Mini 7 Racing Club

Mini 7 Racing Club

Since the first Formula Mini Se7en race at Brands Hatch in 1966, the Mini 7 Racing Club has remained a favourite for drivers, race commentators and spectators alike.

Four individual race series allow you to prepare a car to best suit your skill and budget. Super-close racing is guaranteed thanks to a carefully developed set of regulations that ensure a level playing field.

The race cars offer excellent performance for money, challenging many of today’s more modern car formulas on overall pace. The Mini Se7ens and Miglias are guaranteed to give you a large amount of overtaking, due to equally-matched machinery and rather un-aerodynamic body, which lends itself to much slip-streaming tactics.

Off the track, the Club has a very friendly atmosphere with willingness to help new members become acquainted with the ‘tricks of the trade’ and where to get the best advice. Most drivers and supporters stay at the circuit, giving an ideal opportunity to discuss the racing.

The cars are ideal for the engineering enthusiast, as although the rules do strictly stipulate what can be modified on the car, there’s still room for customisation. Most of our club member’s cars are unique, having evolved over many seasons.

If you are interested in starting racing, the best advice is to come to a race and chat, then buy yourself a pre-built car, as this is by far the most economic route.

Four Championships

Within the Mini 7 Racing Club we welcome four separate racing classes to best suit your budget and driving skills, with a clear progression path if you wish to gradually move up to our more powerful, faster categories.

The overall build style and components of the Minis are very similar between classes, so it’s common practice to convert from one series to another with some straightforward changes.

Mini Se7en S-Class

Starting with our scholarship class, the Mini Se7en S-Class is the perfect entry point to circuit racing. Using much of the same chassis and safety components as our title Mini Se7en formula, power is derived from a fast-road specification 1275cc A-Series engine.

Tuning is carefully restricted and regulated to allow DIY home mechanics equal footing with the professionals and keep costs to a minimum. Power outputs are in the region of 85-90bhp and lap times are usually a couple of seconds adrift from the Mini Se7en cars depending on the circuit.

The S-Class share races with the Mini Se7ens, but now with their own highly-competitive starting grid.

Mini Se7en

Our original series has evolved a long way from the ’60s, when budding racers found the nearest, cheapest 850cc Mini, made some rudimentary upgrades and headed to Brands Hatch for a race. Nowadays the levels of preparation in this class are up with the very best saloon car racers.

With all the latest safety and handling modifications, up front is a highly-tuned 998cc A-Series engine developing over 100bhp. Power runs through straight-cut gears to give that distinctive racing soundtrack, while Dunlop cross-ply tyres allow the cars to slide spectacularly through the corners at high speeds.

These are highly addictive machines, which explains why so many drivers have been returning year-after-year, complete with a big grin after every race!

Mini Miglia

Our headline series truly pushes the envelope of classic Mini performance, with highly-tuned 1275cc engines, slick Dunlop racing tyres and Ohlins motorsport dampers. These top-flight racing Minis can average over 95mph at Thruxton, although it’s the incredible cornering speeds that really set them apart.

First launched in 1970, the Mini Miglia series is as popular now as ever, with large grids and incredibly close racing from the front to the back. Expect power outputs in excess of 130bhp.

Grid numbers have been boosted further in recent years with the addition of the Mini Libre series, which races alongside.

Mini Libre

Our most recent addition, the Mini Libre series is an invitation class if you fancy competing with the Mini Miglias on a more limited budget. Here you can still build a powerful A-Series engine Mini without keeping to the strict specifications. So if you have an old 1380 hillclimb Mini in the garage, that could be ideal.

Specifications are largely as per the Miglia cars, but up to 1380cc and your choice of cylinder head. In the past we have seen all manner of 16-valve, 7-port, 8-port and good old fashioned 5-port race Minis competing.

Emphasis is very much upon value-for-money with the Mini Libre class, so you don’t need the latest-spec dampers or brand new tyres every meeting; just get involved.