HorneyMX5's MINI Sprint Diary 2018
Discussion
I thought I'd run a separate thread to my Readers Rides thread in here, just to document my 2018 sprints in my 2002 Cooper S. Readers Ride thread here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
First sprint of 2018 has already been completed. It was the Farnborough District Motor Club Dimanche Sprint at Rushmoor Arena.
Car went really well and I knocked 1.5 seconds off my PB I’d set in my old supercharged MX5 back in 2016, in doing so bagged myself a 1st in class. I think a perfect run would have seen me dip into the 53’s. Final results showed I was 13th overall. Happy with that!
Here’s a short video: https://youtu.be/UJ-PJm7wI_c
Next up is the Abingdon CAR-nival sprint on June 9th.
First sprint of 2018 has already been completed. It was the Farnborough District Motor Club Dimanche Sprint at Rushmoor Arena.
Car went really well and I knocked 1.5 seconds off my PB I’d set in my old supercharged MX5 back in 2016, in doing so bagged myself a 1st in class. I think a perfect run would have seen me dip into the 53’s. Final results showed I was 13th overall. Happy with that!
Here’s a short video: https://youtu.be/UJ-PJm7wI_c
Next up is the Abingdon CAR-nival sprint on June 9th.
MDifficult said:
Really interested in following this story, but also understanding what’s gone before?
I’ve been tempted by both the motor club and the events themselves but never really aligned the interest and availability to make it happen - so would love to hear your experiences.
What sort of stuff do you want to know? Happy to answer any questions you may have. I’ve been tempted by both the motor club and the events themselves but never really aligned the interest and availability to make it happen - so would love to hear your experiences.
HorneyMX5 said:
What sort of stuff do you want to know? Happy to answer any questions you may have.
Just the basics really. How you got into it? What's involved? What you've had to buy (gear, licences etc)? Anything that's likely to inspire me to get off the sofa and have a go myself 
I started out about 10 years ago doing AutoSolos in a MK2 Golf GTi. AutoSolos are short and twisty speed trials round cones. All 1st and 2nd gear with no reverse. They're cheap to enter (£40), you need no kit or licence and it was a way to try something competitive compared to trackdays.
I did those for a few years and I loved them, I wasn't very good though. You have to have a good memory for the layout and be supremely accurate. The Golf was replaced by my first MX5 and I carried on doing them as it was a cheap way to drive it everywhere sideways without getting a ticket from plod.
A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to step up the speed element and try sprinting/Hill Climbing. Still in my first MX5, but now running an Eaton charger off an R53 MINI producing about 220bhp at the flywheel.
In terms of kit/Car Prep/Licence you need:
MSA Nat B (Non Race) Licence (Just a form, photo and money. No test).
Be a member of a Motorclub like FDMC
FIA Spec Helmet
FIA Spec Race Suit
FIA spec Gloves
Clearly marked ignition off sticker
Clearly marked tow points
Yellow tape around battery earth lead
With the above and a standard road car you are good to go. Tyres and modifications to the car all depend on what class you want to enter in. There's various classes to suit your car and different organisers often have different class structures. I run in road going classes.
I've been doing a couple a year now for about 3 years and this year aiming to be a minimum of 3 and maybe a round of Time Attack for a laugh. It's great fun and the competition very close usually. There's always a great atmosphere in the paddock and a real mix of ages and vehicles.
This year I'm focusing on building the MINI up to be a competitive car in class with all the bugs ironed out. Next year I hope to tackle a full championship of some sort.
I did those for a few years and I loved them, I wasn't very good though. You have to have a good memory for the layout and be supremely accurate. The Golf was replaced by my first MX5 and I carried on doing them as it was a cheap way to drive it everywhere sideways without getting a ticket from plod.
A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to step up the speed element and try sprinting/Hill Climbing. Still in my first MX5, but now running an Eaton charger off an R53 MINI producing about 220bhp at the flywheel.
In terms of kit/Car Prep/Licence you need:
MSA Nat B (Non Race) Licence (Just a form, photo and money. No test).
Be a member of a Motorclub like FDMC
FIA Spec Helmet
FIA Spec Race Suit
FIA spec Gloves
Clearly marked ignition off sticker
Clearly marked tow points
Yellow tape around battery earth lead
With the above and a standard road car you are good to go. Tyres and modifications to the car all depend on what class you want to enter in. There's various classes to suit your car and different organisers often have different class structures. I run in road going classes.
I've been doing a couple a year now for about 3 years and this year aiming to be a minimum of 3 and maybe a round of Time Attack for a laugh. It's great fun and the competition very close usually. There's always a great atmosphere in the paddock and a real mix of ages and vehicles.
