Our <strong>Mini</strong>s Positioning the MED front rad in the refurbished front subframe. Stephen Colbran Contributor Fresh graphics for the <strong>Mini</strong> and its rolling for good measure. MINI LIFE I’ve been around <strong>Mini</strong>s since I raced one aged 13, I rebuilt a <strong>Mini</strong> as my first road car, and have owned many others along the way. I’ve since driven, written about and photographed some of the best cars on the scene. No longer using the long-term project car, in 2017 I decided to sell most of my possessions and go racing again. MINI SPEC My <strong>Mini</strong> was once a <strong>Mini</strong> Miglia, built originally from a new Rover Motorsport shell in the early 2000s. Corgi produced a die-cast model of the car and it’s had a good deal of success over the years. It’s set to compete in the <strong>Mini</strong> Se7en S-Class, a limited-tuning starter series with an emphasis on DIY prep. My dad’s project is a <strong>Mini</strong> Clubman with a Vauxhall Astra VXR engine shoehorned up front. MINIS OWNED <strong>Mini</strong> Se7en racer VXR-engined Clubman To do list 1. Install brake lines 2. Build an engine 3. Set up the suspension Racing stripes In an effort to go faster, stripes add at least 10bhp to a race car you know... Obviously it’s most important to be fast and safe on track, but a race car has got to look the part too. With that in mind I got busy on Photoshop to create a livery, or a few as it happened, then fired some ideas back and forth with the graphics company. Between us we came up with a simple yet retro-style design, featuring the <strong>Mini</strong> Se7en S Class green and black from the existing trim and bumpers. Inspiration came from one of my Scalextric <strong>Mini</strong>s and a PlayStation game I used to play years ago. Until the vinyl started going down I wasn’t quite sure how it would turn Ed from Signs and Graphics UK working his magic with the vinyl. out away from the screen, but it’s come out a treat. Ed from Signs and Graphics UK popped over for the afternoon and started wrapping. With over 10 years of experience, he made it look far easier than it is, although the job still took about three hours from start to finish. These guys are used to wrapping full vehicles, from company vans to LMP cars, to much bigger stuff. In fact, Ed’s previous job before the <strong>Mini</strong> was Gran Turismo wrap on an artic truck for a GT race team - it was a threeman job apparently! Where size works in the <strong>Mini</strong>’s favour, those compound curves are a nightmare for bubbles, combined with the external seams to wrap around. I’ve seen full wraps on <strong>Mini</strong>s before, but I’m not convinced it’s sensible on a car that’s known to rust from the inside out. Rust under wraps on a race car is far less of an issue than with a road car left outside year-round. Either way, if the vinyls are applied by someone who knows what they’re doing, it certainly helps. You might also notice that the <strong>Mini</strong> has gone from a bare shell to rolling on the floor this month. Progress is going well as I invest every spare hour into the build. I lifted the shell up and off the trusty wheel-o-matic pallet creation and on to its <strong>Mini</strong>lite wheels. These are regulation alloys from series sponsor <strong>Mini</strong> Spares - either these or older 100+ rims, but they’ve been known to crack with age and the <strong>Mini</strong>lites are a great price for the quality. On the other hand, tyres are expensive for 10s at £118 plus VAT. Unlike road-going tyres that are produced in huge numbers, Dunlop only supplies these crossplies to the <strong>Mini</strong> Se7ens, production is more complex and all that adds up to a larger bill. It’s an unavoidable cost, but at least there’s good support at race meets. Even better was a hint by seasoned competitor Graeme Davis, who recommended asking around for people’s old cast-offs. For someone who just wants to go testing and have a play, the front-runners’ old tyres are plenty good enough. That handy advice netted me four part-worn race tyres for £50. That’ll do nicely! 98
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