by Lynn Mills

Chatter
July 1991

Palm Springs 1990 - BMC vs. BMC

This was the long awaited showdown between Sprites and Minis

by Lynn Mills

The 1990 Palm Springs Road Races boasted the most ground-shaking Shelby GT350s ever assembled in one place. Other races showcased big, snarling Can Ams, screaming Formula One cars, and sports racers. But the cognoscenti came from the biggest race of all- E Production. The Bugeye vs. the Box. Abindgon's best against Cowley's best. Over the past year, the rivalry in VARA has festered, and with seven Sprites and seven Minis entered, this would be the long awaited and much anticipated showdown.

It had been hotly debated that the Minis' front wheel drive and syncromest first gear would give them the edge on the tight city course in downtown Palm Springs. But last year, Gary Neuer of the Austin-Healey Store, in his Sprite dominated E Production. In addition to harassing and nearly beating Bat Masterson's Corvette in the Reunion Race.

From the first practice day, there were troubles in both camps. Race weekend turned into a work weekend for Tom Colby, who prepared and co-owns the Healey Store car. (Colby gained fame last summer in the North American Healey Challenge, when he annihilated the other Sprites and even caught some of the big Healeys.) He thrashed late both nights helping Lynn Mills' Team Yellow Sprite crew do a tranny transplant, in addition to brake and engine work for Rob Caro's Sprite. Larry Haile's Bugeye ran fast and strong all weekend - his only problem was stopping. Which is a big problem on this unforgiving concrete-walled course. In Friday practice, he locked up the anchors and snagged a tire wall, and it would only get worse from there. Peter Raphael's borrowed purple Mini lost a headlight in a brief encounter with the wall, as did Efrain Olivares' pretty and original Bugeye. Mechanic Dave Hubbard managed to pound out and tape the precious metal bonnet, to get Olivares back out on the track. (No doubt Hubbard, who makes fiberglass bonnets, has a new customer.) Eric Allard's usually quick high-tech Mini fell victim to overheating.

Luckily Sprite vs. Mini is a friendly rivalry - if not for the generosity of the Sprite and Mini competitors who helped each other out and swapped parts, there wouldn't have been any showdown whatsoever. Many had problems that would have sent owners of less popular cars back home on the trailer. (Where does that guy with the Jowett Jupiter borrow parts?)

Fortunately, the two marques share many of the same bits and the contributions from the Austin Healey Store, Mini Mania, and individual competitors saved the weekend. A borrowed fan belt for Mills' Sprite was courtesy of Mini competitor Raphael. Allard, another Mini man (himself the recipient of a water pump from Mills) loaned Sprite driver Caro a spare cylinder head. And that's just a few examples. It was as if each wanted the other to be at their best, so that there could be a real test of driver and machinery.

The races didn't let anybody down. Neuer's Sprite attacked from the third row Saturday, with four Minis and a twin cam MGA between him and the checkered flag. Threading through the Minis, he caught leader Dick Daniel's MGA, which could pull him on the long 1/2 mile straight. With two laps to go, things got hairy in Turn 9 as the two split around a startled MGB. As the MGA started to slide, Neuer sneaked inside to take the lead and eventually, the checker. He set a lap time that would have put him 3rd in Sunday's D Production race (against Alfa GTVs, Elva Couriers, Ginettas, and Porsche 911s), and even somewhere respectable in the middle of the Shelby/Cobra race. Caro ran strong, challenging Cliff Jones' speedy Mini, but lost a valve on the last lap. Limping across the finish line, he nevertheless managed to hang on for 4th. His paddock-mate, Haile, lost his brakes completely on the second lap and went flying down the narrow, concrete-lined runoff lane at the end of the main straight. Polesitter, Mini Mania's Jim Jensen, finished 8th, developing transmission problems that would sideline him for Sunday. Allard's Mini, starting from the second row, spun out of over-exuberance as he made a run at the leaders, and would have to start in the back of the grid the next day.

The stage was set for a hard battle on Sunday. Prior to the race, officials cautioned several participants "don't try to win it all in the first turn" (shades of Lime Rock.) The front row pitted the weekend's fastest Sprite (Neuer) against the fastest Mini (Jones), since Daniel's MGA broke in practice. As the green flag fell, Jones' Mini got the jump on the Sprite, and managed to keep Neuer at bay for a few laps. Neuer went outside of Jones going into the hairpin, but the Mini won the drag race down the long straight. At the next turn, Neuer faked outside, but went inside, got by Jones, and pulled away to victory. Caro passed Jones as well, but came into a turn too hot, and nearly lost it. The rear end reportedly swung out a bit past perpendicular and Jones got by him. Caro managed to straighten it out, but had to settle for third. Raphael's Mni was having transmission problems and battled a few laps with Tim Walker's pristine, Hubbard-prepped Sprite. With the Sprites of Walker and Mills looming in his mirrors, Raphael quickened his pace to hold onto 4th. Walker ran strong until engine problems sidelined him midway through the race. Mills moved from 12th place to 7th on Sunday, after excorcising her transmission demons. By the mid point of the race she was hot on the bumper of Duane Spencer's 6th place Porsche 912, but getting around it became hopeless when they started lapping slower traffic. Olivares took 13th after DNFing the day before, and the green Bugeye of the always consistent, hard-driving Larry Hurt came in 15th. With his brakes rebuilt, Larry Haile followed Allard's Mini swiftly through the pack from the back of the grid. Unfortunately, on the fifth lap, Haile blew the master cylinder completely, necessitating another harrowing tour of the same escape route as the day before. Zigzagging skillfully between tire barriers, his right rear wheel smoking, he jumped a curb and dug a tire in the sand, stopping the car just before the wall. Haile put out the fire before the emergency crew arrived, and now advocates installing dual master cylinders, as well as carrying a separate hand-held extinguisher, whether or not you have an on board fire system.

When the smoke cleared, the Sprite/Mini wars ended up fairly even - in the top spots Saturday, it was Neuer's Sprite 1st, Jones' Mini 3rd, Caro's Sprite 4th, Raphael's Mini 5th, Walker's Sprite 7th, and Jensen's Mini 8th. Sunday, it was Neuer's Sprite 1st, Jones' Mini 2nd, Caro's Sprite 3rd, Raphael's Mini 4th, Allard's Mini 5th, Mills' Sprite 7th. And each driver is already saying, just wait till next year...

Lynn Mills is the Editor of VARA's (Vintage Auto Racing Association) bi-monthly Vintage Voice magazine. This is California's premier vintage group. Lynn, Rob Caro, and Larry Haile traveled to Elkhart Lake last year to compete in the Healey Challenge, and Lynn has contributed articles to British Car and Vintage Motorsports magazines.