Jamie Stevens Photography

The Mk1 Performance Action Day took place on Sunday 1st May 2022 at Blyton Park Race Circuit, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. The event was founded back in 2014 by Mark Forster & Pete Flanagan as a strictly non-club basis, with no membership fees, no committee & no rules event, just a group of like minded friends meeting up for a show or a track day because they fancy it. Over the years it has developed into a well established event bringing in a variety of rare and special Minis, all in aid to raising thousands of pounds every year for a variety of charities. The chosen charity for this years track day event was Macmillan Cancer Support.

A SHORT HISTORY OF BLYTON

Like most modern circuits, Blyton Park started life as an airfield. Opened on 20 April 1942 as RAF Blyton, it was home to 2,355 service personnel during the Second World War.

With three runways, several large hangars, bomb stores and plentiful space for accommodation its first purpose was as an Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.) for Polish aircrew learning to fly Wellington bombers. 199 squadron moved in during November 1942 and flew 119 sorties over enemy territory during a four month residency. Later in 1943, RAF Blyton became home to No1662 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU). The Wellington and Lancaster bombers were based in Gainsborough until the end of the war.

Post 1945, Blyton Park became a reserve field for the US Air Force which is when the runways were coated in tarmac. The circuit continued to operate as an airfield until 1954, but the runway was still used for take-off and landing practice.

Aerial photograph of Blyton Race Circuit

The airfield was acquired by motorsport enthusiast Richard Usher in March 2011 before being repurposed as a one and a half mile tarmac circuit. Two months later, Blyton Park Driving Centre opened for business, with the main activities being track and experience days with optional driver tuition.

In recent years, a number of alternate circuit configurations have been introduced and as a result, the circuit is now a hub for numerous car and motorbike disciplines. Licensed by the MSA for sprint competition, Blyton Park hosts a number of rallycross and grasstrack events, as well as supermoto and superlites series.

(Photograph & text courtesy of Blyton Park)

ATTENDANCE

With COVID restrictions coming to an end (once again!), I had to make sure I would be attending for the first time after a two year break due to the Pandemic as all I have ever heard is brilliant things about the event. Setting off at 5:30am from North Wales for a 400+ mile round trip was a bit of a struggle, but plenty of food, caffeine and good music kept me going. I kept wondering if it was going to be a wash-out where the camera would stay in the car as all I had for the journey there was rain between showers! Luckily, about 10 miles away from the location the rain stopped, however what was worse was that my sat-nav decided to take me to somebody’s farm in the middle of nowhere! After a quick search, I got back on the correct route where suddenly I caught up with a stunning light blue Morris Mini Cooper S on the back of a small flatbed. I thought chances are that it is heading to Blyton, I decided to follow with hopefully arriving at the correct location…and thankfully it paid off!

ARRIVAL

After turning through the main gates passing the grass tracking ring and weaving around the hundreds of potholes (or I should say craters!) on the old runway, I was greeted by many early-bird Mini fanatics who were as mad as myself setting off in the early hours or had braved the unsettling overnight forecast in their tents who were removing their Minis from their trailer for the morning track session.

The first mission once parked up was to head straight for the autojumble and trade stalls where many rare parts were up for grabs by renowned people and companies in the mk1 scene. As I am currently restoring a 1967 Morris Mini Super Deluxe, I needed a few parts as the previous owner fitted later parts to my disgust! After picking up some parts from Tim Whight of Whights Restorations and ADO Equipment, I then browsed a few other items, however I tried to not get carried away and empty my wallet too soon!

After returning the parts to my car, I then set about photographing the cars which had arrived early. As soon as I got the camera out, rain started to fall but luckily it was very light and only lasted for a short while. As I photographed away, more and more Minis started to arrive and the noise increased where track preparations were now fully underway with some already flat out around the circuit achieving as much track time as possible.

While some were pushing their Minis of all engine capacities to the max around the track, many rare examples were also on display parked down the old runway as a static car show with the rapeseed crops making a great back drop.

It was also great to talk to many of the owners and also finally put faces to names who I have been in contact with for a while over social media which included Samuel Davies of UK Minis who was displaying a competition car which was due to end later that evening and Tim Ward from St. Mary’s Minis with his stunning 1963 Morris Cooper S 1071 which is shown below.

afternoon

While the day broke for lunch, it was a perfect opportunity to take plenty of detailed shots while both the owners and Minis cooled down and refuelled ready for the afternoon session.

After lunch, all Minis in attendance were welcomed to head out for a parade lap before the afternoon session took place. This gave the owners who didn’t want to brave the track the opportunity to experience the circuit at a slower pace while celebrating the day together.

Bangers & CAsh Mini Cooper S

Several weeks before the event, one of the most exciting and currently famous Minis on the internet would be making an appearance. An episode from the TV Show Bangers & Cash featured a sorry looking Mini Cooper S. Over the years the garage roof had collapsed and the Mini essentially became a shed within a shed, with the boot and rear used to store kindling.

The episode featured the vehicle being removed from the garage which hadn’t seen daylight for 40 years. This revealed the extent of the work which would need to be completed by the next brave owner. The car, discovered in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, was auctioned off without a reserve by Mathewsons with an estimate of between £3,000 and £10,000. However, a huge level of interest for the vehicle resulted in it selling for £20,000!

After many years of hard work and money spent, the Mini Cooper S is now fully restored in its original colour and specification. I have been told it still is the original shell which of course needed tremendous amount of work but the satisfaction is much more significant rather than spending on a new heritage shell. All the parts that were able to be saved have been stripped down and recommissioned which is great to see. If you look carefully on the engine bay photo, the rocker cover, radiator bracket and clutch housing, a lot of patina is present which I think adds to the car tremendously.

It is safe to say it gathered a lot of attention on the day where people admiring the work that has gone into this car. This made it become a problem for me to find a window where it was free of people for the photos! A nice touch was that it was parked next to a near identical Cooper S...the one I followed on my way to the track!

highlight of the show

With many rare and stunning Minis in attendance, it was hard to pick a favourite of mine, but the car that kept catching my eye was Pete Flanagan’s early Cooper S ‘Minty’. This Mini has a massive racing history including being initially raced by Anita Taylor, and subsequently won its class in the 1965 Snetterton 500 in the hands of David Wansborough and Gerry Marshall. ‘110 NNM’ unfortunately isn’t up to the current specification for racing, however Pete still continues to use ‘Minty’ for track days, sprints and hillclimbs.

Through the charitable fund raising activities over the last 4 months including a raffle where many rare and collectable Mini parts were on offer, the event raised over £12,000 for the chosen charity MacMillan Cancer Support in honour of Pete’s late wife who lost her battle to cancer last year. If you would like to donate, I have included the link here.

A big shoutout to all the organisers, volunteers, traders and on-site staff for their hard work in organising and delivering a brilliant event. Watching the cars on track has made me definitely catch the track bug and I hope to attend to get some minutes around Blyton with my 1970 Mini Clubman next year! Be sure to put next years date in your diary when it is released as you won’t be disappointed!

Further photographs of the day are included below.