What felt like a long, cold winter was soon forgotten as the 2018 Super Mighty Minis Championship drew to an open. And what better place to kick things off, than Silverstone. Though the cold winter might have seemed like a distant memory, given it was late March, the weather was still doing its best to keep the memory alive. Qualifying was met with unwelcoming dark clouds, a wet track and temperatures in single figures. Welcome to “Spring”. Alex Comis in the number 41 Mini Spares car was looking in control of the conditions as he wrestled the Car through the corners. Alas all was not going to plan as he pulled in to the pits due to a lack of visibility. Back out on track and he managed a time good enough for the 3rd row of the grid. Back in the garages, Comis gave his thoughts on qualy: “It’s great to be back on track and I was really enjoying the conditions. The only issue was oil from another car which formed a bit of an emulsion on the windscreen with the rain. A bit of a pain as I could have done with as much track time as possible.” For race 1, though the weather improved, the track was still moist. Lined up on the grid the red lights went out and the 2018 seasons was underway. Comis made an uncharacteristically slow get-away and was soon at the back of the pack. Through Copse and Comis was already pulling back places. By the end of lap 1, he’d already made up 3 places. From that point on, the lead pack of 9 cars were swapping places every corner, every straight, every lap. As the race drew into the closing stages, there was still nothing to chose, from any of them. Out of the complex for the final time, 9 cars fanned out for the sprint to the flag where less that 2 seconds spilt the pack. Unbelievable racing!! Comis crossed the line in 8th. After post race checks in Parc Ferme, Comis gave his impressions: “I don’t know what happened on the start line but the car suddenly developed a miss-fire. I was really worried it would die on the grid which could have been catastrophic. When the lights went out, I could barely get it off the line but by the time I went for second gear, it seemed to clear. I certainly had my work cut out from there. I’m a bit frustrated with the result, especially as I had the 3rd fastest race lap. Hopefully there’s more to come from the second race.” The weather for the second race could not have been more different with a dry track and actual sunshine. Comis made a solid start and was in second place by Copse. By the exit of Maggots and Becketts, Comis was in the lead, though being Silverstone, this was short lived as the leader punches a hole in the air for the following pack and generates a “slingshot” opportunity. Around one-third distance, and a dive up the inside in to Becketts saw Comis demoted from 2nd to 5th in one corner, as he was blocked out by the train of cars. Still in the fight, and like the first race, it was anyone's as the cars raced millimetres from each other like a chaotic choreographed swarm of Minis. Again, it would come down to the last lap. Through the complex for the last time and there was contact between Scott Kendal and Greg Jenkins at the front, with the pack taking evasive action, it was again a sprint to the flag. If you thought the first race couldn’t have been closer, you were wrong: Eight-tenths of one second split the top 7 cars with Comis being demoted from 5th to 7th in the drag to the line. “That was unbelievably close all race. I was gutted with the result; I had to lift due to the incident so lost momentum but it was pretty much a photo finish for the entire pack!” Hopefully all will have recovered from such a nail-bighting opener before we get to Rockingham on the 14th and 15th April. If the 1st two rounds were anything to go by, it’s going to be a cracking season!