Mini Sport have had a fantastic weekend at the Paddy Hopkirk 50th Anniversary Gala and would like to thank everyone who made it possible and also to everyone who attended!

As official supporters of the unique, one-off event, Mini Sport were out in force and took many of our own products with us, along with items from the Paddy Hopkirk Range and the brand new 50th Anniversary Collection. We really enjoyed the event and were amazed at what was a really good turnout for the Cavalcade that rolled through Belfast.

A huge amount of Minis and classic rally cars amassed upon Stormont Castle to begin the Cavalcade and it made quite a sight. Headed by Paddy Hopkirk in his 33EJB replica, the huge convoy took over the streets of Belfast and headed toward Titanic, Belfast.

There was plenty of other things going on too with an Autotest, Signing Sessions, an Auction and of course the Banquet in the Titanic, Belfast to finish the night.

100% of all proceeds from the whole event went to two really good causes of which Paddy is associated with – Skidz Motor Education and the Integrated Education Fund.

We haven’t got a final figure for you as yet but we are sure that whatever the amount, it will be gratefully received and put to great use.

Once again, Mini Sport would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved with the Gala!

It may be Christmas but there are still plenty of the Minis on the road and still plenty of work to do in the Mini Sport Workshop!

The latest job was to fit one of our very own Mini Sport 7-Port Cylinder Heads. However, as can happy often, this job turned out to be a slightly bigger job than first thought. The bottom end wasn’t in brilliant condition and to get the most from the Rally Spec 7-Port Cylinder Head we advised remanufacturing the block.

We were given the go-ahead and it was sent over the road to the Mini Sport engineering department – Hi-Tech Engineering. The head was honed and the crank polished with new pistons, big end bearings and main bearings being fitted during the rebuild.

The Rally 7 Port Head is Polished, Ported & Gasflowed, has Unleaded Seats, 37mm Competition Inlet Valves, 31mm Competition Exhaust Valves and High Lift 220lb Competition Valve Springs. This Cylinder Head is the original choice for any A-Series Tuner!

• Optimises power on all Mini ‘A’ series engines, 1275cc upwards, and excels on the larger capacity engines, 1380cc or even larger!
• Tested on a standard 1275cc engine fitted with 1.5:1 rockers, it increased the maximum power to 100BHP. This increase is due to the crossflow design and use of 4 inlet ports.
• Larger diameter inlet ports and crossflow design, overcome the ‘A’ series engines breathing problems, by increasing the inlet manifold air flow by as much as 20%, over an original 5 port head, fitted with the equivalent size of inlet valve.
• Cast from top quality iron, each casting is fully machined and pressure tested ‘in house’, in our very latest CNC machining facility, to ensure consistent quality.
• 1.2mm of extra space between valve centerlines, reduces the risk of cracking between inlet and exhaust when fitting BIG or oversized valves.
• The 4 port inlet manifold is cast as part of the cylinder head, designed to fit twin Weber/Dellorto Carburettors, or injection throttle bodies, eliminating the use of a separate component.
• Retaining the original 3 exhaust port design, allows fitment of a wide range of LCB exhaust manifolds and systems without the need to purchase a special exhaust manifold.
• All A-series (standard or competition) cam and valve train components are used on the 7 port head to avoid extra costs of special components
• Each cylinder head is individually hand finished to many various specifications, from a bare head to a fully modified assembled complete head, or to a clients individual requirements.
• This 7 port cylinder head design, attained it’s competition pedigree by returning many first class consistent results in Scandinavian events, and was used and fitted extensively by the Top Danish Team Works Minis.

The Yokohama ADVAN A008 Tyre – 165/70 R10 is one of our biggest sellers and we always keep plenty of stock! This weekend we had a delivery of over 100 from Yokohama themselves. The ADVAN range is Yokohama’s flagship brand. It’s the name given to Yokohama’s best high performance road tyres, race tyres and light weight wheel range…

Derived from “ADVANCE”, it means using innovation to keep one step ahead of competitors. The ADVAN A008 is Yokohama’s performance tyre developed for the classic Mini, this legendary tyre with it’s unique asymmetrical tread pattern was launched in 1981 and remains one of the best sport tyres available for your Mini.

