Below are the pictures taken at the Mini World Action Day, Castle Combe Race Circuit.

Please click on the photos to see them full size.

A second year of the show season has draw to a close for our club. With the summer turning, Castle Combe track day was a spectacular way to end the season.

We’ve since been acknowledged by the organisers for the distance travelled, ‘joining many of the regular clubs are newcomers from as far afield as East Anglia, Eastbourne, Cornwall and west Wales’. But boy it was a long way! Jim with the furthest miles under his belt had the most to say about it. Some travelled in convoy from Sussex while some like myself travelled from local overnight stops; useful thing have family & friends all over the country!

We all arrived about 8am & found Mini’s, thousands of em! We squeezed our cars into a club space including a stylish Lotus Elise & Darren’s mini support Proton. The club pitch was just behind the traders, track office & food just as close. Winter essentials were found from splashguards to nuts & bulbs

Following a track brief, we dressed up with bone domes & skidlids. Sound checked & then lined up for our 15minutes on the track. We had a good wait while a recovery truck removed a remains of a mini from one of the corners. First on was the Mighty Minis taking paying punters on charity roller coaster rides around the track. (Next year I’ll have a go). I was first on the track & soon left many behind with the open track ahead of me… except for an odd super mini flying past left & right! Wow, I was bouncing off the red line, over the rubble strips, feeling some over steer & a disconcerting feeling of lifting up a wheel around some corners!
Afterwards I felt like I missed out; Dave, Jim, Shawn, Tony & John were in a pack, jostling for position & seeing each other wildly ruling the bends. Later Paul & John went out again just after the heavens finished watering the track. That looked fun! A few cars pushed the envelope too far, spinning off, but only a couple were damage. Fortunately we all lived to tell the tale. At midday we got back on for a parade lap. Even with the safety car, a bit of fun and games took place!

The next day on the forum this comment made my day.
‘Wow you lot put on a good show, every one else was poodling round follow the leader, not you lot! Looked great 4 abreast and swapping and changing places That Cooper S going sideways out of corners with the clubby GT on his tail, GREAT STUFF.’

The words ‘it’s not a race’ didn’t dampen the spirit all day! Even ‘mini less’ Daz got behind the wheel for the parade lap thanks to Rachel. A fair trip, but an event that is already pencilled into the calendar of 2007.

Simon Bell, Aka ‘Mininutter’

Page Last Updated - 27/02/2007 SMB- Copyright (c) EDMC 2006.