Free Formula 850 Special Saloon (1972)

[mab01uk]

Just scanned some old 'period' album pictures which I thought I would share, of my older brothers (Ray Bell) 850cc Free Formula Special Saloon Mini at Silverstone & Brands Hatch in 1972, wheels were 6x10 Mambas + Dunlop and later Firestone 1B19 6.0x19.3x10 slicks with Dunlop CR65 Mk11 (320) 5.00L-10 used on S reverse rims for the wet. The body was an early 1961 Mk1 ex-Mini 7 shell bought for £25 and we 'updated' it cutting apertures for Mk2 rear lights!
Mini 7 ace Chris Tyrell modded the head at his Leatherhead, Surrey workshop along with my own modded road Mini's at the time.........in later years my younger brother Steve went on to become Chris Tyrell's race mechanic and ultimately a Mini 7 champion himself in 1997, so this is where it all started!



Brands Hatch also in 1972 (The mis-matched blue fibreglass bootlid was a hasty replacement for some previous weekends damage!)


Has anyone got pictures of Robin Brookes green ultra lightweight Longman short-stroke 850 Mini, a frequent front runner in the 850 special saloon class at the time? (or any other club racing Mini's from that early 1970's era).

[JC T ONE]

Cool car & cool pictures thanks for posting .


Jens Christian

[sandman]

Grear photos, thank you for sharing!

[morris-miner]

Likewise,a wonderful glimpse into to times long gone, but not forgotten.

[KA2S4]

Is it true tat they used to get 970 motors and somehow bring them down to 850cc for the "850 Free" class?

[rich@minispares.com]

Is it true tat they used to get 970 motors and somehow bring them down to 850cc for the "850 Free" class?

you just use a Gordon allen 52 mm (I think) crank

I have one here, we use it as a door stop

[yorkspv]

Is it true tat they used to get 970 motors and somehow bring them down to 850cc for the "850 Free" class?

Or half a BDA engine! Did anyone actually use an a series 850 in this class?

[ivor badger 2]

Is it true tat they used to get 970 motors and somehow bring them down to 850cc for the "850 Free" class?

Or half a BDA engine! Did anyone actually use an a series 850 in this class?

Yes, but I will need to look up who it was (failing memory)

Mab, surely you were using IB19s first and then swapping to Dunlop slicks in the middle of the season..

Who was the guy who got DQ'd for the 1340 motor around that time? I'm sure he used to race at Silverstone

[wantafaster1]

That's brilliant. Out of interest, what is the car parked beside in the picture he's pumping the tyres? A Mallock or something?

[mab01uk]

Is it true tat they used to get 970 motors and somehow bring them down to 850cc for the "850 Free" class?

Or half a BDA engine! Did anyone actually use an a series 850 in this class?

Those on a tighter budget used more conventional 'tuned' A Series 850 with in our case an S head by Chris Tyrrell and some eventually switched to Mini 7 and Miglia racing to bring down rising costs. The most powerful front runners were using high revving 850cc A-Series Mini engines based on the 970 S or with special Longman short stroke steel cranks for the 850 'Free-Formula' class back in the 1970's. The 850cc class was full of destroked/overbored 970 Cooper S engines usually running exotic 8-port heads and the like. -Quote- "the stroke's so short the pistons only quiver in the block!!"

Some more information and pictures of the Gordon Allen 2-cylinder 850cc BDA engine in thread link below:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2675&p=19165

Designed and built by Gordon Allen from half a 1700cc BDA (so rated at 850cc). In the 1970's special saloons there was an 850cc class which was full of destroked/overbored 970 Cooper S engines, usually running exotic 8-port heads and the like. This 2 cylinder BDA was a real winner once a few niggles were overcome. It was used by Peter Day in a Mini and also a Fiat 500 (the "Mighty Mouse") Here it is at home in the Mini;







http://www.racing70s.pwp.blueyonder.co. ... ni_065.htm

[mab01uk]

That's brilliant. Out of interest, what is the car parked beside in the picture he's pumping the tyres? A Mallock or something?

I think you are right......I will try to dig out some more old photos from the paddock.....many of them are on Kodak slides and I need to get them scanned to digital so I can post them easily.

[ivor badger 2]

That's brilliant. Out of interest, what is the car parked beside in the picture he's pumping the tyres? A Mallock or something?

I think you are right......I will try to dig out some more old photos from the paddock.....many of them are on Kodak slides and I need to get them scanned to digital so I can post them easily.

looks like a clubmans car. That is the class a Mallock is built to, but it's not a Mallock. The front wing is far too crude.

[mab01uk]

Our same race Mini 2 years later in 1974 at Paddock Bend, Brands Hatch....this time with my brother Geoff at the wheel......note the addition of a 70's style front spoiler and the flatter profile to the roof following the trend in 'Special Saloons' for replacing large steel panels like the roof with lightweight aluminium sheet pop riveted in place !
(Mo Mendham had the ultimate lightweight alloy paneled free formula Mini at the time......whatever happened to him?)

[mab01uk]

1972 Crystal Palace London
Note 'Mo Mendhams' famous odd looking ultra-lightweight aluminium paneled race Mini!! (No. 179)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heL84f5limE












Thread on 10-tenths Forum:
Mo Mendham? 1960's/70's Mini Racer
http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131336

[Vegard]

Our same race Mini 2 years later in 1974 at Paddock Bend, Brands Hatch....this time with my brother Geoff at the wheel......note the addition of a 70's style front spoiler and the flatter profile to the roof following the trend in 'Special Saloons' for replacing large steel panels like the roof with lightweight aluminium sheet pop riveted in place !
(Mo Mendham had the ultimate lightweight alloy paneled free formula Mini at the time......whatever happened to him?)

So 61 secs around Brands Hatch in 1974 in an 850?

Was the track shorter back then??

Great looking car!!

[rich@minispares.com]

jeff bloxham was still taking great photos when I was racing in Heritage mid 2000's - he has certainly been around for a few years!

[mab01uk]

BH Club/Indy circuit has got slightly shorter over the years I think as corners were re-aligned for safety, due to increased run off areas/large gravel traps on corners like Paddock. I think the 850 short stroke front runners in the '70's were well under 60 sec at that time?

According to link below it was 1.24 miles in 1960-75 and is 1.226 miles from 2003 to date.
http://www.etracksonline.co.uk/europe/u ... ch03i.html

The 998cc Mini 7 lap record today is 59.958 but shows indy circuit shorter at 1.199 length.
http://www.mini7.co.uk/LapRecords.html

Some interesting old photos of Brands Hatch early days here:
http://www.500race.org/Perspective/Brands%20Hatch.html

[Oldskoolbaby]

Great pictures! Will dig out my cars programmes from Brands and Silverstone. Chances are they were at the same events just different races.

[mab01uk]

Finally found a photo of Robin Brookes dark metallic green, de-seamed ultra lightweight Longman short-stroke 850 Mini, a frequent front runner in the 850 special saloon class in the 1970's.



Lydden 1973. Ken Welch, Robin Brooks (Longman), (Pete sombody) Keith Padmore, Dave Foster. Lydden regulars in 850 Special Saloons.

[sandman]

Lydden 1973. Ken Welch, Robin Brooks (Longman), (Pete sombody) Keith Padmore, Dave Foster. Lydden regulars in 850 Special Saloons.

I think atleast two of those chaps can still be found racing Mini's today!