Developed specially for the Austin 7, Mini 850 and Mini Cooper cars, these tyres feature a high performance tread compound moulded into an asymmetric design that includes a continuous shoulder rib to enhance responsiveness and dry road traction.

Continued from Part 4

Sunday morning dawned bright and a bit blustery, MTC3 out in the morning being situated up the road in another hotel, the Belsfield. From here it was a run south on some very flooded  main roads , you came over a brow to find a foot of standing water across the width of the road which made life interesting, but at least the sun was out. The first regularity of the day was ‘South Lakeland’ and we did excellent but a 48 second penalty at a control spoilt what was otherwise a really good run for us, considering we finished just nine seconds off the class leader, a missed opportunity here in hindsight. We then turned north again for the ‘Killington’ regularity with the last bit through a bit of forest we know well, very steep  and loose to start with, climbing to the top then fast downhill to the finish with the bends getting tight to the end. Bob did a cracking job here, third overall, four seconds off the best and ten seconds better than Frank and Cath. In fact we could easily have beaten everyone here as a slight mix up on seconds had me easing off at the end, the lost seconds costing us a ‘clean’. Ah well!

From here it was on to the first test of the day but this was cancelled as the farmer had locked a gate after the first few cars, so we had a fast run in convoy with half dozen cars back up on to Warcop for four tests. The first one was a very enjoyable one, fast and twisty through a wood, fastest in class and third overall behind two 911’s. The next was very much a power test and we and Lenehan were equal fastest in class, and only four seconds off the BDA and the fastest car, a 911! What an advert for a well-built 997! Next was another suited to 911 Porsches but we again had a class win, three seconds up on the next in class Lenehan. From here it was off to a time control at Brough Castle. By now it was midday and the sun was shining, the afternoon regularities would take us past the Tan Hill Inn the highest pub in Britain and through the ford that used to feature in the opening of the programme ‘All Creatures Great and Small’.

The first ‘Yorkshire Dales’ had only two controls and though we dropped only a few seconds so it seemed did everyone else, Lenehan/Woodman six less than us.

‘Downholme’ was very tough with six controls and the best crew dropping one and half minutes, we were over a minute down on Lenehan here. From here it was on for more MOD land, this time Catterick Camp for two super tests. The first one very slippery and quick saw us one second behind Lenehan and the 997 Cooper’s only two and three seconds behind the BDA which was pipped by a 911!

Next was a longer one, a cracker with cattle grids, several junctions and two downhill hairpins most of it on loose gravel. We had a storming run, in the top five overall, fastest in class by six seconds from Lenehan and one second off the BDA, its Dutch owner was impressed by the little Orange Mini!

Staying on Catterick we started the last regularity of the event, which in reality was just like the night time sections on MOD land, ie flat out. With more junctions on the road than on the map, gravel all the way the little Orangebox was sideways, airborne and flat out all the way, we still dropped two minutes.

From here, with Bob muttering about it being “mental in there!” we made our way to a meal and time control at the services at Leeming Bar on the A1. Suitably fed and watered we made our way to Tockwith for three more tests, the first ‘Jacobs Ladder’ had many people scratching their head, we had worked it out, but could we do it quickly? It was a test from the very early days, basically four ‘boxes’ marked out by cones, which totalled thirteen ‘sides’, you had to cross every one but not more than once! We did the test with Lenehan watching us and as we came off it he gave me the thumbs up! He beat us though! We were third overall on this test. Next was another Kart Circuit where Lenehan beat me by four seconds, followed by one and half laps of a proper Race Circuit. This was fun, though Bob started to look worried when we had it on two wheels, bouncing off the curbs to straighten the corners! Fastest in class for us here, with 911s at the top of the times again.

This was the last part of the event and the last couple of tests which I had been looking forward to at Harewood Hill Climb, I had watched virtually the same stage on more than one RAC Rally as a kid, stood with my Dad. Run twice, it ran round the paddock area and down the access road, then on to the full hill climb. Fastest in class on both runs , both times Lenehan was second fastest, with him three seconds slower on the first before both of us going quicker second time, though we pulled four seconds out on the last run.

From here it was a run on busy roads in darkness to the ceremonial finish in Harrogate at the Old Swan Hotel, with photos and interviews.  I was quite elated to get to the finish and for a moment or two got quite emotional while waiting to drive under the finish ramp, we had done it! The black tie dinner was very enjoyable, I never seemed to buy a drink as people just put them in front of me, and we were a merry, happy gang who staggered off to find our rooms at the end of the night!

