded at car 7 again. We had a good day on the tests, second fastest overall with me winning an award for the performance, unfortunately Bob had a poor day by his standards and we were very down with our 12^th overall, Ruddock winning in his Escort, Warren second in his 911 followed by John Abel in his fearsome GT40 spec (!) Sunbeam Tiger.

After a break in July and the beginning of August, the 21^st saw us down in Diss in Norfolk for round 6 Chelmsford MC East Anglia Rally. A smallish entry of 43 started on a very warm morning that was to get blistering hot as the day went on with many cars struggling with the heat on the long fast airfield tests. Yet again we started at car 7. It was a very tough day, the tests very rough in places and very hot and dusty, many of them run twice with cars starting at 30 second intervals, on one test we caught and passed the Cooper ‘S’ that had set of 30 seconds ahead of us. At the lunch halt we were lying 3^rd overall, but the car was running very hot, as were the other competitors, a line of cars all with bonnets up/removed while the crew refuelled!!

Disaster occurred in the afternoon on a regularity, which was on private land; 15 mile long with many controls consisting of three laps of tracks and ex WW2 runway, arriving at a junction in the dust at over 60mph Bob called left only to realise at the last minute we should have stayed right!! I was mortified, the penalty being 5 minutes, dropping us way outside the top ten, 15^th overall, though we still managed a trophy for 2^nd in the class! Winners were Ruddock/Pullan again in the very quickly driven white MK1 Escort followed by the Powley’s 2.4 911 and Roger Kilty 3^rd in his immaculate and very quick yellow full GP1 droop snoot RS2000. The good news was due to competing and finishing every event so far we were leading the championship at this point.

The 19^th July saw us down in Ross-on-Wye for the next round, the Ross Traders rally. They had attracted a 53 car entry for their event which has a reputation for being one of the toughest in the championship. We were both ‘fired up’ and determined to get a good result. The event turned out quite enjoyable with the first tests in Clipstone forest smooth and flowing and very enjoyable. The car was going as well as ever, a Kenlowe fan had been fitted the week before at Mini Sport plus a few other jobs, and myself and Bob held it all together to get a well-earned and much needed 4^th overall, behind Griffiths in his very rapid 8-port crossflow Mini Clubman GT, winning our class into the bargain!

Only three weeks later we were back in the north of England for round 8 the ST.Wilfreds rally, the organizers attracting a quality 52 car entry. We were running on the knobbly type tyres again as most of the tests were on loose/broken surfaces with three of them on the access roads and circuit of York Autograss clubs home circuit.  We had an excellent day with no real problems, a lot of the tests seemed to suit a quick Escort, though we had many top three times, with one using fast farm tracks ending with some very twisty stuff with two Minis at the top of the time sheet with Griffiths piping us by 1 second in the 8-port Clubman and us a full 10s seconds up on the third and fourth fastest cars, both Escorts! We finished the event 3^rd behind Ruddock’s Escort and Warrens 911, with another three RS2000s behind us in 4^th, 5th and 6^th. I was very happy with this result, and proved that myself Bob and with the very competitive Mini Sport engine could split the all-conquering Escorts. We also gained another class win and improved our championship points, a grand day out!

Just over a month later we were in North Wales for Guy Woodcocks Vale of Clwyd rally, which has a fearsome reputation. This event normally attracts a boat load from Ireland getting in some practice for the Rally of The Tests in November which in 2014 was based mainly in Wales. Myself and Bob had done this event twice before, never getting a particularly good result, but both times setting fastest time on the first special test both times. The entry was oversubscribed with 70 cars plus a reserves list, we had been seeded at 3 which Bob wasn’t comfortable with so a chat with the organizers saw us start at 9 with Mallagh swopping places with us in his 911.

The day started well with us fastest on that first test again (!) beating multiple Irish rally/Rally cross champion Dermot Carnegie partnered by Paul Bosdet in an Escort that reputedly cost over £100k! Onto the first regularity it was going well, finding a tricky slot off left through a hole in the hedge(!) for the first control, this only five minutes in to the event proper. Later on we dropped time after a minor wrong slot with a confusing approach were two roads met alongside each other, we avoided a WD (coming in the control from the wrong direction), but dropped time retracing our steps with the correct approach up from a fast flowing ford being twisty and slippy with traction at a minimum.

