51 replies to this topic

[mab01uk]

I have lots of photos from the 1980's 'Metro Challenge' years from when my brother Steve Bell was Chris Tyrrell's race mechanic.

Chris was a former Mini Se7en Champion who switched to racing Metros for a few seasons before returning to Mini 7. The Metro Challenge replaced the previous Mini 1275GT Challenge race series and was sponsored by Unipart.

I will post more photos in this thread over coming days and weeks as I sort them out from my boxes of old photos

 

Austin Metro Challenge - Silverstone paddock photos - 3rd May 1982

 

The Metro Challenge Mini Moke - Support Vehicle.

 

 

 

 

[keefr22]

Nice pics, thanks for sharing!

 

I always did like Metro's.....

[lucas1amps]

love the pictures picking up a mk2 MG metro end of this month 

[Archived4]

Love these pics.

[tedmcedd]

Great pics!

I have a set of those unipart wheels on my mk1 mg metro!

[fwdracer]

We've got Steve Soper as guest speaker at this years Mini7 club annual awards night. Of Ex Mini7/1275GT and Metro fame, prior to becoming a BTCC/WTCC hero!

[MIGLIACARS]

wounderful.

 

long live the metro

[mayoturbo]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing

[cradley-heathen]

MORE!!!! ENCORE!!!!!!

 

love to see original pics of the metro race cars.

 

i have been offered a set of those wheels myself, but the guy wanted £250 for them and they needed an extensive refurb so i didnt bother. i thought they were GKN not unipart though?

[mab01uk]

Mini 7 Champion Chris Tyrrell raced in the Metro Challenge for a few seasons. Here are some photos I took of his Metro and battle scarred Mini 7 loaded up to go racing and in the paddock at Brands Hatch & Silverstone. My brother Steve Bell also a future Mini 7 Champion was Chris's race mechanic in the 1980's and both are seen here working on the Metro and Mini. The photos are from different race seasons so the Metro evolved from an Austin to an MG Metro as the championship rules changed when BL wanted to promote the newly introduced MG Metro and Turbo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by mab01uk, 28 October 2014 - 12:13 AM.

[mab01uk]

Found a couple of photos I took in the paddock at the Brands Hatch British Grand Prix (17th July 1982) of the Datapost Group A Turbo Metros racing on the day in the GP support races, running in the RAC British Saloon Car Championship and driven by Richard Longman & Alan Curnow.

Also a pic of the Wadham Stringer Team sponsored Metro.

[nicklouse]

And now for something different.



Would have been helping out with that if I was still in Sweden.

[mab01uk]

Dave Carvell raced this blue Maguire Mini and the blue Metro below.

 

 

 

 

[OzOAP]

Great pics Martin.

I started at Avonbar in 1987 just as Ian was finishing Metro Challange and moving onto Honda CRX championship.

Just on a Metro theme I ran Steve Palmer in British and European Rallycross Championship in '90/'91/'92. Fantastic times.

 

[mab01uk]

Oz, I remember your OAP workshop at Downsview Garage and often listening to your technical advice and discussions with Steve at the Epsom Car Care workshop as he prepared his Se7en or Miglia in the evenings for the next weekends race. Happy days.

 

I often wonder what he would be doing today with the garages and the Mini racing if it had not suddenly started raining at Silverstone on that fateful day in 2001........

Edited by mab01uk, 02 November 2014 - 10:58 AM.