Final results put us 9^th overall and second in class, very, very happy with that. The McClean Anglia did amazing to climb back to third in class and although a long way behind us, the last car in our class over five hours behind us in penalties. I had set out and done what I always wanted to do, and the little car performed superb, really proud of the little car. Of course none of this would have been possible without several people, Bob for his skills, sense of humour and enthusiasm, our wives Suzanne and Hazel for tolerating it all, my parents, Jon Wood, Neil Johnson and Chris Day, and of course all the guys at MINISPORT Padiham, without their help it would not have happened. Want to do it again now…..

Continued from Part 3

Saturday morning dawned damp, but at least it wasn’t raining yet! Straight off we were back to Swynnerton for three fast tests there, the last of which had a Le Mans type start for the driver, running to the car! Think it is safe to say Stirling Moss was better at it than me! Fastest on one of the tests, second fastest in the other two.

From here it was to the first regularity of the day, ‘Barthomley’, and the sun was out! This was a tricky route with us crossing and recrossing under the M6 motorway, all on narrow twisty ‘whites’. After a lot of scaremongering about this section, it went really well for us, dropping just five seconds over four controls. Next came ‘Cheshire Plains’ and again this went well with the very minimum of penalties.

From here was a run to Oulton Park for a time control in the Chequers Restaurant followed by another test held on the rally circuit, with two laps of the first loop then on to the last part through the trees to the finish. I didn’t particularly enjoy this test, our third in class on here was about what I expected. Next came the last regularity of the morning ‘Sink Moss’, which utilized the wet loose gravel roads of the Cheshire Showground with many ‘slots’ hidden in the tall hedges and open gates to tempt you in to a wrong slot. This ended up being quite quick with us arriving at one control completely sideways with us stopped 90 degrees to the direction of the track, ahem!! This was our worst performance to date, dropping 2m47secs, both of us frustrated with the section.

We had time to reflect and chat though as the next part of the event was a long drag north up the M6 motorway to the lunch halt at Hoghton Tower near Preston, which took longer than normal because of a closed junction. Traffic was very slow and heavy and we, as were many others, well into our 30 minute penalty free lateness. My mum and dad and daughter had been standing in the rain at Hoghton for a long time waiting for us to arrive, and a wave and a cheer off them lifted my spirits, especially as I was on ‘home turf’ now, on roads I know well.

After a well needed Lancashire Hotpot lunch we set off east towards an ‘Autotest’ type test on the outskirts of Longridge run by Knowldale Car Club. Fastest in class here by three seconds from the Autotest champion, Lenehan, was a good welcome back to my home area. From here we set off to another regularity, ‘Lancashire Lanes’, and the rain was torrential now, I couldn’t believe the force it was coming down with, the roads and fords along here awash with debris and deep water, its grim up north!!  It went well for us dropping 17 seconds over four controls, and six seconds less than class leaders Lenehan/Woodman.

Next was an excellent fast test round Grize Dale reservoir, and it had stopped raining. Myself and Bob know this Water Board property well, but it was the first time I had seen it in daylight as I am usually charging round here in the dark on night events. We were flying, fastest in class taking five seconds off next in class Lenehan. Next was the ‘Caton Moor’ regularity, with the long steep twisty ‘white’ over Haylots which we both know well, again usually going like dingbats in the dark, Bob’s usual here is ‘seven crests all FLAT seventy then 45 right downhill!’ Anyway, back to the plot, this went quite well but we were beaten by Lenehan/Woodman by the tune of five seconds. From here it was a fast run to the Whoop Hall Hotel at Kirby Lonsdale for a time control and five minute break. Michael Anderson from MINISPORT was here making sure we were enjoying ourselves!

Out from here was a quick blast down the road to the next test run by brothers Dan and Alex Willan of Kirby Lonsdale MC, both very quick ‘night’ event drivers in their Protons. The Orangebox’s original owner Roy Mapple was here watching, it was dark again now and a test I have done before on the Devils Own we set fastest time in our class again and third overall, Naaktgeboren fastest in the BDA.

