GRX 310 History

In 1993 I started looking around for a very early Morris 850 Mini, & after one or more chance buys I ended up holding out to find a one owner mini. Still with original owners manual & all. I drove home 40km at about 40km/hr (just incase anything broke). Then the next day I started what turned out to be a very long restoration/transformation period.

The body was striped back to bare metal, replayed the new works colours & the engine was rebuilt. Some 12mths after buying the little mini it finally hit the road in time for the 1994 Great Northern Mini Tour (one of many). Over the next few years the 850 was slowly transformed into a little race/rally car. In the early 90's I started out learning the art of different types of competition & mechanical repairs. It was at this time that I got taken under the watchful arm or my mentor Mr. Russell Turner who had a vast racing & mechanical background with minis.

I soon started to participate in many motor sport events ie. Autocross / hill climb / bitumen rallies / sprints / motorkahanas / touring assemblies. For good luck & also to lock in somemore heritage into the replication of the original works mini I always competed with the race number 89. Learning along the way the best way of getting every little ounce of hp out of the 850 without wasting any, whilst at the same time as learning mini mechanics & modifications. During the late 90's I was beginning to show vast improvement in both areas, this was more apparent with the results & placing I was getting in Victorian Mini Club Inc events.

To gain greater reliability & a more competitive mini I upgraded the engine. Under the advice of the mechanical expertise of MINIS "R" US, we worked out on paper the entire engine design & build, from the type of carburetor air filters down to the type of oil. Then MINIS "R" US set about building and converting the tame little 850 into a fast road/rally powered mini.

With this upgrade came the ability to hold fast to the true identity of the works rally mini heritage that I was replicating. In the 1999 VMCI championship season I participated in 22 events out of the 25 events that make up the championship. As a result of a rigorous maintenance program, not once did I retire with mechanical failure. I drove the car to every event, competed & drove home. At the end of the year not only did I finish in 1 st Place outright, but I also placed 1 st in engine class, 1 st in Autocross & 2 nd in Motorkanah, & placed respectfully in the other categories.

In June of 2000 I drove the mini over a week long period all the way to Lakeside International Raceway in Queensland . Participating in every event under the sun from an egg & spoon race to a National Motorkahana Competition. As luck would have it I didn't win the egg & spoon race, but I places 2 nd outright Nationally.

I retired the Mini from competition in late 2000 after retuning from Queensland & buying my first property. But the mini bug didn't die, deep down in side of me I want to get back into the mini & do it all over again. So when the opportunity came around to fully rebuild the engine ready to compete again I did it.

However, how things change, with a fully rebuilt engine, lots of excitement in my belly. No racing/ralling for me. I have reluctantly decided to give up the mini.