Brands Hatch Mini Festival 2013

[mab01uk]

[mab01uk]

Incidents and rollover on Paddock Bend in Mini7 race due to oil on track......

[Pete]

Results...

http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&sea ... tid=132551

[morris-miner]

I love the fiesta yellow, but have never seen a roof aerial mounted like that before.

[mab01uk]

On the Starting Grid Walkabout today just before the MINI Challenge Race.....

[mk1]

Did anyone get any decent pics of our own Guru in Car 61?

M

[hanlminiman]

Did anyone get any decent pics of our own Guru in Car 61?

M

Hi Mark
Missed you taking part in the 12/12 last week. I think this picture includes car 61 in good company on Saturday. No racing pictures on Sunday, too much catch fencing at Paddock Bend for obvious reasons which I witnessed as 2 FIA Mini Coopers performed synchronised spinning just after a Media photographer left his position, it would have been a great picture as he was about 50 metres from the action.
Cliff

[guru_1071]

brands was a great weekend, some beautiful cars both racing and on display,

I had a great race, it was a bit epic as the clutch went, so I had to freewheel into the pitlane exit road, I thought it was all over, but a quick look revealed that the big nuts on the release bearing carrier had wound up to the chinamans hat - dam!

I managed to wind them off with my hand, put my helmet back on and the marshal let me drive out the emergency vehicle lane back onto the track! - whoohoo!

then, thanks to a poor French guy burying his car into the tyre wall, the safety car came out and I got bunched in with the front cars, so I just circulated with them until the green flag came out and then had a good few hard charging laps.

bar the nuts, the car ran great all weekend!

[Dean]

I have some photos. I was sat on paddock seating area. Got some video which I can also take freeze frame shots from.

Was a bit of a shame seeing rich disappear into the exit lane. Not another year with only a few laps. Then bang out he came again. And quite funny seeing him fighting a bit with the green swiftune car but behind the saftey car and after it went in.

You did well. 3 cars did not finish , and even with you off the track a few laps you were still not last. And not bad for a 1071 with a lot of 1293.

I sort out bits of my film and dig out some photos and get them up soon.

[InimiaD]

Looking forward to meeting some of you guys eventually and seeing Guru's bus in the flesh.

im afraid to own up that ive sold the bus, though its new owner will be at brands this weekend, so it will be there in all its glory.

im going in the mighty Volvo v40 - cheaper, but not as much fun

@ Rich. Our lot of reprobates were parked up close to your old bus and that's when i found out that you'd sold it on.

I did go in search of you and did find the Mini and Volvo, but every time I passed on the way to or from the bogs you were (quite sensibly hiding) nowhere to be seen.

As for the weekend, it was an absolute blinder and I'm still suffering. Had a slight miss fire issue with the Historic which cost us 1/2 second a lap and despite changing the obvious bits we could not cure it.
Fifth overall was about the right result considering the issues and the car not having turned a wheel in anger until testing on Friday.

Had a first in the All comers race on Sunday which rounded off the weekend nicely. A blinding drive by Mr Owens.
That car hadn't turned a wheel in anger either until Friday afternoon.

Your 1071 looked and sounded really nice Rich and went really well considering the smaller CC.

[mk1coopers]

Good to catch up with some of you on Sunday, nice close racing with multiple finishes decided by less than a second

[mab01uk]

Why do people post bmw minis on this classic mini forum,? surely the bmw tainted MCR forum or a bmw mini club website would be more appropriate, they certainly have nothing in common with anything to do with mk 1minis. Most classic mini people have little or no interest in these cars