‘Lune Valley’ was the next regularity and as we started this so the rain started to come down heavy again making the roads even more difficult with torrents of water running down the roads almost bringing you to a standstill sometimes, splashing over the bonnet and roof. An amazing thunder storm lit the entire horizon and for a second or so you could see the mountains ahead in perfect white light, very spectacular. Again we were on very tricky lanes made more difficult because of the weather, but we know all the trick slots and hidden brows and we did this one third overall, and best in our class beating Lenehan by fourteen seconds. These sections finished at Tebay services on the M6, where we refuelled and gave the car another coating of WD40!

From here a run up over on to Shap and another test well known to me, Waters Farm, which I have done as a selective on night rallies and as a test on historic rallies. Starting under a railway bridge uphill into a 45 right with a couple of cattle grids, several crests, a sharp humpback bridge and immediate ninety right into a farmyard with a hairpin left on the way out then a 90 left on to a wide tarmac road crossing the M6 where 75mph is seen just before the finish. It’s a cracker and all in the dark! Fastest in class here again, taking twelve seconds off the next in class and nineteen off the best Cooper ‘S’. In fact other than Ryan Pickering’s ultra rapid Triumph TR4 there was only a couple of Escorts and two 911’s in front of us. Mind you the Orangebox could probably drive itself over that piece of road.

Next came another brilliant loose surfaced farm ‘white’ road test where we set our fifth in a row fastest in class time, though Mr Lenehan matched us to the second on this one! From here it was a run in very wet weather to the Appleby Manor Hotel in Appleby, a very impressive place. The open fires and smell of good food seemed a better idea than going back out into the dark and rain in a Mini that by this time had about an inch of water inside!

From leaving Appleby it was straight up on to the Warcop Army ranges for another time control night rally section, again with controls one and two minutes apart in places. This was on supplied marked maps to a different scale than normal, with lots of the vagaries you get on MOD land. We had a none too smooth start until it all ‘clicked’ and we again enjoyed it with concrete and loose roads, nineteen controls in 30 minutes, all as fast the little 997 would go, and I could see, it actually stopped raining here!  Coming out from here I was sweating like a madman and Bob was freezing with numb fingers… I always need the window open for a bit of fresh air.

The organizers obviously thought we needed some more (not like these modern WRC boys, clock off at 4pm!) we had some more regularity’s, three all quite quick because of the nature of the roads, and yes, it was raining again! The first ‘Pendragon’ went very well, with me in road rally mode until the last control where we lost 40 seconds, but still a decent performance and second in class again, although without it we would have been third overall on this. Next up was ‘East Lakeland Fells’ and this again went well, best in class and nineteen seconds up on the McCleans Anglia and over a minute on the class leader. Final section of the day ‘Mint Valley’ and best in class again, sixth overall and twelve seconds up on Lenehan. From here it was to a much welcomed shower, meal and pint at ‘The Old England Hotel’ at Windermere, results posted at midnight showed us to have maintained second in class behind Frank Lenehan and Cath Woodman but we had now moved to 8^th overall. Feeling very tired but happy, looking forward to the last day.

Continued from Part 2

Friday morning was cold and wet and we set off north to the Hooton Park National Kart Circuit for two tests there that consisted of two laps with a three cone Chicane on the straight to keep the average speed down. The raised ride height along with mud and snow tyres really affected us here with the tight wet corners creating loads of understeer leading to a lowly sixth fastest in class, six seconds behind fastest in class the McCleans Anglia. Second time round we were third fastest in class but still six seconds behind the class fastest with the Anglia and Lenehan’s Cooper setting an equal time. From here we went onto the first regularity of the day, ‘Halkyn Mountain’ with four controls and this went quite well with us coming away with 15 seconds dropped. From here it was straight into the next regularity the dreaded ‘Clocaenog Forest’. With tarmac and loose gravel, a couple of fords and horrible weather and the route on an old 1” OS map, Bob was concentrating hard. With six controls it was hard going but we had a reasonable run other than a quickly rectified wrong slot, our penalty at the end totalling 1m 46 secs.

Next came the third test of the day, again in Clocaenog, just over a mile long, with four chicanes, a code board and very loose surface, which suited our tyres better than the circuits! We were second fastest in class here, one second behind Lenehan. Next came a fast road run to the fourth test and a time control at the Glan y Gors Kart Circuit, where we arrived in heavy rain in a now very muddy Mini! With over thirty corners in just over a mile and quarter on wet Tarmac I wasn’t too confident after the previous Kart Circuit early that morning.

