It's a test day for the Betty Richmond Trophy.

I'm racing one of Nick's whiffs.

Amazing minutes.

I've seen these things on circuits for years.

This is the man himself.

You know when you see him really going mental around good word, it's him.

He makes them as well, as well as drives them beautifully, Nick.

First of all, tell me about this race.

Well, the better Richmond Trophy celebrating the 60 years of minutes.

60th anniversary on Dhe.

Originally, it was a race for 30 minutes, and then all of a sudden they decided to make it opening up for 60 minutes to heat 30 cars in the top 15 of each go through to the final on Sunday.

So it's gonna be my first ever.

Car was a mini all of my bar behavior in my formative years in minutes, but I haven't even won well for 25 years.

How much power?

It's about 130.

It's roughly got two and 1/2 times the power My first mini had So talk me through this back of the car engine engine turned 12.

93 cc.

Quite a revel it'll motor.

You know, we're about 8 to 8 and 1/2 1000 revelers.

A maximum, obviously four speed gear box limits it, def Twin inch and 1/2 issues.

But for me, when I was 18 that was equivalent of the night with Heidi Klum.

I want Michelle Pfeiffer for 9 11 twin, one of our best.

You What about the SUV?

So So obviously with the twin s u car betters, we have to use the side cooling radiators, which is really inefficient, obviously, and it would've been better to have it there, but that's the way that it was done way.

Spend a swift, human, awful lot of time and effort on these engines.

You know, it's all very well and good getting 130 horsepower.

But then you gotta keep it together.

Yeah, you know, it's I in race hours before rebuild.

We're talking about 10 or 12 hours, but that doesn't mean that I know.

I know.

Significant.

I'm not.

I'm not.

I'm celebrating it.

Let's have another fight.

We've taken the humble many and turned into something that's just so precise.

The big key feature obviously running on them little tiny 10 inch well Yeah.

Obviously means we got a little tiny breaks as well.

Yeah, you know, but with new modern technology of better brake pads and things like that Better Kony shock absorbers keep the ride nice and stiff.

How much did it weigh?

Their Hamal?

A gated.

It's 620 kilos.

So 6 20 kilos, 125 horsepower.

Do the math.

I mean, that is well beyond a late eighties hot hatch.

Different gravy, isn't it?

But they think it's about called the speed for us.

Yeah, Top speed is only like 120 miles an hour.

That's it.

But average lap here is over 90 miles an hour.

So you got I think, you know, we've got a second gear.

She came here and you've got to get through that and still keep your average speed up over 90 miles an hour.

Okay, so the racing they're gonna be closely matched, aren't they?

Will be much in in power, but the front of the back of the grid?

Yes.

Where you gonna take under the brakes?

Upside down, Inside out.

Any way you can get, I think it's going to be lively.

I think it's going to be lively.

I think I think the place to watches at this.

Okay, You know, the grandstand seats, they're gonna be in for a special treat.

What?

We're gonna do some testing, See what it's like to drive.

I have some smiling because my, uh my dear mommy used to race one of these, and she suddenly passed away last week.

So I'm gonna drive in the spirit of my mom.

She used to race one.

I just cannot wait because I have watched you irritate people for years, and now we get to be that irritation.

So before qualifying, there was lots of standing around pretending to be sixties cool on, mostly failing, apart from the minis, which just looked high school.

There's something so right about an early in the stars grilled Cooper s and the dark Green works inspired livery of the car I was racing.

What?

It looked perfect.

As you can see how the gearbox trouble in qualifying, there was a technical issue largely because of a change to the gearbox specked by the race organizers later in the week.

I was effectively trying to select reverse without realizing it, and then I buzzed the motor, meaning the brilliant factory.

Many mechanics over from Germany had to replace a few valves.

Sorry about that, guys.

So I was already on the back foot ready?

I wasn't going to finish much higher than fifth in the race.

Even if I went Kamikaze.

What is all quiet?

Come have a look at this beautiful, beautiful mini in classic delivery bats.

