Round 1, Mallory Park. 30th March, 2003

At long last, the first race of the season - Mallory Park. This would be the acid test of all the winter work to get the Mini ready for the Super Mighty Minis Championship.

This would be the acid test of all the winter work to get the Mini ready for the Super Mighty Minis Championship. With...

Super Mighty Minis Championship. Rounds 2 and 3.

Brands Hatch was the latest venue to host round 2 and 3 of the Super Mighty Minis Championship in 2003. On a gusty Easter Sunday morning I qualified 8th I could have done better, but I was still getting to grips with the first corner – the infamous Paddock Hill Bend...

Brakes - Silicone brake Fluid

To use or not to use - that is the question! BRAKES - Silicone brake fluid, to use or not to use - that is the question! Over more recent years I've had affair number of discussions on the use of silicone brake fluid as opposed to the more common type. I have to say some folk are vehemence in their belief that this stuff is 'the answer' to all kinds of brake maladies. Some time ago I contacted the two major brake specialists in this country (UK) to see what they had to say. Their reactions was as vehemence as those believers above. For what it's worth, I thought I'd spread the word according to the manufacturers - which happens to be similar to my limited experience with this 'liquid savior'. Some has heralded silicone-based brake fluid as being the last word in brake fluid, yet also brings a look of horror onto the faces of some. The classic car folk swear by it, particularly for vehicles that are not used much where brake seal failure can be experienced, and because it does not

CTR-STR1057 GROUP A TURBO HEADGASKET FOR RACING, BLOCK NEEDS MODIFICATION

This gasket was originally developed by Howley Racing way back in the mid eighties for what was then part of the factory Rover Group racing effort - the Group A Metro Turbo. C-STR1057 Group A Turbo head gasket The engines developed by Howley Racing were giving 220+bhp and 185lb ft running 16.4psi boost - quite a chunk of power in a car little bigger than a Mini! Despite 10" wide sticky slicks, the engine chirped the tyres in each upward gear change. Even more impressive when you consider this was still on it's single 1.75" HIF SU carb! All that was basically done was to take a standard production head gasket (the then all over silver TAM1521 - a great gasket it it's own right) and add a reinforced fire ring by over-lapping the existing one with an extra fold of metal.As a consequence the block needs to be machined to accept this gasket - rendering it useless for any other gasket fitment and any further over-bores (even to 73.5mm) unless a top-hat type liner was used.

Super Mighty Minis Championship - Snetterton Park 2004

Snetterton in Norfolk was revisited for the final 2 rounds of the 2004 Super Mighty Minis Championship.

After a long and undulating championship I came to rounds 11 and 12 with height spirits knowing 3rd in the Championship was up for grabs. Qualifying did not go according to plan. Almost straight ...

Frenzied activity in the Bill Sollis Racing Mini Miglia Team...

Over the course of the last two weekends there has been frenzied activity in the Bill Sollis Racing Mini Miglia Team. We have raced three times experiencing the full spectrum of highs and lows in the process!

It started at Croix en Ternois in Northern France which The Mini Se7en Racing Club visited for the first time. We had a double header to look forward to and I always enjoy the challenge....

Engineering - Consistent measurements

During a recent discussion with a few overseas Mini brethren - who were experiencing various engine-related problems - something cropped up that I have always taken as granted (in the sense of ' a standard for the application'); the matter of consistency in measurements.

Now we're not talking about the sort of measurements you make with a ruler, since discrepancies of a small nature don't tend to matter a whole lot. No, we're talking about the sort of measurements made with fine measuring instruments such as micrometers or vernier calipers.

Now, the discussion that was going on was with reference to the best clearance to run between the bore and piston for a given piston type for race or street purposes. I hade quoted figures that I generally use for both situations for forged and for cast piston types.

Oulton Park - Super Mighty Minis Championship.

Oulton Park in Cheshire was the venue that saw the drivers of the British Super Mighty Minis championship do battle for round 10.

Comis’s newly liveried car looked fantastic in the gleaming early morning August sunshine. On track for qualifying and it was business as usual. The times for the first laps fell steadily and things were looking good for the Birmingham hopeful.

SILICONE VALLEY

For some reason, I have recently had a spate of queries about this stuff. So I thought I'd do a quick tech thing on it, seeing as most of the little available information is seemingly misleading.

'Into the valley of death, rode the six hundred.........' No, this isn't about silicone microchips, or anything about computers at all. Having just done that stuff on disc brakes, it prompted me into thinking about the braking systems as a whole, one thing lead to another, and, well, and brake fluid. More exactly, silicone based brake fluid. For some reason, I have recently had a spate of queries about this stuff. So I thought I'd do a quick tech thing on it, seeing as most of the little available information is seemingly misleading. Silicone based brake fluid has been heralded by some as being the last word in brake fluid, yet also brings a look of horror onto the faces of some. Strange, eh?