Third fastest in class was better than it might have been for us , with that man Lenehan fastest, with another Irish crew, the Gaffney’s in a very sweet sounding Almond Green 850(?) equal fastest in class.

After this test all eighty odd cars had to have a compulsory power wash, a breakout of Larch disease in Clocaenog requiring this. From the time control here it was another road section to the start of the third regularity of the day, ‘Ffestiniog’, with just two controls on this section. This went well for us with just one second dropped at the first control and three at the last.

Next came a run up on to the Trawsfynydd ranges for two fast, loose surface tests, accessed by a deep fast flowing ‘ford’. We were second fastest in class on both tests, Lenehan fastest on both of them.

It is worth stating at this point that scoring on the tests was fastest scoring zero, second fastest three seconds penalty, third fastest five seconds penalty and so on. This encouraged you to try hard as you could be just one second off fastest in your class, yet be penalised three seconds.

From Trawsfynydd, it was onto the next regularity in Coed y Brenin where we had a very good run, followed by a time control at Cross Foxes in Dolgellau.  Straight out from here was a run to ‘Dyfi’ for another regularity. Some amazing roads were used on this leg, with dozens of ‘whites’. Two spring to mind, one a steep muddy downhill white with a 90 left part way down with a massive tree on the outside which got very close as we tobogganed down on the sump guard, and another that seemed to follow the side of a fast flowing river, driving along a muddy ‘yumpy’ track… very narrow in a Mini, how on earth some of the bigger cars got down them beggars belief! There followed three tests, all either loose or mixed surfaces at different venue’s which gave us fastest in class on the first two and second on the third before another time control at the Green Inn at Llangedwyn.

From the Green Inn it was a run to the tenth test of the day at Oswestry water treatment works. It was by now dark and foggy with a heavy hailstone shower to add variety! I quite enjoyed this test which suited our car and tyres, finishing equal fastest in class with the Gaffney’s and a full eight seconds up on Lenehan/Woodman.

Next came another test at the Rednal Kart Circuit which saw us starting off on the loose surface to loop back round before entering the Circuit just after the first corner, running round the full lap with the finish a Hairpin left to enter the Pit Lane at the normal exit and finishing in the pit area, two seconds up on Lenehan. From here it was, via a secret check, to the sixth regularity of the day, ‘Bury Walls’. With four controls this went really well with minimum penalties. From here to a blast round Market Drayton Cattle Market, where we tied for equal fastest in class with that man Lenehan again! A time control at the  Loggerheads Inn preceded the final regularity of the day ‘Staffordshire Lanes’ which saw us with a very poor 39 second penalty at the first control, seven seconds at the third but cleaned the other two!!

Next came probably one of the highlights of the event, Swynnerton Army Camp. Expertly run by Shon Gosling and his band of marshals, including well known ex navigator Bob Redhead on the start control. This time control road rally section on private land is fantastic! With every sort of surface possible from tarmac to mud, water, narrow and tricky, wide and fast it has everything including brilliant loose gravel tracks through the woods.

As it is held on private land, controls can be less than the normal two miles apart and this thirty minute section was broken up into one and two minute sections back to back. If you consider that it is dark, the different surfaces mentioned and section length, how about the fact in them thirty minutes there are over twenty manned controls and 107 junctions!! Just like an early sixties Welsh Motoring News rally, bl**dy brilliant! Many of the junctions are used several times, all from the same direction by the way, and at one time had us side by side with Paul Wignall in his Alfa and Peter Naaktgeboren in his big wing MK1 BDA Escort side by side at 75mph approaching a chicane! I let them go! We had a heavy landing on the NSF Wheel here and I thought for a minute or two that we had lost the lights, but it was the mud. Fastest crew in here dropped five minutes, we dropped six in the little 997, very proud of that.

