'Team Dish 'UK' Racing'

Team 'Dish UK Racing' have two cars running in the 2009 Super Mighty Mini Championship.

Sporting 'Brand New' livery of Blue over Blue and their race numbers 8 (driver Scott Kendall) and 6 (driver Mark Jones) both cars and drivers are excited about the new season following Scott's win at Donnington on the final day of the 2008 season.

Driver - Scott Kendall (Car 8)  Scott started driving Mini's at the age of 10 and has continued to do so on grass, ovals and now at the famous motor racing circuits in the UK. Donnington 2008 was a fantastic result as Scott had never raced at Donnington before and also it was the first race of Super Mighty Mini's to be competed in the dark! Scott's win at Donnington followed a 3rd and 2nd as well as other points gathering places during the 2008 season - Scott finished the season 5th on the final 2008 Drivers Championship table.

Driver - Mark Jones (Car 6) Mark has been working hard behind the scenes supporting Scott and therefore absent from the grids for the past 3 seasons. An experienced driver Mark was last seen competing in the Super Mighty Mini Championship during the 2004/05 season prior to the SMM's Mark raced Mini Miglia and won the Championship 'Three times!'     Mark has previously raced MGF's in the MGF Trophy as well as Rover 220 Turbo's in the Tomcat Turbo Cup series.

The two Classic Mini SPi's have both been stripped down and had a full 'restyling' -- it's out with the 'Red' in with the 'Blue' - both cars can now be seen in their new livery of Blue over Blue with the striking yellow roll-cage.  The engines have also been totally reworked for the new season in line with the new SMM championship rules for the 2009 season.

Check out this link to Team DISH UK Racing page on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Team-DISH-UK-Racing/125127226742?ref=ts

Blog                                                                                                                                                                                           The season began at the NEC in January when the 'SMM's' joined the MM's and were seen 'racing' on an indoor circuit during the Autosport International exhibition - Scott Kendall was there in the team dish uk racing - MJ motorsport prepared number 8 car.

Cadwell Park on 19th April 2009 - Pole position for Scotty Kendall, into 2nd before the rest of the field had dropped the clutch!!  3 car lengths by 1st left hander, led the entire race, THEN final lap electrical gremlins - slowed the car and the field passed him until he was followed home by team mate Mark Jones to take 12th and 13th places.

Snetterton Rounds 2/3 - 2nd - 3rd May 2009 saw an incident packed practice and race - an incident with Pat Ford and Nev Kirkpatrick saw the number 8 car extensively damaged in the drivers door area 'quite hairy' was Scotty's words (NOT!) Mark ground out the lap speeds but the number 6 car was not on the pace due to throttle issues etc. and again Mark started the races nearer the rear than front of the grids. Progress in round 3 saw Scott finish in 5th place and Mark a respectable 12th - especially considering he only had 3 pistons!!

Donnington Round 4 - 6th June 2009 - After winning here last year at the final championship heat what was instore for out two crusaders? Mark with car 6 and another rebuild under the hood, arrived 24 hours early at the circuit to put some test laps into the super mighty, all well with practice and qualifing in *** spot on the grid with team mate Scott in ***. Scott failed to achieve last November's result and finished a respectable 3rd and a first trophy for the 'new' car - Mark finished in 9th, trapped in a large following pack - progress made and looking to the Silverstone circuit and Rounds 5 & 6 on 27/28th June 2009

Silverstone Round 5 - 27th June 2009 - Following the podium finish of car 8 and Scott Kendall in the last race something special was needed - both cars had been re-adjusted for the double header this weekend and this work showed with Mark qualifying in 9th position just 0.759 seconds behind the lap time of the Polesitter for race 5 car 8 Scott Kendall!! The racing was brought forward 30 minutes due to heavy showers forecast - the race was underway and Scott led the field, infact he did this  (ala Cadwell) for some 12 laps Mark took full advantage over some less attentive drivers nipping through on lap 14 and run infront of team mate Kendall in P4, Scott finished behind in P5 - this will be our grid positions for race 6 tomorrow.

