Silverstone 2017 Report

The start of the 2017 Super Mighty Minis Championship was finally upon us, and where better to kick things off than Silverstone!

After finishing the 2016 season with the most number of race wins of any driver, Alex Comis in the number 41 Mini Spares car was full of expectation for the new season. After a long, dark, dank and motorsport void winter, an almost summers day (almost but for the biting wind) greeted the drivers as the lined up for their 1st qualifying session of the season. Comis’ gleaming Monza Blue car was looking magnificent on track, alas it was soon evident all was not quite so magnificent mechanically and within 5 laps, he was in the pits.

“That’s massively frustrating” Explained Comis after pulling his head out from under the back of the car: “I did a couple of steady laps and on the 1st lap that I applied some beans, the left rear suddenly felt like it sagged on turn-in to Luffield. I did a couple more laps but it just wasn’t right.”

After investigation, it was found that the rear anti-role-bar link had failed. With only a handful of laps and a handicapped car, it was remarkable that Comis didn’t qualify last!

With the car fixed and the sun still shining in such a way in might have induced some sunbathing, the race was soon underway. Within the 1st lap, Comis was on the move. By lap three, he was on the tail of the lead 3; from 11th! The chasing pack was still on his heals and a cracking battle soon unfolded. Soon they were coming up to backmarkers which needed to be negotiated with precision as they had their own battles. It was impossible to keep up with the number of position changes, but there were a lot! Just the most exhilarating race to watch! At the flag, our man met the chequered flag in 5th place.

“That was a crazy race!” Said Comis in Parc Ferme.

“I got a shocking start but was soon making a move but when we got to the backmarkers in the standard class, things got a little wild. I had a slight tap on the rear right corner and wasn’t happy with the balance after that but not a bad result all things considered”.

Race two on the Sunday got underway once again under unbridled sunshine. Reversed grids saw Comis start from third, and what a start: but turn 1, Coppice corner, Comis was in 2nd and was pushing the leader, Dave Kirkpatrick. For the 1st 4 laps, Comis was looking strong and held the lead but so frantic was the racing, the lead was changing, multiple times, each corner. Again, the back markers would play a key role and unfortunate timing could kill any chance of victory. As the “Supers” came up against the standard class, the lead 4 got lucky as they passed a group before getting to Brooklands. Comis was in 5th at the time and hit the traffic at the worst point: the Brooklands-Luffield complex. With that, the Supers were now split in to two packs and as the rest of the race unfolded, on the run to the flag, Comis had the run on Steve Rideout but not quite, finishing in 6th place just a fraction away from another 5th.

“It was a great race but gutted with the result: That’s racing. I just need work on using the traffic to my advantage but after the knock yesterday, I’m not happy with the balance and handling. I think they’ll be a geometry and corner weight check before the next race”.

Rounds 2 and 3 will take place at the epic Anglesey circuit on the 22nd and 23rd April. Be sure to come along for more heart-stopping action from Mighty Minis Racing.

Importation rules regarding vehicles are very specific: Only those over 25 years in age may be brought in to the USA without compilance to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).