My MiniSprint Memories by Neville Trickett –
France – July 2005
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To my recollection, the MiniSprint story began with a
chance meeting, …. a few words before or after a race, at, I believe, the Castle
Coombe circuit during the summer of 1965.
The driver of a navy blue with white bits 1300 Mini Cooper
S, introduced himself as Geoff Thomas, and while we were talking about things as
one did, he came out (of the blue) with the suggestion that we section a Mini……I
didn’t even understand the term, but was told that it related to body-shell
modifications for American Hot-Rod racing.
To leave Saloon car racing was a hard decision to make. I
had had a relatively successful season in 1964, with a few circuit lap records
to show for it, but 1965, with considerably more power and an altogether better
car, the record was totally destroyed by a certain 5 speed gearbox’s propensity
to break second gear at every opportunity. I left my business partner at Sigma
Engineering, Peter Lander, to go on to better things (Peter, that is!)
40 years is a long time (MiniSprint 40th
anniversary, October 2005) but as if it were yesterday, all the highs and lows
now re-appear. From the beginnings in Peter Barnes’s Westminster Garage in
Parkstone, Surtees' at Wallisdown in Bournemouth, then somewhere in
Christchurch, and finally to the Rob Walker Corsley garage. I can distinctly
remember an order for 50 MiniSprints at Corsley, After the initial euphoria,
what did it mean? Where were the donor cars?, sine qua non. How many new shells
did we need to keep the assembly line moving? Order and chaos alternated, I
distinctly remember at one time seeing two different coloured MiniSprints on the
forecourt at Corsley, each bearing the same registration plates.
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The actual work, once the prototype stages were completed,
was relatively straightforward if care was taken, if not, windscreens didn’t
fit, (they broke!).
A bit of a red –herring was the racer. The fact that
initially the project came about through the common interest Geoff and I had in
motor racing, led us to build the Minisprint racer.
There was nothing wrong with the car, but it wasn’t a great
idea! Even in those days, both Saloon and GT racing were ultra competitive.
From a position whereby, previously, if my car had stayed in one piece, I
expected to win, we found ourselves in the GT class, competing against, for
example, cars produced by the exceptionally talented Paul Emery. We were
outclassed! It was just a saloon car with a lowered roof-line and body profile.
Actually, I believe that the aerodynamically efficient Fiat 500, unmodified
bodily, but with our power unit could have been the ultimate 1000/1300cc saloon
car, and not looked silly in the GT class. (I bought a Fiat but moved on to
other things!)
Most of my memories of that mid-sixties period, are of the
people involved; some have disappeared, others remain friends, in particular
Nick Jenke, who worked with me for many years after the MiniSprint days. In a
way it was almost like National Service, often hell at the time, but invariably
looked back on with nostalgic fondness. Deadlines, broken windscreens, all night
sessions (for some reason known as ghosters), broken windscreens. Can you
imagine spending a weekend, sanding the outside of a bodyshell just to lose a
few Kilos (or pounds as we used to call them)? I even remember flying to
Marseilles to demonstrate the sectioning technique in French at Cassis, with
welding gear from La Belle Epoque.
A minor disappointment is that although somewhere between
50 and 100 genuine MiniSprints were produced by us, a plethora of lowered-roof,
rock-bottom suspension uglies started to appear, and often called themselves
MiniSprints, How could they!
A TRIP
TO FRANCE
I'M BORED, SO PLEASE
.....
1.
BRING YOUR MINI SHELL DOWN TO VILLEDIEU (BESLON) ON A TRAILER.
2.
GIVE ME A COUPLE OF GRAND OR SO.
3.
COLLECT YOUR GENUINE NEVILLE TRICKETT MINISPRINT SHELL A WEEK LATER.
YOU CAN RING
ME BY DIALLING 0033233904038
Neville.
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