If you don't like a post or thread or have no interest simply don't read it or skip over it like I do or walk past the offending cars at shows without comment.....at least I went to the trouble of sharing my photos of the weekend at Brands. As a life long Mini enthusiast since the early 1960's, growing up in a Mini racing family (Free Formula 850, Mini7 & Miglias),and as the owner of several Mk1's over the years (also Mk2/3/4/vans/Pickups & Mokes), I can still appreciate all aspects of the world of Mini ownership and like many of my current classic Mini owning family & friends, I am not ashamed to also own a MINI as a daily driver and really don't see the need to edit out views of any MINI's from event reports in case they cause offence to people like yourself. The Mini Festival starting grid 'walkabout' for spectators took place before the start of the MINI Challenge and judging by the crowds around the MINI's and their drivers on the grid quite a few of those present were interested. Along with the Minisport Rally MINI charity passenger rides, etc it was an integral part of the day as were all the Mini/MINI clubs, trade stands, circuit parades and show cars whether historic orientated or more recent and I thought worth sharing to give those on here who could not be there (or were busy in the paddock and pits all day) an overall picture of the weekends events and the general friendly atmosphere.
For instance it was good to see my son there in his own modified MINI One taking part in the circuit parade, chatting with the other MINI/Mini enthusiasts, swapping ideas and even taking some photos of some of the classics on show or racing! Also another young family member racing and making good progress in his Mini7. I rarely find any MINI owners or enthusiasts who actively dislike Mini's or would make narrow minded statements like your 'the bmw tainted MCR forum' comment above, mostly they want to know and learn a little more about the 'old timers' that came before. Reminds me of when I first took my Mk1 Mini to some local classic car shows in the late 70's/early 80's and was told by many of the more snobby 'purists' that the Mini was both too common and still in production.....so could therefore never become a 'proper' British classic car.
Good to see Mini Magazine is encouraging some crossover and now has an R53 Cooper S as a staff daily driver project car featured in the mag.....now an early R50/53 MINI is cheaper than many very average condition classic Minis!
PS. I'm sure if Mark F has a problem with my contributions over the years to his excellent Mk1 forum and website he will let me know.

[mab01uk]

xvl24.....likewise I don't need a lecture from you as a fairly recent member of this forum, why not just mind your own business?......I will gladly ignore all your posts in future, you can also ignore mine. As already said I'm sure if Mark F has a problem with any of my 610 posts on this version of the forum since it started (plus the many on the previous one), I'm sure he will contact me himself.

[mk1]

I have absolutely no problems with posts on BMW's. Whether we like them or not, they are part of the Mini scene & during an event like the Mini festival they are an inevitable part of the scenery.

I consider all members who post regularly as a massive boon to the MK1 site & I always welcome any interesting contributions.

However, my prime interest is in keeping the site friendly & respectful, as Mab suggests above, if someone doesn't like what someone else posts, don't read it. I don't want to see anything descend into a slanging match, there are plenty of other forums people can go to if that's what they are after.

[almondgreen]

Please stop this discussion in the thread about this fantastic weekend.
I came back yesterday and my mind is still full of the impressions I had there.

Where else can You see a hole weekend with Minis only?

[mk1]

Well said Andreas!

If anyone wants to start another pointless "I don't like BMW Minis" thread, please do so in the general chat section where I sincerely hope it will be ignored.

M

[racemini.nl]

Will post tonight some decent photo's of Guru car 61

Had a very great weekend. Meeting new and old friends.

Just to start about the (BMW)mini. If there was no (BMW) mini such an event as last weekend wouldn't get bigger in the first place. I think(altough i don't like them that much) the (BMW)mini is important to get such an event getting bigger and bigger.
Oh and the final race wasn't won by a (BMW)mini but a real historic mini driven by James Martin.

And where in the world you have a 2 day event with just one make of car filling up all the races??

Next year better and bigger.

Regards Roald.

[guru_1071]

I agree

the bmws don't interest me, but id rather see them racing rather than the open wheeler stuff that was racing last year as part of the mini festival.

at the end of the day, to get a full weekend of mini only racing, the bmws have to be a welcome part of it, both as competitors, and club stands.

[racemini.nl]

I agree Guru. Let them race. it's better then last year.

[Red Mist]

Really surprised that the anti-MINI attitude is still so strong after all these years (and that people can be so childish about a few photos).

At the beginning it was 'cool' to hate what BMW did to the Mini...but the fact is the German car has it's own cult following and has done nothing but increase the popularity of the original car which can only be a good thing!

For the 2nd year running I have missed the event and am very grateful for the photos people have posted...be it original Mini or otherwise.