After this it was a main road to the overnight halt at the Holiday Inn in Stoke-on-Trent, with the chance to check the car over. The fan belt was now squealing but more importantly it was pulling to the left and sometimes right when braking. At the Hotel Bob went off to book in at the control, organise our room and bags of which were ferried round the route in a baggage van, while I worked on the car, in that damn rain again. Fan belt tightened, the ‘pulling’ turned out to be a loose track rod end on the nearside. Obviously the result of our heavy landing in Swynnerton. I went over the full Suspension etc. with spanners, checked the levels, the only other thing we had was that we had lost the rear hub grease caps. I have never had this, though it seems some people have. The vent hole in the cap gets blocked with mud, the rear brakes get very hot and the caps pop off! A couple of modified aerosol lids packed with grease served as a temporary repair. It had been a very hard day and we were both ready for a wash, meal and a pint! Results showed we were still second in class to Lenehan but very happy as we had moved up during the day from 17^th to 9^th overall!

To be continued…

Continued from Part 1

Thursday morning dawned bright and dry and we made our way to the noise test and scrutineering which passed without drama, in fact, Alun Morgan the scrutineer was a lovely chap and remembered the ‘Orangebox’ from first time round in the 1960’s! After this we made our way to signing on where we collected more route information etc. Then off back to the hotel room, kettle on, and work on the maps for a couple of hours before we were due to set off to MTC1 which was at the Plas Hafod Hotel at Gwernymynydd with us due to leave from the ceremonial start at 17.39.

From here it was straight in to the first darkness regularity, ‘Alyn Valley’. This went reasonably well but, with over 50 years of rallying between us, we were both still very nervous at the start of an event. Three timing points saw us drop 45 seconds on this one. The roads were very narrow, with many tricky ‘slots’, and slippy lanes, the timing points usually just after a tricky junction or piece of road to penalise a wrong slot or mistake. The next regularity was named ‘Clywdian Way’ which had three timing points and a secret check, we lost time here after overshooting a well-known tricky ‘white’ slot, we arrived with all four wheels locked but still dropped 40 seconds into this one.

The third and final regularity of the evening was ‘Flintshire Hills’, here we were going well, starting to settle down, and dropped just four seconds in the first control followed by a bit of a disaster! Towards the end there was a 45 left followed by a hairpin right with the final control just before a hairpin left. Unfortunately there was two hairpin lefts close together, Bob called it and I just got the Mini round on the handbrake and we set off looking for the final control, Bob counting down the seconds, then ‘this doesn’t look right’, headlights approaching us turned out to be previous and eventual winners Paul Wignall and Mark Appleton who had made the same mistake! We tiptoed past each other on the narrow lane then I had to find a slot to ‘hook’ it round and we raced back, aware someone else may have made the same mistake and be heading our way! The control which was at the second hairpin was a few yards away but over a sharp crest!!

After this was the ‘Special Test’ which was on a large farm complex, the test had to be modified as the farmer had been out working all day and we arrived to find that the test I had spent hours getting ‘right’ in my head had changed! It was raining, very dark and very muddy, but we had a good run, keeping it neat and only pushing hard were I was confident of the grip , and this gave us fastest time in class, one second ahead of Lenehan/Woodman.

It was then back to the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Chester for the welcome dinner and the results and starting order for Friday morning. It had been like a half night road rally rather than a gentle warm up!

We ended up 17^th overall and second in class, eleven seconds behind Lenehan/Woodman. The successful husband and wife team of Bob and Susan McClean in their fantastic little Anglia Super arrived back very late after getting stuck down a ‘white’ and needing a tow off a tractor to get out. Dinner, a pint and bed followed for us, pondering what Friday would bring and happy we had got the first part under our belt.

To be continued…

We recently restructured our pricing and as a result have lower, more competitive prices. this wasn’t good enough though and we are now we are reducing them even more with a savings of up to 33% on top ! This means that we currently have the lowest prices ever!

The whole range of Mini Sport products is included so whether you are looking for Service and MoT Parts, Winter Tyres or Christmas Gifts and Stocking Fillers they will be at a reduced price!

These price drops are for this weekend only so make the most of these amazingly low prices whilst you can!

Start Shopping NOW at minisport.com

The CRA (Classis Rally Association) run Rally of The Tests historic rally, also known as RoTT, was held this year between Thursday 31^st October and Sunday 3^rd November.