Almost seems a shame to race it, but it is a racing car, so race it.

We shall.

It's a little bit quiet now, but look how many there, Right on that point down there, Minis as far as the eye can see.

Pull it on.

Maybe around there.

So, yeah, we'll do that.

Qualifying.

Not a successful A light of hope, A bit of a gearbox issue.

Then I creative engine issue will just brush that to one side apart, saying that BMW, the mechanics of that was going on there.

So I'm 11th from the great 29 on a need to come 15 for hire to make it into the final tomorrow.

That's our main goal.

So hopefully been our position, but I might not because other people might have a problem with very good too.

So really, it's all to play for not quite sure.

I got new rears or need to scrub those incredibly that on the on the on the green flag lap.

But we're here to have fun to my race.

I had a good start.

Nick passed a couple and then just tried to tuck into the pack and see what madness occurred.

Sure enough, there were many scattered around some Mary's so I made a few places there.

But I got mugged on the last lap, ended up seventh.

Still, it was proper fun.

The most important thing is we qualify for the final started 11th got to seventh.

So I'm hoping that means that we're in a good close racing.

It was a bit Larry and I had to get a bit racier than I wanted to monitor, but it managed to hold on at the end.

I got mugged by two guys in tow but you toe effect is really big, so I need to remember that tomorrow.

That's something I learned today was you have to drive a Cajun race to get in the toe, but that was really good fun.

There is nothing better than this guy today.

Good.

Having you good.

That wields a wheel racing.

So I'm happy that I'm gonna point now of a black current lemonade.

Ah, I started finding 14th place.

No chance of a podium, but time to settle in and enjoy some close racing.

Here's some of the best dicing I enjoyed.

It's actually quite difficult to be hard nosed, racy.

When you're laughing so much, How do you drive a mini fast around?

Well, let me talk you through a lot.

So you come over the start finish line in fourth gear in a minute, Goodwood.

And then would you believe it?

Term one.

Magic.

You don't break a repeat.

You don't break.

You move to the outside of the circuit, lift off and use that rotation to get the car through and then just smashed throttle open.

Use the locking differential to get yourself down to form water as soon as possible.

It's a ridiculous really.

It never feels quite right to me.

Then you power down through for water on towards no name, cars getting loose everywhere, like little steering corrections into no name again.

You just lift you don't break you carry the momentum through treated as a king into third gear and then through ST Mary's and a lovely sense of the car running into that bowl, using the grit, Stay in third and then all the way out to the left hand side.

Second gear for Lavon for me Smashed throttle open.

Used that locking differential to drag you out corner with into third night, trying to make the circuit as short as possible.

Not always the same lines.

You taking a big, fast jack, your Ferrari now firing down the back straight speeds are outrageous.

It's doing 120 miles an hour in a mini on.

You break 100 meters, maybe 150 I'm sure.

Next risk breaking later, and then it's just managing a bit of lift off.

Oversteer would get the two Apex is there, bang, bang and then breaking hard down into the chicane.

Second, get close as you can.

Bitter rotation waggle the hips to help wiggle the thing back out in the correct direction and over the line again.

It's a dog gearbox, but used clothe racing was closed, but once I lost the gaggle of cards, I was enjoying some mutual slips.

June with I had to settle for 11th after a last corner overtake out at the front and Frankie in a class of their own where Nick Paton More and Nick Swift they dies all race.

And then Swift saw his chance on took the victory.

Betty Richmond was supposed to be a one off for this year's members meeting, but the racing was so good and the Minis were so popular, I somehow think we might be seeing the same again at next year's members meeting.

That was interesting.

I didn't quite have the grunt or needed.

I'll take the cover off one experience, though.

They slide around so much really good fun.

Enjoyed every second of it.

Need to do some more.

Minya rating means a proper little racing cars.

I'm gonna miss this story about the interior trim falling off that we had a good dice on.

It was lots of fun.

Lots of these things are mega 130 horsepower, 600 kilograms.

Do the math.