Tyler's Class 1 Mini Tyler's mini developed a problem at a race meeting, the engine beginning to smoke a lot, so they asked us to have a look, and as he is currently 2nd in the championship, they needed a  quality engine to help him gain the top spot. On inspection, the engine was found to have heat damage on pistons 3 and 4, and the bore was slightly marked as well. We decided to go for a rebore to .060, and fit flat top pistons, which meant a change of con rods as these pistons use circlips to retain the piston pin. For a road spec engine the bore damage would have not been an issue, but not in a grass track car that is running flat out in 2nd gear the whole time! A class 1 engine is built to very strict spec, and the unit is then sealed by the scrutineers and then, on completion of the season, all the front running cars are stripped down to make sure they conform to a perfectly standard 1000cc Mini engine. Any cheating brings severe penalties with it. Tyler's engine was carefully checked and any suspect parts replaced. The engine was then cleaned and painted and carefully assembled, and refitted. It sounds really crisp, but will need a session on the rollers to optimize fuel and ignition timing before it will be at its very best. Sunday was not a good day for the Mini. An excellent start in Heat 1 saw Tyler leading the pack. 2 laps in and the engine suddenly lost power and he pulled out the race.  Everybody thought that somehow the choke had come on and richened up the mixture, so a quick strip and reset of the carb had it purring again in the pits.   Heat 2, and again Tyler is in the front of the pack, but this time only lasts a lap before again losing power. This called for a change of distributor and coil, as the points had melted, with new points and condensor fitted. Heat 3 and fingers crossed, it sounds ok in the pits!   Off they go, another demon start and again massive power loss after 2 laps. This time the engine won't start in the pits and things are not looking great. Well, after spending hours fiddling about trying to find out why the points are getting so hot they are melting the structure, causing the gap to close and none or very little spark being produced, we change the coil again, and look at some recent rewiring, make a few changes, and she fires and runs perfectly. Tyler manages to get out in the all comers race, and the car behaves itself and he gets the result he was robbed of earlier.  Monday looms, and we hope to have a good day. There is a strange leak of combustion pressure out the side of the head which means we will have to remove the head and see whats going on after the Monday meeting. Monday, and the car fires up ok, but seems a little lean on the fueling. The combustion leak is still blowing slightly, but the engine is not overheating, so it's not a major concern.  The car run well in the first heat and Tyler gets a good result, which is vital if he is going to get into the final. 2nd heat, a good start puts the car into 1st place by the bottom corner and it's running strong. The heat is red flagged due to a roll over and the cars are brought back for a re-run. There are only 3 cars still running in the heat, and Tyler make another good start and leads into the top corner. Out of the bottom corner, and the car is misfiring again, but only a third place is needed to get into the final, so he keeps going and takes third place. The final is run over 10 laps instead of 5, which means we have to sort the timing problem if Tyler is going to have any chance of a good result, and score championship points! Fortunately, Steve Hall is on hand to support Tyler, and he knows a lot about race cars. We decide to wire the coil directly to the battery with a new piece of thicker gauge wire, hoping to bypass any wiring faults in the system. We replace the points and reset the timing, and off he goes. 2nd place in the final is our reward. The first trophy for one of our customer engines, and it felt good. Thanks Steve, we owe you one!      The engine is now running much hotter, and its blowing a lot of oil from the breather.            I wonder if we will have to rebuild it after the meeting. But, there's no holding the boy back now, and he is out in the junior allcomers race, with staggered start and the odd special thrown in for good measure. A 3rd place was an amazing result, and he arrived back in the pits with oil running down the front valance panel, and me thinking this is going to be expensive. We lift the bonnet, and it's only the oil pressure sender with a pin hole in it spraying out a fine jet of oil.          