Mo Mendham? Mini Racer
Posted: Fri Jul 08, 2011 7:12 pm
Does anyone know what happened to the 1960's/70's Mini racer Mo Mendham or his ultra-lightweight race Mini from the 1970's or maybe you have some photos of his Mini (see below) or links to some on the internet?
For reference Mo Mendhams very strange looking ultra-lightweight aluminium paneled Mini No.179 (at 1m15s) can be seen in this race video from Crystal Palace Sep 9th 1972. I used to love watching the Special Saloons especially Mini's including Mo's at the race circuits in the 1970's. Happy days!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heL84f5l ... r_embedded
Quote posted below from 'Cooperman' (TMF) one of his race and rally friends who had some info but lost touch with him many years ago:
"Now Mo, despite having a B.Sc. in aeronautical engineering, sort-of got into some bad ways and spent some time, let's say, out of circulation courtesy of Her Majesty.
His ultra-lightweight Mini then found its way to a scrap yard north of Stevenage called 'Jack's Hill. There was another well-known Mini race driver called John Aley, who was the first person to commercially make roll cages known as 'Aley-Bars'. He got a call from someone and went to look at it in the scrap yard, expecting it to be some sort of 'boy-racer' car, but was amazed at it when he saw it. I understand that it was sold within the motor-sport fraternity. I know this because I often used to have lunch with John Aley as his place was just down the road from where I worked in Cambridge. That was just a great coincidence really.
I was sorry to lose contact with Mo as he and I had been very good friends during our student days and I navigated for him on several of the rallies he did before he got seriously into racing. He was very competitive and we got some excellent results, but really his heart was in racing."
Mo Mendham is mentioned in the Mini Racing story book as running his tuning business from the garage behind his parents pub in Watford and fellow Mini racer Paul Butler goes on to describe a pre-race overtaking incident between himself towing his race Mini with Mo's Mk2 Jag towing his Mini up the M1 to Mallory Park before they both became rather unstable at 70mph!
Quote posted below from 'Cooperman' (TMF)
"The pub was the Nascot Arms and I spent many happy hours there working with Mo on his Minis and drinking in the bar.
He and I, with another ace Mini driver Bill Rogers were all student apprentices together at de Havilland Aircraft, Hatfield from 1958. Before getting into Minis, Mo raced a very light TVR in which he had a big accident at Mallory. He said that after sitting in the wreckage with bits of fibreglass sticking up his 'jacksy', he thought a steel-bodied car might be better.
I could tell so many stories about Mo, but most would not be suitable for printing. Suffice to say that when young, we enjoyed life to the full - and then some!
I did ask my other great friend Barrie 'Whizzo' Williams if he knew where Mo is these days but he, too, has lost contact with him and I thought Barrie knew everyone!"
Link to 1967 Mini Se7en Club magazine (with period Mini racing photos):
Mo Mendham leads Ken Costello - see page 3
http://www.mini7.co.uk/downloads/1967Mi ... gazine.pdf
