Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2013 Super Mighty Minis Championship we held at the home of British Motorsport: Silverstone. With the British summer weather to rely on, changing conditions would play a key role over the weekend.

Qualifying for both races took place in bright and breezy conditions and our man Alex Comis, was soon putting in consistent times. With Silverstone being such a quick circuit, tenths of a second can mean the difference of 3 or 4 places on the grid. Comis ended both qualifying session in 10th and 11th place. Back in the paddock Comis was his usual up-beat self:

“The car felt good and I think there’s more speed to be found. It was a little frustrating in that Q1 I was on my own a lot, and to get a good time here, you need a [aerodynamic] tow from another car. Then in Q2, traffic became a problem and I don’t think I got a totally clean lap in. Either way, I think the races will be a different story but the weather looks to be unpredictable for both races.”

As the cars were called for the 1st race of the weekend, the light rain suddenly turned to a torrential downpour. Comis had taken a gamble and stuck with dry tyres. With the cars on the grid, the rain eased, but would it stop? The ferocious drone of 18 Mini engines signalled the start of the race. Comis made his usual lightning start but even before the first corner, the wall of spray was clearly going to be an issue. With all cars safely through and on to the back straight, the usual four-abreast close racing wowed the spectators. Breathtaking stuff in the dry, but in the wet, something else!

Comis was making good progress and running in the top ten for the first half of the race, however, the rain didn’t ease, and it was obvious he was loosing out on grip. 12th would be his position at the flag.

Race two on the Sunday, from a weather point-of-view was deja-vu. Comis, now with wet tyres, again made a flying start and was in the thick of it from the off. With some graceful slides, it was obvious the field was struggling for grip. As the race unfolded, Comis was fighting to stay with the lead pack, but was soon reeling them in, edging ever closer until a massive lock up at the end of the back straight in the grandstand complex. Comis aborted the turn in, and took to the escape road costing valuable time and places. It wasn’t long before Comis was back ahead and chasing down the lead pack again. Unfortunately, the Chequered flag dropped before he was able to challenge. After a good recovery, 10th place was Comis’ reward.

In a very cold and wet paddock, Comis explained his races:

“The first race was really challenging with deep water and spay: the aquaplaning was unbelievable; the car was just picked up by the water and moved several feet left or right. The Car felt good, but I was struggling for grip. Race two was much better though it took a few laps for the brand new tyres to grip, which meant I dropped back. I could see I was catching back up but the lock up really cost me. Still, the car is looking really good now and I can’t wait for Brands [Hatch] and hopefully better weather!

Indeed rounds 5 & 6 of the Super Mighty Minis Championship will be at Brands Hatch on the 22nd and 3rd of June at the Mini Festival.