How to race a Mini

Meet Bill Sollis, whose lifetime of Mini love transformed into restoring a 1963 Austin Mini Cooper fit for racing in the time. #gwmasters

Presented by IWC

[Mrtallguy]

Met Bill at a Brands Hatch Mini Festival years ago - have a signed Corgi model of his car as a result. The drivers in the paddocks at Mini events always appear so friendly.

[andyfry]

Another video with Bill Sollis that I've really enjoyed watching, excellent stuff!

[andyyork]

This ought to be an hour long dvd, , Bill Sollis and minis , its win, win .

[magnum]

I just got two of these lil monsters, curently bit of rust buckets but they will be all fixed up soon enough, wifes birthday present.

[ronandloisgraham]

I bought my 1st Mini in 1967 in the United States, I was 17 yrs old. My whole family could get in it, Dad was 6'7" and Mom was 5'10" plus myself at 6'4" and my 4 siblings. I owned 7 Minis before joining the USAF in 1977 so I could go to England. Bought the Clive Trickey Mini in '85 during my 1st tour there (1980-86). 2nd tour (1990-94), I raced the Trickey Mini in the Miglia class in 1993 and '94. I was privileged to race with Bill and many other great people, in fact, I was ahead of Bill in nearly every race my first year until he and the other front runners lapped me. Lol. Another time I was following Chris Lewis in practicing and was feeling pretty proud of myself being able to keep up with him, and then he went into the pits. No wonder I was keeping up, he was slowing down. I finished 11th in the main series and 9th in the winter challenge in 1993. Not because I was a great driver but because I raced all but two races that year and received 2 points for finishing each race. In fact, I finished 13th in the Fastest Mini in the World race at the 1994 Mini Anniversary. Bill did a feature article on my Mini in Triple C Magazine in 1994. All in all, that was a great two years of my life. The Trickey Mini is sitting in the back of my garage and hasn't been started in nearly 20 years. It could be for sale, hint, hint. Ron Graham

[weedaviec]

Great video. Beautiful racecar. I don't have a mini now but have owned a yellow 1275, a Mr Bean green 1000 & a white mini van which I should never have sold. The handling and seat of your pants driving experience of a classic mini is unbeatable.

[Young_Blueberry_]

I've always wanted a mini but now I want one even more

[christopherward]

Looks like a really great race series when we watch it and now we get it from the point of view of competing. Sollis lays down a beat and we all get it. Brilliant!

[Dongfloppy]

I remember driving my mini fast, I used to point the front wheels where I wanted to go and hope that the rest of the car would follow.

[rm]

A really interesting video. I remember the Mini being launched in 1959. I was just 12 years old and a friend took me to Pyes of Mansfield to see them. I've had a few over the years but never raced one unfortunately.

[ayushren]

Is it just me or does the man look like Mr bean a bit

[wordreet]

Haha! That "rev it with the pedal, then run round the front to catch it on the carb before it stalls is soooo familiar!!!

[stewartw.]

I built up a Mini for racing in 1968 from a bare bodyshell, when they were not old cars! You could get many performance parts like camshafts etc. from BMC themselves back then to hot up the engine and get more power. Also Speedwell Performance Parts were pretty good.

The racing class was Clubman's Class up to 1000cc and my engine was a 998cc - there was no such thing as a 'Mini" class then and we raced against a very mixed bag as they often lumped classes together in the same race.

I never forget seeing a huge Ford Galaxie looming in my rear-view about, it seemed, to simply roll over me if I did not get out of the way!

[kenbuckley]

Gave my Mini convertible S 05 a top down run yesterday. The escape car. The best I've ever enjoyed. The '63 Mini was the first Mini I rode in with a cousin on a trip to England in '63. The sports car I had couldn't compare to this Mini I drive. 188, 000 plus a few. Soars like an Eagle. I'd like to tool your '63 round the track. Great video.

[Rob-zewi]

I have a 73 reshelled 1275cc in Colorado. Started in LA on the Sunset Blvd corners!! Street legal go kart.

[betacam]

I love Minis. I've had a tartan/black Cooper type 3, a Crayford convertible, a Minivan with an 1100 engine, but the one I have now is the strangest.... it's a three-wheeler Berkeley T60 with MG Metro '1300' engine.It will be great fun when finished...

[SuperLEEEDWARDS]

Hi to anyone wondering if these engines are stock absolutely NOT just hearing that thing on cam tells me a lot, to all the younger generation you have lost out SOO MUCH with your electric power steering, your 1000cc turboboost engines fuel injection, electric 1 touch windows, believe me there is NOTHING LIKE a properly tuned REAL MINI the smell, the frequent push starts [bumb start] no AA back then because you may have left the tiny interior light on so battery flat or the points or dizzy cap had a little build up, allways having to check radiator level but get all those things working and you cannot have more fun the way they go around roundabouts is something only the classic Mini can do. I had 7 Minis the very first when i started work in a garage and the owner let me pay weekly the car cost 500 quid. I bought how to tune an A SERIES by David Vizard and set about stripping an engine doing the usual re-bore, pistons,rings and the all important FAST ROAD CAM . I then did my first race at Llandow Wales [im Welsh] and won, The prize was not a trophy but 10 pounds but to me all the late nights falling asleep under the car up on blocks was worth it all oh the memories are just amazing because you HAD to learn to drive back then which set me up to 13 years HGV driving then upped my game and doubled my wage by getting on the mobile cranes hope you liked this story SCOOBS UK.

[truckatadders]

Watched this a while back, re watched today. I remember seeing Bill featuring quite regularly in Car & Car conversion mag, was a mini7 champ, then became miglia champ, and iirc, all the time he was a serving fireman 😮

[MartysWhiteSuit]

This was great. The bloke has the right attitude. Winning is great, but taking part is just as good.

[IDontWantAHandle]

A mini, , , , Castle Coombe circuit damp track, , , , a recipe for valve bounce. LOVE IT !!
Some of the best racing I've seen is the classic cars at CC.