There is no greater tribute to the British Royal Crown than the incredible Mini. Though small it may be, it packs a tremendous punch, just like the flag it hails. When push comes to shove, even the tiny engine and lower horsepower number of a 1275cc Mini can fight tooth and nail against the bigger and faster Volkswagen GTI, given the right setup and driver. And make no mistake, the GTI is a pure and true embodiment of German ingenuity and methodological prowess. This six-minute back-and-forth battle between Messrs. Morris and Swift is among the most invigorating I’ve seen in quite some time, and warrants a watch. This is good old-fashioned high-quality racing on a fun little track with fun little cars.
This proper race track scrap took place during last year’s Goodwood Members’ Meeting, as the fight for the lead of the Gordon Spice Trophy heat went down to the line. There isn’t much separating the Mini’s lap time from the GTI’s, but they make their speed in different ways. Obviously the larger and more powerful engine in the Volkswagen gives the car more straight-line speed and off-corner acceleration, but the Mini’s lighter weight and simplicity means it’ll make up pace in braking and keeping mid-corner speed. It also helps that the little Brit can tuck right into the aero gap created by the boxy German and draft down what straights the Goodwood circuit does have. This is about as close as two cars can get without being ideologically identical.
Keep a stiff upper lip
I don’t want to spoil the end of the race for you, but the fact that the race victory was secured by less than three hundredths of a second is pretty impressive. Both drivers were really spurring their cars to leave everything on the track. Any little mistake could have changed the result of the race. Heck, if they’d crossed the line just a handful of seconds later, the penultimate lap would have been the final, and the result would have been reversed. Racing really is the best sport humanity has ever created.
Go ahead, give the video a click and make sure you push it to full screen. You deserve a few minutes of motorsport enthusiasm all to yourself in the middle of a stressful hump day.
