Myk Cable might well have been accused of insider trading when the new 1994 Mini Miglia regs were accepted recently.

Not only was he making the best of his position within the ranks of Mini racing by proposing them, he was also calling on fully 2 years worth of advanced testing of his new 1300cc engine spec which, even as we speak, is quietly blowing away Porsches and Lotus Elans for the second year running in the Spanish Historic Touring Car Championships.

The changes in Miglia regs do make sense of course, firstly as a means of distinguishing betweenMini 7's and Miglias, and secondly to bring them in line with current production, whereby Rover have stopped making a 1OOOcc engined car, opting instead for a 1300 unit to overcome the losses brought about by ludricrous emission control devices (which are in any case totally ineffective in this country - but OK if you live in California all year round). There was also the prickly question of having. to fork out for TWO Rover exhaust systems per car which, at £218 was getting pretty hard to swallow.

So at 39, Myk (pronounced Mike) Cable has learnt how to play politics, as well as win during his 23 years in motorsport.

He began his assault at the tender age of 16 racing Lambrettas, so it is a great surprise that he is with us now at all. Nevertheless, he became National Scooter Clubs Champion on those perilous two wheels, and continued this alarming activity by winning the British Open Championship on a Yamaha at the age of 20.

Progressing, thankfully, to four wheels, he had a brief foray into Karting, then moved on to Fiesta Challenge racing, before finding his current niche 7years ago, when he discovered the delights of the Mini.

It took a couple of years to get to grips with the series, but in 1988 he managed a promising 3rd overall.

Enter one moderately famous parts company called Mini Spares Centre. We had seen Myk's potential over the previous seasons, and decided to offer him company support for 1989. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over the next four years he won the Mini Miglia Championship 3 times - in 1989, 1991 and 1992. The only hiccup came in 1990 when, on his own admission, Myk 'lost a certain motivation' because of domestic problems, and finished down the field, in 4th place.

His absence in 1993 is entirely planned, and while he is supporting Simon Watson's Spanish venture,services to other drivers under the name 'Cabmann'. (Cable/Manning) Tel: 0245 476631 . I asked the Cabmann team how their engines compared with those built by lesser mortals, or even mere enthusiasts. 'It involves hours and hours of meticulous measurement' explains Myk, who describes himself as the spanner work and measuring man. 'Compare it to a Swiss watch', he suggests. 'What we are after here Is a total reduction of friction'.

Myk has also prepared a number of cars for this season, including that of early eighties star Chris Lewis in Miglias, and Oave Braggins, last year's runner-up in Mini 7's.

Myk Cable, engineer, commands plenty of respect within racing circles, not least because of his sound and meticulous approach to engine building and car preparation. Together with his good friend and partner Keith Manning, Myk offers preparationto all components, and maximum efficiency everywhere. ' Keith Manning, 'the Machining man' then joins in, and together they hit me with all the latest thinking: Crankshafts are heat-treated; a process called Nitro-Carborised - it's the wizard tweek at the moment a progression from Turftriding.

The cooling system is CRITICAL. Use two radiators in series - Metro front then standard behind. Use Serck oil coolers and Mobil 1 oil. Super unleaded fuels are compulsory for Mini 7's this year and for the new 1300 Miglias in 1994. (This can only be good for the image of the sport. Even Formula 1 have taken this on board). Chassis - re-set Trak-Spax to ultra stiff (gas adjustable).

Mini Spares products come high on their shopping list: Mini Spares rockers, belt drive kit - flywheel and back pressure plates. Manifolds, drop gears, all fibreglass etc. etc. For the new Miglia regs, the RC40 exhaust system fits the bill perfectly at only £48.06, and because it leaves power outputs unrestricted up to 125 BHP, only one RC40 is needed! Most of the existing 1000cc cars are putting out similar power outputs, but Myk reckons to be getting 97 BHP at the flywheel with a 14 BHP transmission loss leaving 83 brake at the wheels. This is about TWICE the output of a standard 1000 engine, and represents an astonishing improvement, bearing in mind the number of restrictions on 1000 Miglias:

• restricted Rover 649 cam
• inlet valve 35.8mm max
• no LSD
• 4 speed box only
• Rover silencer - etc. etc.

When Myk gets it together for the 1994 season, he will already have had the benefit of the perfect research and development programme for his 1300 Miglia, courtesy of the Spanish racing authorities (even if he does have to take out the Scatter Patterns first!) There is just the small matter of who will be driving the Myk Cable prepared car next year. Does anyone out there have any serious doubts who that might be?

Graham Austin.