Before lunch there was a batch of five special tests, the first two in a steep twisty wood/forest. The cars were set off at 30 second intervals, at the last junction first time through you kept right to the finish, then came back up the public road to do it again but on the second run you hairpinned left at the last junction to finish through some downhill twisty cambered corners. While waiting for our first run (we were running out of position at this point), the Powley’s came past for their second run they slowed as they passed and shouted ‘Steve, watch the stones!!’ me giving them the ‘thumbs up!’. We started the test which had indeed lots of loose stones, we sat on the sump guard on the start line were the Escorts and 911s had dug trenches with the rear tyres as they set off, the test was very rough in places with us riding on the sump guard for stretches on very narrow tracks . In hindsight if we had realised it was going to be as rough we could have raised the car before the event with the Mini Sport Adusta-Ride suspension we have.

Anyway we got round to start our second run but after the hairpin near the finish we came round a corner and hit some bedrock with an almighty bang, as we left the finish marshal I looked at the gauges and saw that the temperature gauge was off the dial. We stopped and removed the bonnet, oh dear! It seems the massive bag had forced the radiator fan and cowl together which had jammed and bent all the blades on the steel four blade and ripped the fan belt off. We carry a spare fan belt with us so we set to with the tools I carry, firstly bending the fan blades so that the fan would rotate , one blade was bent through 180 degrees, if this had been a plastic fan we would have had no blades left. The old fan belt was jammed everywhere it could get locking up the water pump pulley etc., and it was all very hot. This had taken us twenty minutes and on this event there is only 15 minutes lateness allowed unlike the normal 30 minutes. With the car running again we made for the main control with five minutes spare before going over time lateness (OTL). The down side to this is we had to miss the next three tests before lunch and so picking up big penalties. We decided to carry on hoping everything was okay, we wanted to keep our 100% finish record intact and any points we score may come in useful at the end of the year.

First two tests after lunch was that forest/wood again!! Run in the opposite direction I erred on the side of caution and came away intact while still setting decent times. We had a decent run for the afternoon with some good tests and lovely smooth miles in Clocaenog forest on regularity, really enjoyed that from a drivers point on view. The  next to last control was in a farmyard were you could see the finish from, all you had to do to get there is hairpin right travel down the edge of two fields, through a gate up a stream(!) and exit out of a bridleway way to the main road and the control ,phew, good fun. Our 14^th overall and 3^rd in class was quite amazing considering our day and was my best result on this event, those 1293ccs helped!!

The penultimate round of the championship was the Throckmorton Challenge run by the Historic Endurance Rally Organization. This runs to a different format than the other rounds, is shorter at just a 100 miles most of which is on the RAF Pershore site. They had a 104 car entry and with our Mini being registered in July 1960 as oldest car we started at car 1, not a good place to be! One of the scrutineers at the start was Bill Price ex BMC works team member who we had a good chat to. From the start it was straight into road regularity and it was raining very heavily, we turned left at one point to arrive at the second control, which was there but no marshal! I was about to set off and I saw the  marshal running to us from his car 50 yards away, when he got to us he stopped the watch then!! We were now 42 seconds late by our reckoning, after taking our time he then gave us the time clock and held on to our time card, sounds amusing now but it wasn’t at the time, Only a few miles in and we had big penalties none of it being our fault.

From this we arrived at the first of 5 tests, it was still heavy with rain, but the tests were very fast with long flat out stretches. After these there was a time card collection and ten minute break, Bob had a chat with Ryan Pickering the navigator in Warrens 911 and we had taken between 3to 4seconds off them on the five tests, rain evens out the power, 100bhp Mini, 200bhp 911! The tests on this event are worked on the fastest in class gets zero penalty , second fastest two seconds and third fastest three seconds etc. If you were in a very competitive class like us it worked against you, we were consistently second fastest in class, beating Howard Warrens 911 and other Minis but John Abel in that fearsome Sunbeam Tiger was beating us, hence we picked up a two second penalty on every test whereas a car in a class with little competition was scoring zero penalties, though they might actually be slower than us! This wasn’t going to well!! Anyway after a wet day that dried out we finished in a lowly 21^st overall, with slower cars in front of us yet still got a class award.

And so finally three weeks later came the last round the Regis rally all the way down south of England in Sussex, and interesting 50 years to the weekend since the Orange box Mini had finished second on Morecambe CC Illuminations rally, part of the famous and much talked about Motoring News rally championship. After a fraught 7 hour drive via a large car park called the M6 motorway we arrived for scrutineering and noise and passed as usual with no problems. We then set off for our accommodation were things took a turn as I felt very tired and unwell, retiring to bed by 10pm. I was awake and up all night being violently ill and come 6.30am and time to leave for the start of the rally I could barely see straight and just wanted to curl up in bed. I wasn’t going to let it beat me after such a long year and I dragged myself up and we set off to the start, the entry was only a small one for this round with many people on the Rally of the Tests the following week. We started at car 2 and despite me being ill it seemed to be going well, our tests times were right up there, it was much better when I was focused, though anything else was difficult, I spent the lunch halt sleeping in the car!! At the end  the event, which had some good tests at Goodwood and the last at Tangmere airfield, Britain’s main airfield during the first world war and home to the famous pilot Douglass Bader we finished the day in 6^th overall and 2^nd in class, amazing after not being well.

