From 500bhp Mini-Honda to Longhurst-liveried BMW 325

Star car: Wade’s 500bhp Mini-Honda

For Classic Thunder racer Neil Wade, last weekend’s triple-header at Pembrey was “the first time I’ve actually felt like I could drive” his self-built 500bhp Honda turbo-powered Mini Cooper S R50.

It’s been a long process for the former Royal Air Force engineer who has returned to racing after a five-year hiatus. Wade’s heavily-modified Mini previously had Saab motivation – a legacy of his rallycross days where the Swedish powerplant was a popular weapon of choice – but gearbox trouble was a constant source of frustration.

Initially sidelined by the pandemic, Wade intended to return in 2022 but his hopes were dashed by an engine blow-up and fire in testing. “I went: ‘I’m not doing Saabs anymore’,” he said. His first Honda K20 fared no better, throwing a conrod after just a few laps of Snetterton. But a race-prepped version built by Clockwise Motion has combined power with reliability. Breathing through a Garrett GT3076 turbocharger and running a Haltech ECU, the Mini’s motor can now do justice to Wade’s chassis.

“It took me 18 months to build,” said Wade. “I designed everything myself – all the suspension, built all the subframes [front and rear]. It has double wishbone suspension, all on rose joints with coilovers on the top.

“The body kit I built out of wood in the garage and then took all the moulds off, learned how to do fibreglass, built all the panels, learned how to spray, and sprayed it!”

After ironing out teething issues and dialling in the car over the season’s first two rounds, Wade suffered another setback when his power-steering failed in qualifying at Pembrey – but it proved to be a blessing in disguise.

“I didn’t know if I’d even be able to race it with no power-steering [but] the car feels so much better without,” he admitted. “I can feel what it’s doing, so it’s not going back in it and we can get rid of about 10-15kg.”

Three class wins were the reward. “I’m so happy,” he beamed. “I’ve got quicker and quicker and the racing was top notch, side by side, fantastic racing.”

Star car: The Nardones’ BMW 325

The Cardiff-based Nardone brothers took their newly re-liveried Tony Longhurst tribute car for a successful outing among the Pre-’93 Touring Cars at their local circuit.

Luca Nardone usually shares the BMW 325 E30 with his elder brother Cristiano when the pair contest the Classic Sports Car Club’s 40-minute Future Classics races. But he drove solo en route to a hat-trick of class wins in the Classic Touring Car Racing Club’s 15-minute sprints while Cristiano shook down their Ford Mustang in the Pre-’66 category.

The alloy wheel specialists converted the 2.5-litre straight-six engined machine from a trackday car to go racing post-pandemic, largely keeping it close to period specification. The 325 retains a standard five-speed gearbox and 15-inch wheels, but the Nardones have fine-tuned the handling via its Leda coilovers. Weight saving comes from perspex windows and fibreglass panels, while stopping power is provided by four-pot callipers at the front and standard E30 rear discs. Uprated pistons and the addition of throttle bodies help deliver increased power, measuring 190bhp at the wheels.

“We could probably squeeze a bit more power out,” said the elder brother, “but it’s reliable and we’ve never had any issues with it. Everything that you see apart from the cage, we’ve done it all.”

Having previously run the car in their own red colour scheme, the Nardones fancied a change this year while avoiding the more commonplace BMW works liveries.

“We tried to replicate the ones that they raced in Australia,” explained Nardone. “It was the start of Group A and BMW didn’t have the M3 yet, but no-one remembers them because the M3s came along [later] and destroyed everything!”

The 325 and its predecessor 323 could be competitive in the right hands, particularly on tighter circuits. Longhurst took his to fifth in the 1986 Australian championship, claiming a podium finish at the 1.2-mile Amaroo Park.

“Once you get them handling right, they’re really good cars,” said Nardone. “They’re fun and they’re reliable. And you can still get lots of bits for them.”

Best battle: MGOC bouts

Cole (l) and McDermind were never far apart at Pembrey

Photo by: Steve Jones

Four-time MG Owners’ Club champion Steve McDermid faced a new challenge in the form of 2024 MG Trophy top dog James Cole – and it was Cole who put one over his engine builder, two-one across three close-fought contests.

The pair could barely be separated in the opener as McDermid shadowed track debutant Cole all the way to the flag. “I was like, ‘Another 10 minutes of this, I can’t do it!’” admitted Cole as the #1 car filled his mirrors mid-race.

Sunday morning’s rematch was filled with incident. McDermid pounced on Cole’s twitch exiting Honda at the end of the first lap to snatch the lead. But momentary cut-outs of his MG ZR’s engine weren’t helping McDermid’s cause as Cole probed.

“I wasn’t going to try anything stupid because I like him building my engines!” smiled Cole. However, his chance came when, just before half-distance, McDermid’s gremlins struck approaching the tight right-hander at Brooklands. Double-declutching as he sought to regain power briefly locked McDermid’s steering and he ran wide, letting both Cole and Robb Addison through.

In his haste to regain ground, McDermid rotated when he clipped a bump at Dibeni a little later and could only finish sixth. Instead, Addison – who raced against Cole’s father Doug more than 25 years ago – assumed his role and harried Cole to the flag.

Two-nil, and the weekend bragging rights were now Cole’s. But McDermid saved face as he withstood lights-to-flag pressure from Cole to win the finale.

Star performer: Davison in Pre-’93 Touring Cars

Davison had not previously won in Pre-’93 Touring Cars but got the better of Bower in all three contests

Photo by: Steve Jones

Before Pembrey’s triple-header, Will Davison had never won in Pre-’93 Touring Cars. Now, he is a three-time victor.

Going into the weekend, Ian Bower had four wins from four races in his BMW M3 E36 – a car, ironically, that Davison tends alongside his own. Bower again had the edge in qualifying, outpacing Davison by a quarter of a second.

But, despite the double champion converting pole into the lead, Davison’s pressure told. He dived past Bower at Brooklands on lap five of 14 before scampering to a 4.3-second victory.

The key to Davison’s success in the sequel – despite a grassy moment – was holding off Bower’s challenge into Hatchets hairpin.

“Going into the first corner it was side by side, and it was do or die because he brakes the latest of anyone,” said Davison. “Ian’s fearless – he’s a really confident driver. After that it was just little by little.”

Penalties for a messy rolling start affected Sunday’s race but it was still Davison who topped Pre-’93. “I’m really happy because I’ve been trying to hunt Ian down all season, getting a little bit closer, never quite there,” he reflected. “So to finally get in front of him feels really nice.”

The Citroen 2CVs enjoyed a 90-minute enduro that was topped by Sebastian Jones-White and Luca Proietti (13)

Photo by: Steve Jones