The event, run for the twelfth time this year, is a recreation of the early RAC rallies before it became a purely special stage event.  In previous years I have spectated and marshalled/run tests on the event, but the financial costs have always prevented me from taking part, though it was my dream to do it! Over the last few years myself and my friend and regular navigator Bob Hargreaves have done many local modern night rallies and daytime historic road rallies, including a few HRCR championship events which always seem to run with full 80 car entries. Our car is the infamous ‘Orangebox’, a mongrel of a Mini, built from two cars to go rallying back in 1962, the ‘Orangebox’ name given to it because of the Marigold body colour.

Bob also navigates for a couple of other local drivers, and in 2012 was given the chance to navigate on the RoTT for previous winner and star driver, the Irishman Frank Fennell in his Alfa. I was envious of Bob getting the chance to do the event, but I looked forward to hearing all about it.  On his return he said ‘bloody hell, never again!!’. It seems they had a fraught time on the first couple of days but recovered to get a decent result inside the top fifteen by the finish

At the end of 2012 myself and Bob were at the awards ceremony for the 2012 ANWCC Historic rally championship, which we won, and over a few beers we decided to see if we could get the funds together to compete on the 2013 RoTT, influenced by the fact that for this year it started and finished in the north of England which would mean less travelling to and from the start and finish venues. The fact that, although later cars were allowed to compete, only pre-1962 cars could figure in the overall classification, and that Bob was forfeiting his annual holiday and so could meet half the cost of the entry fee meant I just had to find the rest and prep the car!

We decided that for 2013 we would do just a handful of events just to ‘keep my hand in’, and to concentrate on getting the car legal for RoTT. A chat with Chris Harper of MINISPORT of Padiham resulted in us getting a lot of help, support and backing through the year culminating in the ‘Tests’. We replaced our Perspex side windows with glass, the fibreglass boot lid with a steel one and the Cooper ‘S’ brakes were changed for Cooper 7” discs. The 997 engine, built by Michael Anderson at MINISPORT needed nothing other than a bit of a service and check.

Our aim for the event was firstly to finish, it would be disastrous to retire early, next, to get in to the top twenty and to finish well in our class, the crew to beat being Frank Lenehan with Cath Woodman, multiple time class winners, in their lovely smoke grey 997 Cooper. The event was to start late Thursday afternoon in Chester with a short night/prologue section to set the running order for the first full day, Friday. We were to start at car 9, the event then running with reverse seeding ie, if you finished the prologue in tenth overall, Friday morning saw you running tenth from last on the road.

The format this year was a roughly 750 mile route, with the previously mentioned prologue on Thursday finishing back on the outskirts of Chester. Friday morning saw the restart going north towards Ellesmere Port before heading south through North Wales before travelling east back into England with the Friday night overnight halt in Stoke on Trent. Saturday would see us going north up to Oulton Park then up into Lancashire then across to Kirby Lonsdale, Appleby, Brough ,then west to the overnight halt in Windermere. The restart on Sunday saw us go south again before travelling east through North Yorkshire and onto the finish in Harrogate on late Sunday afternoon.

Wednesday the 30^th October saw Bob arriving from his home in Ulverston, we loaded up the Mini with bags and what seemed like a vanload of paraphernalia and we made our 65 mile journey to Chester and our accommodation for Wednesday and Thursday night. We made the hotel with no problems, checked in and unpacked we then set off in darkness to set up our tripmeter on the 5 mile ‘calibration route. We spent a good hour doing this getting the trip calibrated to our satisfaction, before we returned to our hotel for a meal and a pint while looking over the paperwork, quite a bit of which had been sent out the week before, including the test route book with all 33 of them illustrated.
To be continued…

Mini Sport are always happy to help customers in any way possible. Many customers visit us before attending an event or competition of some kind so it is always nice to hear how things went. The latest to get in touch is Ian & Helen who we advised on their Metro:

“We just wanted to thank you for your help and advice with our Metro this year.

Your advice as to the best parts to complete the rebuilt engine helped us win 2 rallies this year.  Firstly the Rallye des Jonquilles in Northern France in April where we won the International Class and earlier this month, the 4-day November Sun Run – 1500km from the Champagne region to the Col de Turini – where we finished as overall winners!

We might not have had the best looking car at either event, but we had a good team and more importantly a car which was mechanically sound to make it to the finish.”

Have you used Mini Sport parts in an event or benefitted from our technicians advice? We always love to hear how things have gone.. good or bad!

You can email any news or stories to me at daniel.anderson@minisport .com