The re-shelled 5-Port Mini made its debut at Lydden Hill in the Cannons Tin Tops races, the car was finished the night before the meeting so there was no time for a thorough shakedown and test before qualifying.

Qualifying

The Mini headed out onto the circuit with the intention of using the qualifying session as a shakedown for the car and checking that the car behaved as expected. After a number of slower installation laps the Mini began to pick up the pace and explore the limits of the handling and braking package. The Mini performed well during the session and would line up towards the front of the grid for the race.

Race 1

A storming start saw the Mini leap up to 3rd place as the cars headed to the first corner, the opposition fought back and an M3 found its way back past the Mini as the cars rounded Chessons. This put the Mini off line for the following corner allowing a Tomcat to sneak through as well. The Mini went back onto the offensive harrying the Tomcat and seeking a way past – persistence paid off and the Mini was able to out brake the Tomcat into the hairpin having set up the move at the previous corner.

The Mini looked to open up a gap to the chasing pack and close once more on the M3 but was unable to continue the fight succumbing to a minor electrical problem that caused a loss of power. The Mini returned to the paddock to be prepared for the second race having shown a glimpse of the cars potential.

Race 2

The non-finish in the first race saw the Mini lining up at the back of the grid for the second race. The Mini got a good start but was blocked off on the run to the first corner and had to settle in behind a pack of BMWs as the cars rounded Chessons for the first time. As the cars headed down the Dover Slope the Mini scythed past a pair of BMWs before taking two more of the German machines on the run up to the North Bend Hairpin. A storming first lap had seen the Mini take four places and it wasn’t finished there!

As the race continued the Mini quickly caught and passed a Renault 5 Turbo and Seat Ibiza before setting off in pursuit of the pack ahead. Having closed the gap the Mini made short work of a Fiesta before latching on to the tail of a Rover Tomcat. The two cars ran nose to tail as the Mini tried to find a way past, eventually the Mini got a good run out of Chessons and passed the Tomcat under braking for the Elbow before making good its escape.

The charge through the field continued with another BMW being swiftly despatched before the Mini closed in on a Celica. Again the Minis progress was only momentarily halted as the Celica was passed in short order, a Proton and Golf falling to the same fate moments later. As the chequered flag fell the Mini crossed the line in 5th place overall and 1st in class after its phenomenal charge through the field.

The re-shelled 5-Port had a superbly competitive debut – the DNF in the first race was unfortunate but teething problems with new car are to be expected and the cars overall performance throughout the meeting was nothing short of incredible given the lack of testing prior to the event. The charge from the back of the grid in the second race proved highly popular with the spectators as the Mini provided superb entertainment from start to finish.