Clifford Porter Photography
A personal website with galleries of images I have taken as I travel around. Landscape, flowers, gardens, motorsport & travel. Some images are uploaded to the GT Lil Photography Facebook page.
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Prescott Hill Climb MiniFest – Saturday 14th May 2022 - report
After a period of very restrictive event rules during the Pandemic period from March 2020 & all through 2021, 2022 has brought some normality back into our motorsport lives. Competitors are getting their overalls and safety gear back on. The Prescott MiniFest event last year was severely compromised by local Council regulations which restricted the participation of a greater audience, including local Mini Clubs.
On Saturday 14th May we were back on track at last with many spectators in attendance at the event. 7 classes for Mini variants with another 4 for Bugatti Owners’ Club members was the order of the day. Advance tickets were available online at a discount but if a minimum of 12, a very good discount to encourage clubs and groups. A couple of weeks before the event “pay to run the hill” tickets were also made available with the proviso that the driver (and passenger) had a Motorsport UK Clubman’s licence (free from Motor Sport UK and valid for clubman status competitions including Autotest & Autosolo events).
The event was sponsored by MINI Cotswold Cheltenham with lunchtime entertainment from Alistair Moffatt’s Italian Job Stunt Team in the Ettores complex. Alistair has won many awards in a variety of motorsport events including Autotest championships. He also holds several Guinness World Records, including “Tightest parallel parking” which was achieved at Brooklands.
It was a warm sunny day and as I entered the paddock Derek Wilkins was waiting to start one of his 3 practice runs in his Mini Cooper with its freshly painted yellow roof. This car has been well and truly used in competition including Niall Cooke’s MCR Borders rally. Behind him was Tim Harber. No repeat of last year’s decision by the scrutineer to exclude his GTM and Tim Harber’s Biota respectively. Derek’s grandson Josh Humphriss was sharing Derek’s car.
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There were 7 classes for the Minis plus 4 for BOC members. A total of 45 competitors in 40 cars.
Class A - Road going Minis – 11 competitors (1275cc to 1600cc) 10 cars
Class B – Road going Minis pre 1969 – 5 competitors (all 1293cc) 4 cars
Class C – Modified Minis – 6 Competitors (1293cc to 1399cc) 5 cars
Class D – Modified Minis pre 1969 – 6 competitors (1275cc to 1293cc FIA) 6 cars
Class E – BMW MINI – 6 competitors (1598cc to 2000cc) 5 cars
Class F – Sports Libre Mini – 1 competitor (1298cc Unipower GT) 1 car
Class G – Downton Motor Club Speed Championship – 10 competitors (1293cc to 1380cc) 9 cars
Walking around the paddock, I was able to chat to many people I had not seen since before lockdown including Dave & Nick West who have acquired the ex Depper Mini with a BMW head. Dave, as some of you might remember was the coordinator of the Midland Speed Championship in the early 2000s. Recently he has been competing in a Peugeot but is now back with a Mini. One of the competitors at that time was Tara Collinson, son of the producer of the Italian Job film.
The current spec of the ex-Depper car, from Dave himself
“BMW K1200 16 valve Head stroked to 1399, Jenvy fuel injection , MED XT 4 flywheel and clutch assembly , DTA ECU ,electric water pump, dog box and a LSD. We are running 13 inch rims with 8.2 front / 7.2 rear tyres.”
Competitors had 3 practice runs and then 2 timed runs. Class D was particularly interesting as it included Andy Walkingshaw, Bill Sollis, Matthew Pearce, Tim Simms, Nick Paddy & Carole Nicholls. I’m not quite sure why Carole was moved into Class D as she was in the BOC members’ saloon handicap class. Her car looked great as it was a yellow Britax replica. Bill, Tim and Nick were racing at Mallory Park in the HDRC Swiftune Trophy Race the next day.
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It was good to see Tony Salter’s Riley Elf. Having read that he and Sally had given up their positions on the Mini Cooper Register Committee it was good to catch up with them. Tim Harber did not have a good day as he attacked the tyre wall on the exit of Pardon hairpin and the car gently rolled onto its side but the Orange Army were as always very efficient. One of the iconic recovery vehicles, a Land Rover was retired last year along with its driver and it was strange to see a modern pickup towing the recovery trailer. During the lunch break the local MCR Warwickshire recovery team led by Derek Wilkins were able to help load Tim’s car onto his trailer.
What happened on the competitive runs? Fastest Mini of the day was Derek Kessell in his Maguire Mini with a time of 47.71s.
Class A – 53.12s Hugh Turner (30) on his 2nd run.
Class B – 53.46s Piers Thynne. (40) on his 2nd run
Class C – 48.45s Paul Talbot (56) on his 1st and only run. 2nd FTD Mini
Class D – 51.41s Bill Sollis (61) on his 1st run. 3nd FTD Mini
Class E – 52.67s Wayne Blackler 72) on his 2nd run
Class F – 63.96s Peter Clark Unipower (80) Only one in class.
Class G – 47.71s Derek Kessell (94) Maguire Mini
One thing I did miss was a commentary but did pick up part of an interview with Bill Sollis. Before the event Andy Walkingshaw mentioned that he had not been provided with a commentary sheet which as I remember very fondly from my one an only attempt at commentating (at a MCR Trackday at Curborough, many years ago) is invaluable. They are not all Murray Walker but maybe they are? They do seem to make Walker type slips every so often.
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Off track in the Orchard there were quite a few Minis parked up but no obvious club presence which I think was a pity but it was also the London to Brighton weekend with approximately 2000 vehicles assembling in Cheam Park after a 2 year break.
Some of us took advantage and took our Minis up the hill. We were allowed 4 runs. Great value as no expenditure for helmet, overalls & gloves. Not sure about underwear, better ask Tim (and Bill whose day did not go so well at Mallory Park the next day)?
Overall, it was a great day for competitors and visitors alike but perhaps if future events are planned it might become a social/competitive event in the Cotswolds for Mini enthusiasts and not clash with other well established annual Mini events like London to Brighton or British Mini Club or British Motor Museum events. Does anyone remember the Mini Cooper Register’s Cotswold Caper event at Prescott which included a road run through the Cotswolds on the Saturday night!