My car was a green Mini 7 – a class popular at the time and I believe still going in the UK. Mini 7s began as 850cc minis – body stripped of everything except a racing seat, harness, roll bar and instruments - to lighten. The Mini 7 Class requirements for the engine were that other than bottom end strengthening the block had to be standard. The head, however, could be modified as much as possible. The inlets were polished, and bead blasted to give a ‘shark skin’ finish, which apparently gives better air flow. The head chambers were widened and polished, and valves were shaved – a fine line between optimum performance and bent valves. As all cars in the Mini 7 race were theoretically the same, it made a difference to your placing in the race having any advantage. There were seconds between first and last of the 30-odd cars in the race. Even among fellow racers, most people stopped what they were doing to come and watch the Mini 7s dicing.

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We set out early and I readied myself for a couple of hours of enjoyable practice. The tyres on my car were racing slicks – no tread and made of a softer rubber than road tyres. For optimum performance and stickability one had to zig zag down the track before building up speed, to warm the tyres up, which I dutifully did. However, not enough, because at full speed I left the track at the first tight corner and rolled the car end for end into an embankment. I remember thinking “oh, I’m going to crash”, then the next conscious sound was “quick, get her out of there – there’s petrol p…ing everywhere”. I was hanging upside down, held in by my harness.

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Unfortunately for me, the regulations had harness mounts on the floor behind the driver’s seat – the seat had broken from its mounts and the harness had pulled me down towards the floor, causing a crush fracture to my spine. There was also a large dent in the right-hand parcel tray from my knee and the steering wheel had made a bit of a mess of my chin. However, I was to find all this out later as I was drifting in and out of consciousness.

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The track ambulance came, and the attendants carefully loaded me up to head for the hospital. Poor little Geoffrey was upset at seeing his Mum carted off with a bleeding face and was promised an ice cream when he and Graham got home – something he tells me he still feels miffed about not getting!

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After x-rays at the hospital, I was told that I had to lie very still on my back, or I might never walk again – instructions I followed assiduously.

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A few weeks later, I was back up and about, still being very careful about what I did – and we went to a Manawatu Car Club meeting – and a handsome intense guy was quizzing me about my accident – I thought he was a doctor because of the questions he was asking. Then I was introduced to him – it was Peter Brock who was in the country for a race meeting!

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Peter and his crew took my Fiat Bambina (with the mid mounted 1275 Mini Cooper S motor) for a drive and scared themselves silly but that car is the subject of another story.

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One positive that came from my accident was that the regulations were changed with harnesses to be mounted on the rear parcel tray to prevent the type of spinal damage I had suffered. And I was back in the driver’s seat as soon as the car and I were repaired😊