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Chas Pollet wrote:I'm Charlie Pollet, the dude that Rachel got into this journey. I am a long time race mechanic working on various cars, but always preferring Minis. Before retiring in 2004, I worked for Joe Huffaker as crew chief on the Huffaker Mini, plus working on other Huffaker cars. We won 9 national championships from 1997 to 2004, which I consider the best time of my life. I was friends with Bob Kimes from back in the 1960's when I started working on Minis and considered him the Mini guru here in the midwest. Before I got sick back in February, I had started to compile information on all of Bob Kimes' Minis and other race cars for a book of some sort. I will be getting back on that soon, I hope.
Now to Rachel's Kimes Mini. If you have any doubt about what the car will look like when finished, check the following link of pictures of her Mini that Andy has raced the past two years. The photos were taken at a race, not a car show. I know this is somewhat off topic, but it is ok with all. Charlie Pollet
http://www.BritishRaceCar.com/RachelNel ... ooperS.htm

Very sad to hear this belated news below, I used to correspond with Charlie/Chas Pollet of the Ohio Mini Owners club back in the 1980's pre-internet/email days when it was much harder to find out what was happening in the Mini scene overseas. We had to write letters!

Mid-Ohio aims for largest all-Mini starting grid
"The weekend will also feature a tribute to Charlie Pollet, a fixture of the classic Mini community who reportedly never missed a Mini race at Mid-Ohio in the past four decades. A former crew chief for Joe Huffaker during numerous SCCA Runoffs at Mid-Ohio, Pollet died last March."
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014 ... ting-grid/

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

http://www.toyboxracing.com/albums/albu ... 075589.htm

Looking good !!!

hello Rachel
here's Stour Valley Motors back in '67

not far from where i live

Regards - martin

Well done Martin, it's fair to say SVM could have been the supplier to another local dealer but well found! I tried to collar Steve Neal about the car at Oulton BTCC recently but he was surrounded and looked very busy (for obvious reasons!) so no joy. Mid Ohio is this weekend, good luck with 129 LNP Rachel, full report please!

Shifty in the car for the first time...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm05T87jVXc

The Mid-Ohio event is going well; however, it may be a few days before Rachel responds. She has been working very hard to get the Mini part of the event to run smoothely and it has taken it's toll. One more day and a few days to recover and she should be back to normal!

Not much about the car , or it's significance but a nice clip about Shifty's engine here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydZ_e2u7IU

Came across this one online, thought it would belong here

That's a great shot, being Chris Montague in the Alexander car trying to avoid collecting Gordon Spice, I found that shot years ago, begged the photographer to let me have a copy and published it in the MCR mag. The original is beautifully high res and there's several similar.

Martin,

Excellent photos - thank you!

Andy and I really appreciate all the photos and info that has been found, either directly or indirectly. Thank you to everyone for your contributions!

In the ongoing search for the truth, this summer we are going to visit the widow of Chuck Dietrich (he passed away last summer sadly), who raced 129 LNP at Nassau in 1966. Chuck's widow has a race photo collection on loan to a museum, and recalled the Mini was the "family favorite" race car. She was delighted to hear that we were restoring it. In fact for me one of the highlights of the Can-Am Mini Challenge Race was the unprecedented support we received from the Kimes and Pollet families, as well as the Ohio Mini Owners and Central Ohio Mini Owners clubs. 100+ people from these two clans, plus OMO and COMO members, turned out to see #52 driven by Nick Swift take 2nd overall. It was a moment I will always treasure and never forget. Huge thanks to Nick for building the awesome engine in #52, and his obvious talent behind the wheel!

The Kimes Ladies even painted their finger nails in tribute:


Charlie Pollet's family with Nick Swift & #52. That is Charlie's urn sitting on the roof - I think he approves!


I will post any relevant info I find from Chuck's widow when we return from the visit.

I know we've discussed Sebring cars on here and 231 VPK, the supposed remnants of which were discovered by the late Paul Lips...

http://www.redandwhite.it/231VPK/index.htm

I talked to Paul about this car, is it now going to be restored as the racer, I suppose the question is how much more verifiable information did he find out about the car to establish is was VPK

It's a good question, I did try and find info for Paul but as most it's history was overseas it wasn't very fruitful. Is the car still in Italy?

"New" photo for you Rachel, Neal at Chateau Impney Hillclimb 1964....




viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10165&hilit=129+lnp

Thanks for that Pete! Excellent photo.

Pretty sure he won his class at Chateau Impney the year later in a 1000cc Mini.