 |
 |
 |
| laguna_05_01.JPG |
laguna_05_02.JPG |
laguna_05_03.JPG |
 |
 |
 |
| laguna_05_04.JPG |
laguna_05_05.JPG |
laguna_05_06.JPG |
 |
 |
 |
| laguna_05_07.JPG |
laguna_05_08.JPG |
laguna_05_09.JPG |
The Laguna Seca 2005 Mini Challenge
The highlight of the Laguna Seca 2005 Vintage Races was the Mini Challenge Race. What a treat!
This year's Mini Challenge was billed as the "Last Shoot-Out" between the two fastest road-racing GT5 Minis in the USA. It was the last GT5 race since the SCCA will eliminate the GT5 class after this season. Both of these machines will probably be retired this year. It was well worth the 6000-mile round trip, and we plan to go again in 2006.
The greatest Mini races in this country were always held at the season-ending SCCA Runoffs where the super-fast, highly-modified GT5 Minis fought it out. The Minis of Doug Pederson and Joe Huffacker were always the two fastest. They typically lap cars and both drivers have won multple SCCA National Champions.
There were 20 Minis entered in this year's Mini Challenge Race. I would bet that there will be more next year. I didn’t do an exact count but it looked like there was an equal number entered from Canada and the USA.
Rick Little and I hooked up with the Seven Enterprises team and pitted for Marc Kearney in the #2 Silver 1964 Mini. We also helped the team with their absolutely incredible purpose-built, tube frame, #11. It's a bright-yellow, full-race Mini driven by Doug Pederson. Seven’s pit area was beside Joe Huffacker’s. His car (#77) is a purpose-built, inline, front-engine, rear wheel drive, mini-bodied Spridget in midnight black.
The Sunday feature race was almost anti-climactic. There was excitement and feverish activity in the pits during the days leading to the event. Everyone was working all weekend swapping engines, parts, tires and running practice laps. Joe Huffacker won the feature race by about 1 second over second-place finisher Doug Pederson.
Click here to see the full results
Visit this link for one photo gallery from our Canadian mini friends at
| Laguna 2005 : 1-9 | 10-18 | ||||||||||||||||||
|