For quality spray painting contact Steve Hall....   01963 363651 Tuesday, and we have replaced what appears to have been a faulty gasket, and could see that it was blowing into the water jacket, and into the pushrod tube, which explains the car running hotter as the day progressed, and the amount of oil being blown out of the breather. Picture of the car in the garage with a new head gasket fitted, and completely rewired, and a standard type coil fitted.       Can't wait for the next meeting to see how she goes. Race meeting 20/09/09 Picture of Tyler and Steve's cars prior to the start of the meeting A successful day out for WS84, now secure in 2nd place in the championship, but to far adrift to gain the top spot. That will be the goal for 2010. Tyler is seldom out of the top 3 places in the points scoring heats, and he lost to a Citroen AX by less than a bonnet length when he came in 3rd, and they had swopped places at least every lap. Thats proper racing!!  In the final, he just grabbed the lead and maintained a few car lengths in front of the 2nd place car, which shows real skill under pressure.                              I think we have a star in the making with Tyler. The car is running well with no work needed apart from fuel between races. October 3rd and 4th, two day meeting at South Somerset, Highbridge track. Saturday is the day for running the heats and Tyler scores two seconds and a third. There are some very quick cars here and a big entry of junior Class 1 cars. Sunday has one more heat and the final. Once again Ty shows he is going to be a serious contender for the title next year, as he takes a win in the heat, and then a good fouth in the final, despite being last out of the first corner. One local meeting to go and then the winter prep for 2010.  Final Meeting 18th October 2009. Final preparation and checks before the heats begin! This turns out to be Tylers best meeting to date. The car runs faultlessly, Ty drives like he has been doing this for years, and his results show just how good he is. Never out of the top three, he gets 1st, 3rd, and then two 2nd places.  In one race he came out of the top bend in 6th place and was 2nd by time he turned into the bottom bend, and stayed in 2nd place. Thats what a good driver with Jungle power can do! The cylinder head will now be removed to ensure it complies with the rules. We will then have a quick check of the engine and refit the head, and then Nick and Tyler will be changing a few panels and maybe a respray ready for the attack on the top spot next year! November 2009 The car has returned to us and all is legal ( we knew it would be ), the engine is now reassembled and WS84 is on its way to begin the winter refresh. Well done to Tyler for his 2nd spot in the championship. We will be aiming even higher next season! 28th March South Somerset meeting cancelled due to water logged track! 11th April 2010 South Somerset. Dry and cool weather, with no chance of rain greeted the drivers at the first meeting of the year for us. Tyler's car looking good with new front panels. Heat 1 and WS84 leads them home for 1st place. Heat 2 and again Tyler shows the pace and skill needed for another 1st. New sponsor Gillams Car Spares of Wincanton, our parts supplier as well. The Final, 8 cars and 8 laps. Demon start for Tyler, and then a big moment at the first corner drops him to 7th. Using all his skill and Jungle Power results in 2nd place at the flag. 2 more laps and I think he could have won it. A small problem with some water being forced out the breather results in a head gasket change  and a check for any cracks. All seems ok. Next meeting, 25th April at Wessex Raceway.  25th April 2010 The day is overcast but dry in the morning, with showers in the afternoon making the track very greasy. Tyler gets a first and a second in the heats on a dry track. A very wet final and a difficult start has WS84 about 5th, but with one lap to go he is in the lead, only to lose it on the last corner because of dirt smeared on the visor leaving Tyler with very little idea of where the track goes. A first place and 2 second places and every ones happy!!( and no panel damage ) Race day 23rd May 2010 A very hot and dusty day has the Mini running hot and blowing a lot of coolant out of the radiator. Tyler is also fighting hay fever from the dust and is not at his peak. Heat 1. 3rd Heat 2. 3rd Final. Black flag for contact and has some minor panel damage. We have had the car back into the workshop to see if the head gasket is causing the coolant loss, but it all checks out ok. We then find that the radiator cap is only 7 psi instead of 15 psi so is lifting under pressure above 95 degrees and allowing the coolant to escape. A new cap should cure the problem. More news of Tyler on the race day pages! Tyler is heading for circuit racing in 2011, so the mini is For Sale. Offers around £1300. Contact Nick at Waverly Commercial, in Henstridge, Somerset. 01963 363738