The 2015 season of the Old Stager Championship incorporating the Mini Sport Mini Cup proved to be a great success with some fantastic performances by Clive King, Eric Davis, Paul Kendrick, Peter Ellerby, Shane Gamble, Anton Bird, Graham Carter & Peter Horsburgh with Andrew O’Hanlon claiming the championship title in his 1971 Cooper S Category 2 Mini.
Commencing in March earlier this year, the Mini Sport Mini Cup has overcome seven challenging stages across the country with gravel and asphalt rounds to test the performance of the Historic Mini’s and the skills of the keen competitors. Andrew O’Hanlon’s well-deserved victory saw him return to the Old Stager Championship to tackle some of the UK’s most demanding rally routes including the infamous ranges of the Historic Mini Epynt where Andrew previously experienced ‘the worst accident’ in his Rally career. You can catch up with our comprehensive reviews of the 2015 championship on our blog posts here.
The whole Championship was well received throughout the Historic Rally Community with competitors coming from as far as Japan to compete. The popular Old Stager and Mini Sport Mini Cup Championship is open to Category 1,2,3 & 4 Historic specification cars with separate awards for each specific category, complying with the MSA requirements. Following the acclaim of this favoured championship the HRCR have released some exciting news for the future of the Mini Sport Mini Cup.
For 2016 the Mini Sport, Mini Cup organised by the Historic Rally Car Register will have a new class for Classic Minis that do not comply with the MSA historic requirements. Any Mini built up until the end of production in 1991 will be eligible. The cars must retain their manufactured profile and run A or A+ cylinder blocks. These cars will compete within their own class but will not be eligible for overall awards in either the Mini Cup or the HRCR ‘Old Stager’ series.
The new Mini Sport Mini Cup class is expected to run over eight rounds and will start on the 20th March with the AGBO Rally at Weston Park, including the ever popular Rallee Classicagh on the Isle of Man. This will be launched at Gaydon Motor Heritage Museum on the 16th January at the HRCR Open day which this year will feature the success of the Mini in Competition. The event which always attracts the ‘who’s who’ of rallying will have guest appearances by Mini Sport‘s dear friend & HRCR Club President, Paddy Hopkirk and the mastermind behind many of the Mini’s successes Stuart Turner.
If you are thinking about entering and are not sure about eligibility then the HRCR welcome you to come and see them at Gaydon or send details of your car preferably with photos to stage@hrcr.co.uk for clarification.
Mini Sport, would like to further thank everyone involved in the 2015 Mini Sport Mini Cup & Old Stager Championships. We all look forward to seeing you again next year, for another lively season of British rallying!
For more information & regular updates please follow the Mini Sport & HRCR Facebook pages, where all news and photographs of the previous and future HRCR Mini Sport Mini Cup rounds will be listed.