MINISPARES HISTORIC RALLY TEAM - 2005 SEASON - PART1

After a major engine rebuild carried out by MED in Leicester designed to give a stronger bottom end with a fully specified crankshaft and their special high torque camshaft (STR 930) to make the car more driveable.

The S rods were smoothed, polished and whole assembly balanced giving a very usable power band from 3000 to 7000, but capable of revving to 8000 safely.

MINISPARES HISTORIC RALLY TEAM - 2005 SEASON - PART2

Conister Trust Historic Manx Rally - 28th to 30th July 2005

As this would be our first visit to the island, Anthony and I decided to take advantage of the two pre-event recce days on the preceding weekend, flying out from Birmingham and doing the Stage recce in a hired 1.4 Seat Leon

The weather was sunny and dry on the Saturday and Sunday and over a busy two days...

Super Mighty Minis for round 4 at Silverstone

After returning from the French rounds of the Championship, the Super Mighty Minis moved closer to home for round 4; the world famous Silverstone circuit.
Morning qualifying saw a confident Comis nail a Pole position lap time that no one got close to for the last half of the session.
Overjoyed with his result...

Alex Comis in the Super Mighty Minis Championship at Donnington Park

The picturesque countryside of Derbyshire was the setting for rounds 5 and 6 of the Super Mighty Minis Championship at the epic Donington Park. With pole positi

Super Mighty Minis Championship. Silverstone. 2006

For the 13th and final time of 2006 the Super Mighty Minis Championship returned to one of the most epic motor racing venues in the world, Silverstone.

Though the Championship was buttoned up by Neven Kirkpatrick, 2nd place was still up for grabs and the fight between David Kirkpatrick and Alex Comis would be settled by the drop of the final chequered flag.

the Mighty Minis circus moved to the Northamptonshire track of Rockingham

After the wacky races at Mallory, the Mighty Minis circus moved to the Northamptonshire track of Rockingham. Looking to build on his solid start to the season Alex, in the number 3 Mini Spares.com car, was keen to capitalise to bolster his championship hopes.

By the end of the qualifying session...

14.07.07 – Croft Report by Keith Calver

Whisking the head off again after removal at Silverstone to found out what the problem was 9obviously bent exhaust valve) I was praying that it had not trashed the head. I couldn't face having to do another race head so soon. Fortunately it had just dinged the edge of the seat in the head slightly – so a new valve, guide re-ream, and seat 'trim' got thing sorted.

With all the bits re-applied I took the car back down to genial Pete at Alwyn Kershaw's....

11.08.07 - Snetterton Report by Keith Calver

Having made some improvements and progress at Croft the decision now was – what to do next? The increase in toe-out on the rear, despite being a small amount, seemed to help get the car turned better. Should I add more? In my 'softly softly' approach to getting the car sorted so I don't loose my way I contemplated this for a while and decided that on the whole it would be better to go to Snetterton with the car as it finished at Croft....

02.09.07 - Donington Park Report by Keith Calver

Once again I found myself swamped with work causing the now familiar last minute rush to check the race car over before departing to Donnington. This race weekend was going to be a very different affair than what has become the norm. Karin was having to work the weekend, my 'opposition' in my class and in another Clubby - Steve (Young) - has resigned himself to doing the last race of the year at Oulton park due to work pressures, and stats man and hospitality provider Keith (Manning – now Otto v

16.09.07 - Thruxton Report by Keith Calver

Post race check after Donnington revealed – well, nothing really. Except I still have oil coming from somewhere to give a fine rust-proof coating to the area adjacent to the Clutch housing. Seriously annoying as generally I don't build leaky engines. No leaks from the calipers – so that's a relief, although I am still lacking confidence in the brakes on the whole. I am more and more coming to the conclusion that it is the pad type....

29.09.07 Oulton Park - Report by Keith Calver

It was time to strip both front brake calipers completely and re-seal them to stop the irritating leaks. So that's exactly what I did using the new sets of seals I bought from KAD instead of the standard AP Lockheed seals. The AP ones look fine, but obviously something is causing them to relax or deteriorate in race use. With the calipers re-built and re-fitted I bled the system up with my Gunsons Easi-Bleed one-man brake bleeding kit.

It seemed pointless fitting new pads in for one race as I had plans to up-grade the brakes over the winter which would include a new set of a different type. I then decided to try and track down where the damned oil was coming from that was on the inner wing and under the clutch....