Howard Warren in the 911 had won the rally and in turn won the championship from Ruddock/Pullan in the Escort. Third in the championship was Matt Warren in the Burton powered red Escort with us fourth in the Mini Sport backed and powered Mini. We have also won the pre-68 historic part of the c/ship as the cars in front are post historic.  For a first time attempt at the championship we had an excellent run, the car has been excellent with a 100% start finish record helped by Mini Sport with their superb engine and tweaks and help, Mini Sport know more about rallying Minis then anyone in the business, and myself and Bob Hargreaves are very grateful to Mini Sport and their staff along with my employers BOWKER MINI Preston, Jon Wood, Neil Johnson and our VERY patient wife’s!!!

oct 30 2014 Msport

Mini Sport have Winter Tyres in stock yet again! The

Yokohama Iceguard Ig30 145/70 R12 and the Nankang SV2 145/70 R12 69T are currently on offer at great prices, however we have limited stock and winter is fast approaching. take a look at our full range of winter Tyres here.

The best of the British weather has been and gone and it is likely that the snow will be here soon, making the roads slippy and dangerous. The best and most cost effective way of dealing with this weather is to fit some winter tyres.

Winter Tyres are often under rated but the extra grip and reassurance whilst driving is noticeable straight away. Below 7°C you would stop 11 metres sooner than with summer tyres (when braking on an icy road from just 20mph).

Winter tyres usually have a snowflake symbol on the tyre wall and are most importantly made of a flexible, high-silica compound and also have deeper tread allowing for better performance. Some tyres do not include the snowflake symbol but only have the M+S symbol meaning Mud+Snow however this only indicates deeper tread, not a better rubber compound. Nordic and Studded Tyres are also available but these are not advised as they are designed for climates that stay below freezing for prolonged periods of time.

There can be a lot of confusion surrounding winter tyres but it is just a case of switching over the tyres when the temperature drops. There does not have to be snow or ice for your winter tyres to perform. In fact they are proven to be more affective than regular tyres in the dry, when the temperature is 7°C or below. They also wear a similar amount as your regular summer tyres so these tyres could last you two or three winters, milage depending and your summer tyres will last you longer because of it! Be sure to store your unused tyres properly though, led flat on the ground with the tread off the floor.

Refit your regular tyres around March or if you want to be more precise, when the avaerage tempurature rises over 7°C. Although changing your tyres twice a year may seem awkward and unnecessary the benefits are well worth it.

We advise that you fit 4 winter tyres or 4 summer tyres and not mix and match because of the difference in grip.

What are you waiting for? Order your set now at www.minisport.com

Louise Thomas recently took part in “the worlds best rally’ The Mull Rally in her Mini Sport prepared classic Mini.  Louise competed with the aim of not only having fun but to raise valuable funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care, which is a very worthy cause indeed and very close to Louise’s heart…

Louise was first inspired to become a Marie Curie nurse after her Mum passed away 6 years ago:

“I had not experienced someone dying so close to me and my Mum was my best friend. She was looked after by specialist nurses and they made such a difference to me and my family.”

“As a Marie Curie Nurse you a given a great deal of training, which is fantastic and vital but I think this type of nursing comes from the heart. You can feel lost, as I did, but the nurses guided us through the process of Mum dying and that is what I now do as a Marie Curie Nurse.”

Louise and Co-Driver Melanie Whittaker were determined to not just take part but compete and made a good start to the Rally and slowly progressed up the field, however it wasn’t to be as mechanical issues halted their little Mini on just stage 8.  However there was a silver lining as their wee Mini won the best prepared award!

It was a valiant effort by both of them and the commitment was truly admirable with so much effort going in to preparing the car, organising the fundraising and awareness.

If you would like to donate and help Louise reach her target of £2000 you can do here on the Just giving Page

The 2014 Mull Rally was met with much anticipation from the team at Mini Sport, knowing that we had competitive cars and very capable drivers. In fact, after a run of bad luck over the last few years, everyone was hopeful that 2002 winner Daniel Harper would be able to finish amongst the front runners once again and possibly even claim a podium spot.

The Mini Sport Rally Team arrived on Mull to what was quite miserable weather.. It looked like it was going to be a slippy rally!

