Made from the Wright Stuff
Every Cloud has an Orange Lining:
Perspective is a tricky thing, isn't it? We spend our whole lives honing and refining our view of the world, perfecting our cognitive powers in order to uniquely analyse and interpret the goings-on around us, but it only takes one shift in reality to totally throw off all of our reference points. Take a look at Ministox racers in front of you now! We don’t need to remind you much of the events occurred in 2020 causing a huge shift in everyone’s perspective. We couldn’t go out and see our mates, we couldn’t go to car shows or even go to the shops without an iron clad excuse… it was for a want of a better word, rubbish for everyone. So there’s a lot more to this story than simply the pros and cons of using Minis as stock cars.
Play Time:
The unique twist here is that the brothers who built and now race these minis had never done anything like it before. And the reason for that is that Charlie Wright is 13 years old, and Jenson 12 (At the time of the article). Andy (Dad & Chief Mechanic), Becky (Mum) are both seasoned drivers who met racing at Trent raceway in Burton on Trent in 2005. “During the 2020 COVID Pandemic, the boys really struggled with anxiety with all the constant new reports they were subjected to,” Andy explains, “so we decided to look for a couple of race cars that the boys could go out to the workshop with me and build for novice racing at Trent Raceway. We found a pair of ex-ORCI Ministox for sale on social media that had been sat unloved in a farmer’s field in Cornwall for many years, and decided to buy both cars for £1,000.
Yes, our day to day touchpoints were shot to pieces as the lockdowns tightened, the mental pressures took their toll on us all in different ways, and it will undoubtedly go down in history as the period we’d all rather forget – but the funny thing about perspective is that despite being informed by external factors, it I what you make it. 2020 wa a kick in the pants, 2021 and ’22 were a bit weird, but it wasn’t necessarily all bad. We all got to veg out in front of Tiger King, and see Jow Wicks dressed up as spiderman, and let the phrase ‘You’re on mute’ slip seamlessly into the every day lexicon. And most importantly of all, a hardcore clique of car enthusiasts didn’t allow the presence of a spiky virus to stop them from doing what they were most passionate about. They didn’t sit on their backsides and try to complete Netflix, but got out in the garage and built cars.
The Minis needed a lot of work to remove all the external crash bars that run down the sides of the cars, as these didn’t meet the rules for Trent Raceway Cars. But although the bodywork needed major efforts to remove bars and repair all the body panels, the original 998cc engines were cleaned and within an hour of them arriving they both started and ran really well!”
This hands on approach truly inspired the boys and they were keen to get stuck in – which is just as well, as this was where the hard work and commitment really kicked in. With Andy being a qualified mechanic as well as an experienced racers he was very keen that these Minis represent the boys’ own work; he wouldn’t just be building the cars for them to play with, this was an opportunity for them to learn new skills that they can carry through life. “Its my strong belief that if the boys race, they must learn to understand how the mechanicals work and how to repair them,” says Andy. “Which Charlie & Jenson jumped at the chance to learn. They removed, cleaned and repaired all the brakes, suspension and then fitted new carburettors, points, distributors and so on. They have been learning how to sand down bodywork, as well as how to weld and paint the cars. And the boys have crowd funded their own race lorry, aswell as raising the funds to buy tyres and fuel to race.”
it's little short of incredible, isn’t it? The therapeutic qualities of the project cant be denied, but the development and maintenance of these Minis has morphed into something far more than a mere distraction; its heartfelt endeavour, a life force. And a really awesome hobby, obviously – so much cooler than hanging around the house watching SpongeBob.
Family Fun:
The boys have inherited their parents’ race numbers with Charlie racing under #20 and Jenson running #353. Both cars run a pared-back motorsport spec fully stripped, substantial roll cages, adjustable suspension with hi-los, and basic drum brakes because hey, you never use brakes on the track right?
“The Boys had a fantastic first season in 22022 with many trophies gained,” says Andy, “ and you can see all of this on the Facebook Page! For 2023 we added a BriSCA National Ministox car to the workshop which the boys raced throughout the UK. The boys also love to take these Minis to shows as well a visiting local schools, to show children the car and talk about what it takes to race them.”
The dedication is total, the commitment impeccable, and it all goes to demonstrate the importance of focus and perspective. Before the pandemic, the Wright Brothers probably wouldn’t have imagined in a few short years they’d be out racing cars they built themselves. Today they’re winning silverware, learning new skills all the time, whilst spreading the word to their peers. It really is inspiring stuff.
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