Title battle goes to the wire at Brands!

Race one got off to a flyer, a good start by Coulter from the front row but Depper holds onto top spot on their opening circuit. Jason Greatrex is also on a charge and up to third past Arthur Forster. However a coming together at Druids slows many of the drivers up and as lap one is completed it’s Depper who’s still leading but not for long as Coulter sweeps through on the inside to take over at the front and begins to pull away.

Gary Meikle was an early entry into pits after being involved in the accident at Druids, Pedro del Campo was also in the wars, circulating Brands with his bonnet up while Steve Wood and Arthur Forster also found their way into the pits. Jack Stanford put his name on the retirement list.

In Club a super start by Nick Jones, he’s the early leader with Gary Kounnis second and Jenny Ryan third.

Race leader Coulter then posted the fastest lap of the race so far on lap three and by the time they start lap five he has a second and a half lead over Depper with Greatrex close behind in third. Then it’s Pattison, Wilson, Bristow, Mortimer, Blyth and Lines. Still in Club it’s Jones from Kounnis and Ryan who have formed their own breakaway group.

By lap nine, still no change in the order, everybody settling down after the hectic opening laps, Coulter almost two seconds to the good over Depper. Greatrex is still third but losing time to Depper with Pattison and Wilson scrapping over fourth. On lap ten it’s Wilson who grabs fourth with Bristow sixth and the title-chasing Mortimer in seventh.

Still no change in the order in Club but Nick Jones is pulling further away from Kounnis and Ryan who squabble over second. Behind her it’s Graham Parsons, Andrew Cox and Dawn Boyd.

Having taken his first ever MINI Challenge win at Pembrey, Nathan Coulter was looking good to make it two victories but the action is with Greatrex who is having to defend his third place from a charging Darelle Wilson. It’s not all about those two as Pattison, Bristow, Mortimer, and Lines are all involved as well and any one of these six is in with a very good chance of a podium place.

Lap sixteen and Coulter is being caught, Depper reducing the lead to one point three seconds, the front two with a comfortable margin over Greatrex in third and by lap seventeen Depper takes another second out of Coulter; the gap is down to eight tenths of a second with less than five minutes on the clock.

In Club the top three are bunching together and there’s now nothing between Jones, Kounnis and Ryan with Graham Parsons a further three seconds back in fourth.

Lap nineteen and it’s now an advantage of just two tenths of a second for Coulter as he looks to maintain his position at the head of the field and as they complete the lap, he and Depper are right together, Coulter has the inside line through Paddock and up to Druids but instead of trying to take the long way around and grabbing the inside at Graham Hill, he thinks better of it and settles back into second.

Still nothing between the leading trio of Club cars as Jenny Ryan goes in pursuit of the overall title meanwhile her title rival Oly Mortimer is sixth overall with two laps to go.

Onto the last lap and Depper’s drinking in the last chance saloon as he tries to find that little bit extra that will take him past Coulter. However he can’t find it and it’s Coulter who grabs his second win of the year, crossing the line three tenths of a second ahead of Depper while Greatrex keeps Wilson in his pocket to claim third with title contender Oly Mortimer having to settle for sixth.

In Club it’s Nick Jones who wins but only just with Gary Kounnis right with him as they cross the line and it’s a good haul of points for Jenny Ryan who takes third.

So no titles decided and all still to play for as they begin race two, the final encounter of the 2007 season. Once again another good start by Coulter who leads this time but only just from Darelle Wilson, who is doggedly trying to pass him on the opening lap. Oly Mortimer is in determined mood and bumps into the back of a competitor as they round Graham Hill for the first time, forcing another Cooper S to take to the grass in an avoiding action. In Club class Jenny Ryan is the early leader but not for long as Nick Jones passes her on lap two.

The action is fast, furious and a little bit more and as they start lap four. It’s still Coulter who leads from Wilson, the gap between them almost half a second with Depper third, Bristow fourth and Pattison close behind in fifth. Meanwhile Mortimer is struggling to get close to sixth placed Stewart Lines.

