Exciting Battles and Unpredictable Conditions:
Thrilling Rounds of the Mini Cup at Argyll Road Rally!
The scenic roads of Dunoon set the stage for the third and fourth rounds of this year's Mini Cup, a thrilling closed road rally that spanned Friday evening and Saturday. With its demanding terrain, featuring blind crests and unseen bends, coupled with the darkness, the event posed an exhilarating test for both man and machine.
The Mini Cup would score points individually for Friday and then Saturday.
Eight minis entered and were seeded towards the back of the field but all together.
Mini crews servicing together.
Craig King with Russell Joseph led the registered contenders away, followed by current championship leader Clive King with Ian Harrop sitting alongside for the first time.
With the rest of the cars just behind and servicing together, each team were there to help if someone had problems.
Day One: Intense Rain, Gripping Battles, and Close Results
On Friday, the heavens opened up with heavy rain, by the time the first Mini arrived at the start the roads were drenched making grip levels low. The first stage witnessed Clive and Shane Gamble, with Bob Ward co-driving, setting the quickest time, closely followed by the rest of the pack. Despite the challenging conditions, the Minis roared through the town of Dunoon, captivating the dedicated spectators cheering them on.
As the second stage commenced, Clive and Ian surged ahead, building a small lead and showcasing their exceptional skills. Behind them, the other contenders were hot on their heels. Meanwhile, the Mini Cup crews, provided support and assistance to each other during the service break, before heading out to the following stages that would be running in darkness.
By the time the Minis had arrived at the 3rd stage the rain had increased with heavy mist over part of the stage, this made the conditions very tricky. Craig and Russell set a time 2 seconds quicker than Clive and Ian who had taken 48 seconds out of 3rd placed Mini of Harvey Stevens who had first time navigator Craig Hardiman sitting with him.
Straight on to the next stage this was a short 2.5-mile stage that featured bumpy roads, crests, and jumps that tested the skill and precision of the drivers. Craig King pushed his Mini to the limit, outpacing his rivals and setting a time 7 seconds quicker than Clive, who was a little ahead of the rest of the pack. The event was now running behind, so the repeat of this stage was cancelled and we made our way to the final stage of the evening, this would be a 14-mile test, to sort the men from the boys.
Sadly, one of the front runners had gone off, stopping the stage. We were held at the start while the organisers tried to get the stage open. Unfortunately, the organisers decided to cancel the final stage, so we were turned around back to Dunoon to finish the first leg and our first scoring round.
Craig and Russell decided to query Clive and Ian’s stage 2 time with the organisers, that made the results provisional until resolved. Much banter was given to Craig, protesting his dads stage time. Who says this championship is not competitive?
The organisers gave Clive a penalty of 30 seconds as the check sheet had got soaked and could not be read. This was only resolved when Clive’s in car timer, showed 1 minute 9 seconds, instead of the time given of 59 seconds, This gave Craig and Russell the win by 1 second for the first day. How close was that?
John Nicholson and Kari Bates were a few seconds in front of Harvey to take third with Shane and Bob getting the first finish of the year. Kevin Haselden and Cat Lund making their first appearance took the next position.
Craig King won a set of brake pads from Questmead for best improvement in seeding.
The Exol oil prize was won by John Nicholson.
Craig King and Russell Joseph winners of day one.
Day Two: Stunning Landscapes, and Fierce Battles
Day two started with light rain. The cars had been re-seeded overnight and were running mid field. With two loops of four stages with a service in between, it would be demanding for the crews. Kenny Watt elected not to restart in his Mini, as the clutch master cylinder had started to leak, with no one carrying a spare, it was his only option.
By the first stage of the day, stage 7, the weather had improved with warm sunshine and dry conditions, although damp in places. Harvey set a time of 5.11, followed by John Nicholson 5.27 the rest were close behind. Clive took time out of Craig to move him into the lead.
Stage 8 took crews up the side of a hill, with hairpin bends and very quick roads down the other side, Clive took 16 seconds off Craig who was second quickest.
The next stage had crews run alongside a lake with tight narrow roads, lots of blind crests, finishing with a new surfaced, quick road, with sweeping bends. Clive set a time of 7.12 with John 7.31 second, Craig took 7.33 in third. Everyone else were very close behind.
The final stage in the loop, started with a very fast section, climbing before dropping down several hairpin bends. The stage continued with very fast narrow rough roads where the minis spent more time in the air than on the ground. Clive extended his lead with everyone a few seconds behind. As the cars returned to Dunoon for a service before the final loop of stages, the rising heat and humidity added an additional challenge for the crews.
Clive extended his lead over the remaining stages, as Craig fought hard to secure the second position in the Mini Cup race. The other drivers tackled the demanding stages with impressive determination, but sadly, we lost Shane Gamble and Bob Ward on the last but one stage, with engine problems. The resilient competitors battled through until the end, receiving a warm reception from spectators who lined the roads, showcasing their delight at the competing Minis by waving and putting their thumbs up.
Clive King and Ian Harrop winners of day two.
The prize draws were held at the finish:
Exol Oil prize - won by Shane Gamble.
Snap-On prize kindly donated by Andrew (from Snap-On) - won by Clive King
Clive King managed to win a set of brake pads for best improvement in seeding from Questmead
Words - Clive King
Photos- Andy Crayford
Congratulations Clive King & Ian Harrop on 1st place in the Historic Championship and 4th place in their class!
Thank you to the generous sponsors of the HRCR Mini Sport Cup – Mini Sport, Mintex, Exol Oil, Snap-On, Yokohama & Questmead, without whom there wouldn’t be a Championship.
To catch up with all the action from the Mini Sport Cup, please see here.
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