This year I'm focusing on building the MINI up to be a competitive car in class with all the bugs ironed out. Next year I hope to tackle a full championship of some sort.
Sunday just gone was the Abingdon Motorsport CAR-nival, 2 days of cars and competition. On the Saturday there’s a 2 course sprint for nearly 200 cars and also an AutoSolo. On the Sunday stage rallying.
This year was my 3rd time at this event competing in the sprint. My two prevous attempts were in my supercharged MX5 and frankly I sucked. I need to dig out my old times, but the first year I finished 10th out of 11 in class. Ok, so I wasn’t last and in those days the class structure was 2000cc and above so I was against all sorts of mental machines in the road going classes.
This year the class is 1600 - 2300cc and with the multiplier for forced induction the MINI is in the upper limit of the class. Competitors were other MINIs (an R56 and R53 converted by 1320 to Turbo with over 300bhp), a Firsta ST, a couple of boosted MX5s and a collection on NA vehicles such as Clio’s and a 205 GTi.
This event has two courses. Abingdon being fast and mostly flowing, Bentley being more point and squirt. The format is 2 practice runs and then 2 timed runs on each. The combined total of your best time from each course is you time.
We did the Abingdon course in the morning and the R56 and the Fiesta absolutely destroyed me in the times. The young lad in the R56 posting times 4 seconds faster than me on a course that’s less than a minute in length! The Fiesta guy was a bit further ahead. I managed to squeak in front of the R53 Turbo by a small margin. Morning finished 3rd in class, time for a hotdog, a coffee and self addressed pep talk.
The afternoon course is the one I prefer and I fooled myself into thinking I could make up some of the time I was down in the morning against the top 2. Who was I kidding? I was better at this course, but only enough that the deficit was smaller to the top 2 but they were still quicker. I got closest to the fiesta, being only a 1 second slower on this course. The R56 romped away again.
It was enough to secure 3rd in class though. I’m chuffed to bits as going into the weekend I expected to be 5th or 6th having reviewed the entry list.
Here’s a video of the best run from each course.
https://youtu.be/FTYPraKflmM
Some things I’ve taken away from this weekend?
1 - 20 something lads who stage rally an Evo are unbeatable in their daily MINI.
2 - Fiesta STs with 300+ Bhp are epic.
3 - My bloody suspension is clonking and its getting worse
4 - I need more power
5 - I need better brake pads
5 - I need to be less of a pussy
Next sprint probably wont be until the autumn as I have a few trackdays, Euro road trip and a ring trip to do in the Mazda during August and September which is sucking up all my cash.
This year was my 3rd time at this event competing in the sprint. My two prevous attempts were in my supercharged MX5 and frankly I sucked. I need to dig out my old times, but the first year I finished 10th out of 11 in class. Ok, so I wasn’t last and in those days the class structure was 2000cc and above so I was against all sorts of mental machines in the road going classes.
This year the class is 1600 - 2300cc and with the multiplier for forced induction the MINI is in the upper limit of the class. Competitors were other MINIs (an R56 and R53 converted by 1320 to Turbo with over 300bhp), a Firsta ST, a couple of boosted MX5s and a collection on NA vehicles such as Clio’s and a 205 GTi.
This event has two courses. Abingdon being fast and mostly flowing, Bentley being more point and squirt. The format is 2 practice runs and then 2 timed runs on each. The combined total of your best time from each course is you time.
We did the Abingdon course in the morning and the R56 and the Fiesta absolutely destroyed me in the times. The young lad in the R56 posting times 4 seconds faster than me on a course that’s less than a minute in length! The Fiesta guy was a bit further ahead. I managed to squeak in front of the R53 Turbo by a small margin. Morning finished 3rd in class, time for a hotdog, a coffee and self addressed pep talk.
The afternoon course is the one I prefer and I fooled myself into thinking I could make up some of the time I was down in the morning against the top 2. Who was I kidding? I was better at this course, but only enough that the deficit was smaller to the top 2 but they were still quicker. I got closest to the fiesta, being only a 1 second slower on this course. The R56 romped away again.
It was enough to secure 3rd in class though. I’m chuffed to bits as going into the weekend I expected to be 5th or 6th having reviewed the entry list.
Here’s a video of the best run from each course.
https://youtu.be/FTYPraKflmM
Some things I’ve taken away from this weekend?
1 - 20 something lads who stage rally an Evo are unbeatable in their daily MINI.
2 - Fiesta STs with 300+ Bhp are epic.
3 - My bloody suspension is clonking and its getting worse
4 - I need more power
5 - I need better brake pads
5 - I need to be less of a pussy
Next sprint probably wont be until the autumn as I have a few trackdays, Euro road trip and a ring trip to do in the Mazda during August and September which is sucking up all my cash.
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