Stu Lane makes great debut in the new Open 180 class of the MINI CHALLENGE

This weekend, Silverstone hosted the first three races of the new OPEN 180 class which has been introduced in the MINI CHALLENGE for 2016. The Open class is the opportunity for drivers who already have racing MINIs built to other specifications to join the MINI CHALLENGE family and enjoy the facilities and hospitality. This new class joins the Cooper S and Cooper classes on the same grid, being positioned between the two and ensuring some great track action.

With a brand new class, nobody was sure what to expect and the first outing included a range of R53s, R56s and ex MINI CHALLENGE cars with drivers of varying experiences.

The sun was shining on Saturday morning’s qualifying session and it was the first opportunity to see how the variety of cars in the class performed against each other. With just a tenth of a second ahead, Stu Lane was able to take pole position to start the first race.

Race 1 was full of excitement; Lane held the lead of the open class for 14 laps until reaching, what he described as a “wall of slower coopers”, as he caught the tail of the slower class. It was a hectic few laps for the faster open class cars to find their way through the coopers, who were battling in their own races. In the action, Lane was passed by Issatt and Mills, where they held those positions to cross the finish line, leaving Lane with a well fought third place.

Sunday saw the remaining two races. Lane, having finished third on Race 1, started third on race 2. Lane got a fantastic start and put him into first position in class and keeping up with the faster Cooper S cars for the first few laps. After a slide on the first lap, Lane dropped one place but took it back within the next lap. From there, Lane pushed head and gained a huge 7-second lead to go on to take a great first win in his racing career.

For the final race, the grid was reversed and Lane started in sixth place with some work to do. With the slower drivers starting at the front, the racing was intense. Lane battled his way up to 3rd place but on lap 7, suffered an ABS failure, flat spotted a tyre and was forced to pit for a tyre change. Richard Mills went on to take the chequered flag and Lane took a fifth place to gain valuable points in the championship.

The next round of the MINI CHALLENGE with the open class attending is Brands Hatch for the Mini Festival on 16th – 17th July.

What a first race weekend! I didn’t know what to expect, having not raced cars before and to be so competitive, I’m thrilled. All the preparation and hard work has paid off and the car feels superb. Huge thanks to Oakfield Motorsport for building and supporting the car, I have no doubt that their attention to detail, knowledge and experience has made this possible. I’m looking forward to the next round at Brands Hatch in July to see what we can do“. – Stu Lane