MINI CHALLENGE CLUBSPORT

PRE-RACE INTERVIEW:

We caught up with Ross as he is prepping his car ready for the first race on April 15th. Find out what he had to say below:

How long have you been racing?
I rode Motorcross bikes for around 3 years as a hobby and raced a lot with that, after a few injuries later I thought it was best to move onto 4 wheels instead of 2! I went go karting a few times and realised I was pretty good at it and so started to do track days and eventually entered into the Kumho BMW Championship in 2022.

What inspired you to get into racing?
I’ve always been surrounded by engines, whether it be playing Playstation 1 racing games with my dad when I was younger or my mom and dad taking me to Santa Pod and watching the drag racing. My parents bought me a track day in an AReeve Motorsport race spec R56 MINI Cooper S for my 17^th birthday and it was at that point that I caught the bug for circuit racing.

Does it take up a lot of time practising?
You have to be committed and there’s a lot of planning that comes with it. I do a track day in between to learn the track itself but another good way for me to practise learning a circuit is by racing on Xbox.

Do you enjoy racing MINIs?
Yes I love MINIs, I’ve grown up with them with my parents having them, and now I actually work for Sytner MINI I’m surrounded by them all day every day!

What is your favourite track?
Definitely Oulton Park or Donington Park!

What is your best racing achievement?
My best achievement in racing is when I raced at a very wet Oulton Park where I qualifying, came 1^st in Race 1 and came 2^nd in race 2.

What’s the best and worst thing that has happened during a race?
The best thing was probably when I won a race by 10 seconds, it was really wet conditions and the first time I’d driven in conditions like that. The worst is definitely when my brakes failed at 120mph… luckily there was some run off so I didn’t crash.

How do you prep for a race?
I have a whole team to do the car prep for me and take the car to and from races called AReeve Motorsport based in Kings Lynn, they’re really helpful! But the best way to prepare for the track is either go-karting, track days or Xbox! I play Xbox to learn the track better and it works well for me!

What’s your favourite thing about the car?
It would have to be how nimble the car is, it really takes the bends well. I’ve done track days and my MINI has put a lot of expensive, high performance cars to shame.

How are you feeling about the upcoming race?
I’m extremely nervous but Cadwell Park is a good track so I’m excited. There’s still some parts that need fitting to the car so I’m just waiting for them and then the car will be ready to go.

What would you say to anyone looking at wanting to race?
I would say don’t give up. I received a lot of negativity when I decided I want to race, being told “You’ll be against people who have been doing it a lot longer than you, you won’t stand a chance”, but I ignored all their negative comments and started racing anyway where I won my first race on only my 4^th ever race weekend!

Thanks Ross for taking the time to speak with us and we wish you all the luck in the upcoming race at Cadwell Park on 15^th April 2023!