Category: MINI Challenge

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Australian MINI CHALLENGE under new management

MINI CHALLENGEGood news from the world of the Australian MINI CHALLENGE today with confirmation of a new management team securing the future of the series. Toleman Motorsport has been given the seal of approval from MINI Australia and CAMS to act as Category Management Agency for the rest of the year. All racing dates and television schedules will remain as advertised. Further highlighting the future of the MINI CHALLENGE is word that plans for the 2009 calendar are in full swing with seven rounds already locked in as negotiations continue.

With the demise of Sherrin Motorsport, subsidary company Motorsport Event Management (MEM) was forced to put the management rights for the MINI CHALLENGE up for sale last May.

Toleman Motosport is headed by Ted Toleman who was the person responsible for giving Ayrton Senna his start in Formula 1. Toleman’s last Grand Prix was Australia’s first, Adelaide 1985. It’s great to see Australia’s MINI CHALLENGE series in good hands and I’m sure all fans of the series will be looking forward to racing this weekend for Round 5 at Phillip Island, including live action from Race 3 to be broadcast on Channel 7 on Sunday (check your local guides).

For the full details on the Toleman Motorsport news the press release from MINI CHALLENGE has been included below. Don’t forget, you can keep up to date with the series and its personalties by joining the Aussie MINI CHALLENGE Army on facebook.

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MINI MINI Challenge

The Aussie MINI CHALLENGE Army

The Aussie MINI CHALLENGE Army - facebook page

Yes, that’s right, the Australian MINI CHALLENGE has its own facebook page. Join in and you can see and share your images, video clips and experiences with fans from around the country, and, probably the world! A lot of the drivers are also hooked up to the page so it presents a great opportunity to further extend your MINI CHALLENGE experience.

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MINI Challenge

Ben Tune on a roll in the MINI Challenge

With all the MINI CHALLENGE highlights we couldn’t forget Ben Tune’s rollover! Tune is a former Australian test rugby player and was part of the UBER-STAR CAR program at Round 3, held at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway. This accident happened in Race 1 and while he did spend the night in hospital he was released with no serious injuries. A full statement from the MINI CHALLENGE organisers can be read HERE. Further commentary and a brief pre-race interview with the former Wallaby international can be seen HERE.

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI Challenge – Round 4 TV highlights

Here is the TV highlights package from Round 4 of Australia’s 2008 MINI CHALLENGE. This round was all about the new entry to the series, Team Bargwanna, headed by former Bathurst winner Jason Bargwanna. His cousin Scott drives the team’s second car and their respective fathers help out in the pits. A real family affair. Jason won all three races this weekend and leading into the winter break it will be interesting to see if the other teams can catch the new kids on the block when they return to racing at Phillip Island in September (all dates and TV schedule below).

A full wrap up of Round 4 can be found HERE.

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI Challenge – Round 3, Race 2

Continuing our quest to bring you up to date with the first four rounds of the 2008 MINI CHALLENGE here are a couple of clips bringing you all the thrills and spills from Race 2 of the Round 3 action at Western Australia’s Barbagallo Raceway. This round, known as the Ben Tune Rollover Round, created a bit of controversy with UBER-STAR pole sitter Leanne Tander punted off before the first corner of Race 1. Then, of course, there was Tune’s accident, and you can see from his pre-race interview in the clip above that his comparisons of Test Rugby and motor racing were eerily accurate. Highlights and commentary of Ben’s accident are shown at the end of the first clip.

This category is still growing and with each race the racing gets tighter and more competitve. This still didn’t stop media personality Grant Denyer from having an interview during the race (see clip below), although, he was a bit short of breath at times showing that he was working damn hard.

A full wrap up of Round 3 results can be found HERE.

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI Challenge – Round 4 TV highlights

Jason Bargwanna, MINI CHALLENGE

What better way to beat the end of financial year blues than with a healthy dose of hot MINI CHALLENGE action!

Coverage from the fourth round of the Series from Sandown International Raceway will be on Australia’s Olympic Network, Seven, this Saturday, 28 June at 1:30pm nationally. The action is really starting to heat up as some new young chargers have emerged, Sandown saw a brace of Bargwannas thrown into the mix and Paul Mercurio put his dancing shoes to work on the pedals of the UBER-STAR Car.

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI Challenge – Round 4 Wrap up

Jason Bargwanna, MINI CHALLENGE

Jason Bargwanna has made a dominant return to the MINI CHALLENGE taking a clean sweep of all three races in the Round 4 meeting at Sandown raceway. Starting on pole for the first race the former Bathurst winner established an early lead and never looked like being headed. Denyer closed slightly, but was never seriously able to challenge. Third placing in the opening race was Nathan Geier, with Stokell bringing the DecoRug machine home in fourth.

