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and more than a dozen in the special Mighty Minis parades, as well as nearly 20 former racing drivers from the Mini’s hey-day, this truly was a once in a lifetime Mini Experience. The aforementioned Holden, Holland, Leffler and Bartram, were joined by Brian Foley, Laurie Stewart, Lakis Manticas, Peter Brown, Carol Shaw, John Dellaca, Mal Brewster, and others. With three full racing grids of nothing but Minis – no fewer than 29 in Group N – the on-track action was thrilling. Old guns Graham Russell from Sydney and Henry Draper from Melbourne
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showed they still have what it takes, with one win each in the three Group N races. After winning Race 1, Russell had and electrical gremlin that caused him to pull over early in Race 2, but the engine came good and, being more than half a lap behind the leaders, he set off on a charge. Slicing his way through the field, he stormed through to take fourth place in the seven-lap event. The gremlins returned in Race 3, causing his retirement, but Draper’s run in that race was no less impressive, carving his way through from tenth on the grid to first place. That had followed a trying first race, where car problems put him back to last place, and an impressive Race 2 to move from last on the grid to tenth place. With Russell’s problems in Race 2, and Draper working hard from the back of the field, the top honours were
shared by Ben Tebutt, Ken Nelson (all the way from Ipswich, Qld, and running his original 1960s Mk2 Cooper S), and Greg Hewson, who finished in that order. Tebutt took second place in the other two races, with Nelson and Lindsay Siebler taking a third place each. The first and second Sports Sedan Races were won by Bob Bell, with the third taken by Charlie Borg. Borg had qualified an uncharacteristic 11th place, fighting hard to finish seventh and third in Races 2 and 3 respectively, in the highly competitive field. But the Mini action wasn’t reserved for on the racing track. The Mini Car Club of NSW were actively involved in running a motorkhana in the grass area behind the circuit, with over 20 keen competitors vying for the various trophies. Meanwhile, the Show’n’Shine, organised by the Mini Car Club of ACT, was a battle of