Stage 1 was Calgary Bay and it didn’t go as well as well as we hoped for. It all seemed to go wrong straight away with Daniel finishing the first stage nearly 3 minutes off the pace set by James MacGillivary. He later explained after the stage: “We broke the exhaust just half a mile into the stage. Not the start we wanted… Conditions are terrible.” However the other Mini Sport members got off to a clean if unextraordinary start with John Cressey finishing the stage in 35th, Martin Page in equal 46th, plus Louise Thomas in her first Mull Rally and fundraising for Marie Curie finishing in 119th.

Having fixed the exhaust Daniel battled on and did the best he could in the slippery conditions, making his way through the field to finish the day in 17th. John and Louise improved slightly too, moving up to 30th and 114th respectively, however Martin finished the day in 99th, having slid down the leaderboard due to a fuelling issue that resulted in him missing rounds 4 to 6 and picking up maximum times.

Day 2 and all the team were hoping for both better weather and better results. Well.. the weather certainly improved, but Louise never made it off the start line the next morning having encountered mechanical issues and Daniel’s Mini Cooper S didn’t fare much better having picked up a miss-fire. This saw Daniel finish down in 44th on the first stage, Ardtun, in the morning. The problem progressively worsened throughout the day, eventually leading to Daniel retiring and missing stages 10 through to 15, completely wrecking any chance of a top ten result with maximum stage times for yet another Mini Sport driver.

On a more positive note John Cressey was still going steadily and gained a further 2 places across the course of the day, up to 24th. Martin Page was also back and finish the day having progressed up to 57th place, after resolving the fuelling issue.

The final day saw just three stages in the morning: Gribun 2, Scridain 2 and the long final stretch home, the Loch Tauth/Calgary Bay Stage.  Daniel was back in top form having replaced the intercooler that was causing the miss-fire issue and finished the last three stages in 4th, 5th and 4th. A good end to what was ultimately a disappointing Mull Rally for him, finishing 51st overall. John Cressey maintained his form and plodded on into the top 20, finishing in a respectable 17th position whilst Martin Page did enough to stay in front of the resurgent Daniel Harper and move up 8 places to 49th overall.

This years rally was certainly tough and with the poor weather and many retirees, congratulations must go to Callum Duffy who eventually won the event, for what was the 8th time, in his Mk2 Ford Escort.

Although this years rally didn’t go exactly as hoped for the Mini Sport team and frustrations were high, lessons were learn’t and ultimately a good time was had by all. The event was a great spectacle and was host to some amazing rallying. With over 130 cars competing over the course of just one weekend thanks must go out to all the organiser, officials, marshals, spectators, islanders and drivers who make the event what it is. Here at Mini Sport we certainly rate the Mull Rally highly and are already looking forward to next years event.

Images are courtesy of Chicane Media

Here are the top ten for you plus all the stage times for the Mini Sport team:

Its that time again!

The beginning of October always signifies Mini Sports annual pilgrimage to the Isle of Mull to compete in what is renowned as ‘the Worlds toughest Rally’, The Tunnock’s Mull Rally. Now in its 45th year, people have travelled from all over the world to try and master the narrow and undulating roads that this scenic Scottish island has to offer. The difficulty of this Rally is proven by the fact that more often than not it is an islander that wins the event, with superior knowledge of the roads proving paramount in the many night/dusk stages, however Mini Sports Daniel Harper did win the Rally in 2002 driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6, however he is also the last non-islander to win as no-one has repeated the feat since.

Daniel, since his big win, has focused on winning the event in a MINI and has utilised Mini Sports state-of-the-art engineering facilities to upgrade and modify his and the rally teams four R53 MINIs extensively over the last decade. However Daniel is just one of the Min Sport Rally Team that has tried to tame the roads of Mull. Mini Sport regularly have multiple entries and this year Daniel and co-driver Chris Campbell will be joined by John Cressey with Martin Cressey and Martin Page with Ben Anderson to create a line-up of 3 MINIs, however we also have the addition of Louise Thomas joining the team this year with her co-driver Melanie Whittaker.

Louise lives and works on Mull as a Nurse for Marie Curie and will be competing in a classic Mini, that Mini Sport have helped prepare, with the aim to not only have fun but to raise valuable funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care, which is a very worthy cause indeed. If you would like to donate and help Louise reach her target of £2000 you can do here on the Just giving Page

If you are wanting more information on the event you can visit the Mull Rally Official Website

The Mini Sport Team will have arrived on the Isle of Mull by now and will no doubt have their minds set on the next few days already. We wish them, Louise and all who are competing, the best of luck.

Let the rallying commence… we cant wait to see this years outcome!