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MINI Challenge

2008 MINI Challenge – Round 4 Preview

Paul Mercurio drives in the Australian MINI Challenge

Round 4 of the 2008 MINI CHALLENGE takes place at Melbourne’s Sandown raceway. Pictured above is Paul Mercurio who will be tapping his toes behind the wheel of the UBER-STAR CAR this weekend. Mercurio won the hearts of cinema goers in the lead role of the Australian classic Strictly Ballroom, and now finds a place in our homes as a judge on Channel 7’s Dancing with the Stars. He is no stranger to race track action, Paul took victory in the Australian Grand Prix Celebrity Challenge in 2000 and in his second appearance in 2005, finished third after starting on the front row. He has also appeared in a PRO-AM at the Race of 1000 Years ALMS race on the Adelaide Grand Prix circuit and driven a MINI in the Classic Adelaide tarmac rally, where he finished second.

“It is every boy’s dream to be a sponsored racing car driver and I’m getting to live the dream—fantastic!” Mercurio enthused. “It’s a fantasy to be a sponsored driver.”

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MINI Challenge

Bargwanna double act take up the MINI CHALLENGE

MINI Challenge - Jason BargwannaAfter becoming the first ever MINI CHALLENGE UBER-STAR at Eastern Creek, Jason Bargwanna will complete the remainder of 2008 in the Series, this time with cousin, Scott in a two car super-team, starting this weekend at Sandown.

The arrangement has come together with major support from Trivett Classic MINI Garage in Parramatta (Sydney) and Matchmaster TV Reception Systems. It will be a family affair, the cars being run under the Bargwanna Motorsport banner out of Sydney.

Racing together isn’t new for the cousins – the Bargwanna/Bargwanna combination first teamed up at the 1992 Bathurst 1000 in a Corolla, taking a class win. The boys will continue the family connection by using the racing numbers of their fathers – twins, Alf (Scott) and Harry (Jason) Bargwanna – #79 and #97 respectively.

“Bargwannas have come out of the woodwork to get this deal pulled together for Sandown,” the former Bathurst 1000 winner said. “We’re looking good and cannot wait for the challenge. We want to be competitive in this deal, but we really want to have some fun as well.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to involve our families in our racing. Scott and I grew up at race tracks watching our fathers and this gives us the opportunity to do the same with our sons and also involve our fathers closely. MINI CHALLENGE is a great environment to go racing in and do this sort of thing.”

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MINI Challenge

MINI Challenge – Round 3 TV highlights

MINI Challenge at Barbagallo Raceway

Keep your eyes peeled for some great MINI CHALLENGE action on your TV this weekend, including an exclusive interview on Channel 10 with Ben Tune about his roller coaster experience as a MINI CHALLENGE UBER-STAR CAR driver.

Channel 7 will also have a complete highlights package of all the Round 3 action from Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway. Read below for more detail and broadcast times.

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MINI Challenge News

Australian MINI CHALLENGE management rights up for sale

MINI ChallengeMotorsport Event Management (MEM), the agency contracted to run the Australian MINI CHALLENGE, has been put up for sale by current owner Iain Sherrin.

In a statement issued today by BMW Group Australia, MINI National Manager, Justin Hocevar said, “MINI is confident that any sale of MEM will be to a suitable purchaser who will continue to manage the increasingly popular MINI CHALLENGE series exactly in line with the arrangements MINI put in place with MEM.

“MINI had a five year plan for MINI CHALLENGE and we see no reason to deviate from that plan with the new owner of MEM. Iain Sherrin has indicated his desire to sell the category management business and focus on his multiple race teams. His team – Sherrin MotorSport – manages six cars for a number of clients, with one added to the stable last week,” Hocevar continued.

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MINI Challenge

MINI Challenge – Round 3 Wrap up

MINI Challenge - Barbagallo Raceway

Well, what a bonanza Barbagallo has dished up for this round of the MINI Challenge. More thrills and spills than anyone anticipated, or, in some cases, wanted, but alls well that ends well. The big talking point from the round was Ben Tune’s accident in Race one. The former rugby international came across the rise heading toward the final turn on the Barbagallo Raceway, before losing control on the damp circuit on lap seven. His MINI dug into the soft ground and rolled onto its roof. He was then rushed to Joondalup Hospital for precautionary scans where he stayed overnight. Earlier today he was released from hospital with no sign of serious injury. A big sigh of relief for Ben, his family and all followers of the MINI Challenge.

In the end Damien White became the third round winner in as many rounds when he swept to victory in the most hotly contested MINI Challenge race this season, while Gary Young (SALTA Constructions) scored his maiden MINI Challenge victory. Read on for more detail.

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