In Club on lap six it’s still Jones who leads by half a second from Ryan who has her hands full in keeping Kounnis and Parsons at bay, the pair all over her like a rash.

As they begin lap nine there are still no retirements but Wilson is closing in on Coulter, the gap reducing by a tenth of a second and then he made his move, sweeping past majestically at Druids to go first and then, after avoiding a spinning Laura Waddington along the Cooper Straight, Coulter then loses second to Depper.

Another unable to hold onto their position is Jenny Ryan, Gary Kounnis going through up into second place.

As they start lap eleven it’s Wilson who leads from Depper then Coulter, Bristow, all four covered by just a couple of seconds, while Mortimer is still in seventh which may not be enough to win him the title. Jenny Ryan, his title rival, is still mixing it in a four way Club class fight on lap twelve, still no change in the order with Parsons fourth, but all four covered by a single second. At times it’s peer through the fingers stuff.

Depper, who’d posted the fastest lap so far on lap six, is starting to close in on Wilson and has him in his sights by lap fourteen yet he himself is coming under increasing pressure from Coulter. Their efforts could well be hindered as they started to mix it with the leading Club class cars. The man on the move and needing to do so is Oly Mortimer, he gets past Stewart Lines to grab sixth and is still hopeful of moving higher up the order. His quest for the Challenge title is eased slightly as Ryan drops to fourth having been overtaken by Parsons and there’s still half the race still to go.

The top three Cooper S cars are breaking away, covered by half a second with fourth placed Bristow unable to stay with them, he’s more than three seconds back and more than concerned with preserving his position from Pattison, Mortimer and Lines who are very, very close. In fact Mortimer and Lines have swapped positions a couple of times on lap eighteen.

In Club Kounnis is up into the lead, a seven-tenths cushion as they began lap nineteen with Parsons third and title-chasing Ryan unable to stay the pace, trailing down in fourth place and looking to find more than a second if she’s to plug the gap to the final podium position.

Steve Tyldsley became the first of the retirements and looked to have been joined by Laura Waddington, who came in to pit but after a quick check of the wheels she was back out again. Meanwhile the luckless Steve Wood made it a double DNF on the day by tumbling off at Clearways.

Into Druids on lap twenty-four and Depper passes Wilson to go first but Wilson fights back and regains the lead as they go through Paddock Hill on the very next lap. Depper then immediately retakes the lead at Druids, fantastic! In Club Ryan is back on a charge and closing in on third place Parsons while Kounnis is still in charge out front.

Lap twenty-six and Jones, who has been challenging Kounnis, finally makes his way through as they round Clearways. Graham Parsons tries to go through the same gap but Kounnis manages to fend him off, with Ryan in fourth also closing in.

A good lap twenty-nine for Depper, as he opens up a second and a half gap over Wilson and Coulter who were baulked by slower traffic. Ryan goes third in Club after Parsons left proceedings following a squabble with Gary Kounnis.

A quick stop for Jack Stanford but he rejoins, well down the order.

With time running out in the chase for the title, Mortimer is seventh in Cooper S and Ryan is third in Club and if it remains like that then the title will be remaining in Ireland.

As the chequered flag is waved, it’s Depper who is first; Wilson is second with Coulter third. Meanwhile Mortimer is seventh but it’s not good enough as Jones wins Club with Kounnis second and Jenny Ryan securing third, which means she finishes the season as 2007 Mini Challenge champion.

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A MINI Sea Beast

Making waves on the Spanish coast is a sea-going version of the globally popular MINI Cooper Hardtop. The Chilli red MINI has been specially converted to surf across the waves along the coasts of some of Europe’s most crowded beaches. Having dropped anchor at several hot-spots already this summer, the tour finishes up in Valencia and then Barcelona in the next couple of weeks.

This ship-shape MINI was created by MINI Spain to provide some light relief during the peak European holiday season, and thankfully is not part of any plan to send a 21st century Armada back to England.

The good ship MINI is taking a sea cruise around the Mediterranean coastline, showing off MINI’s great looks and surprising sea-worthiness a wave riding - a wow factor that’s impossible to beat.

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