Silverstone Round 6 - 28th July 2009 - Another dry hot bright day and the Team Dish UK Racing SMM's line up on Row 2 (Mark Jones) and Row 3 (Scott Kendall) P4 and P5 respectively - flags waved, 5 second board 1,2,3... 5 red lights on.............and OFF WE GO, a powerful start from pole man Gary Patterson but a foot off his exhaust tail pipe is Scott who has powered from row 3 up behind the leader, closely (very closely) followed by number 8's sister car, car 6 with Mark Jones at the wheel into Maggots and away onto the straight for the first time, lap after lap Scott Kendall was sitting there being drafted along by the Gold No 50 car of Patterson, lap 14 and the cars are millimeters apart still through Luffield and into Woodcote for what Kendall thought to be the last time before the finish line, the No 8 car darts out from behind car 50 and slips past and across the start finish line but wait..... no chequered flag....... oh bother said Scott under his breath!! another lap this time with Mr P returning the compliment of the previous 14 laps and giving the Dish uk racing man a mirror full of Gold Super Mighty! Mark was still in the race and although having to stop pushing due to a coolant temperature reading of 120 degrees making the job more difficult in the latter stages, Kendall hung on to the lead and took the chequered flag after the full 20 minutes a worthy winner, Mark finished in P7 and the team and sponsors celebrated with the drivers in the paddock. A bucket of points and a fab weekend - Back south for running repairs and hopefully a little rest before Mallory on Sunday 26th July - maybe see you there!!

Mallory Park Round 7 - 26th July 2009 - What a difference in weather from Silverstone - Jeans and overalls the shorts packed away in the truck, fine with a hint of a light drizzly shower. A late morning qualifier saw both Team Dish UK Racing cars cement Pole and P2 and will take their grid positions along side each other on row 1 come 4.20 pm for the 20 minute race.  Lunchtime came and went as did the MX5 challenge and the Mightys, some tough racing going on from our little sisters and very entertaining. Our time arrives down to the assembly area and off to Row one - a short rest before the green flag lap commences and Mark and Scott try and get some heat into those Yokohama's, both cars line up almost simultaniously under the bridge, just two lights here at Mallory, 5 second board engine spped rising, red lights on.......... and off, clutches out simultaniously and away into Kikby and Gerards for the first time down Stebbe straight and into the Esses - tidy in = tidy out and into Shaws hairpin cars still one and two and accross the start finish for the end of lap 1 - nop and tuck for the first 4 laps with Scott, Nev, Ben Mark and David K breaking away from the rest of the field which lead to two races on the same circuit one between the first five cars and a similar number some 50 metres behind, the rains stayed away and Scott held the lead throughout all bar half a lap that Neven Kirkpatrick took him in a sound move to be retaken by Scotty before the lap was complete. The race went its full 20 minutes and saw Scott take the chequered flag for the second race in succession. Mark ran home a well placed 4th behind Nev K and Ben Seyfried. Another bag full of well earned points and a further speech from Mr Kendall - which ommitted the sponsors once again, so thank you Comma, Inch engineering etc etc!! - Just time to pack the newly painted race truck up with awnings and cars and start the 160 mile drive home as the rain started (just as Silverstone!!) - Right which way is Brands in 3 weeks???

Brands Hatch  Round 8  - 16th August 2009 - What a great place to be, early morning in the paddock at Brands Hatch, the sun is shining and forecast to get hotter as day progressed (which it did! have sunburn to prove that!)  Our camp clearly visable from the upper paddock easy for our honoured guests to find us (Thanks to all who pitched up and hope you had a good day out!) Anyway, the cars already prepared at MJ Motorsport over the previous week and now under the awnings for final checks before our qualifying at 10.45 - our little sisters were out two session before ours and with two red flag interuptions in their session we were well aware of the conditions on the paddock hill bend section! Time to qualify and not much chance of team drafting on the Indy circuit so it's up to the individuals to put their times in and get a good position on the grid for Round 8. Mark and Scott managed to get to the assembly point slightly 'late' tactics for some clean air early doors for qualifying? - into qualifying and it has to be said as with the MM's the session looked like more of a race in itself with cars trying to pass each other! Mark got down to business settling into the cars setup and after Scott had pulled a few lengths clear - Mark put in the fasted lap of the session on his 4th lap at 1:01.14 this was a good thing as by lap 10 the number 6 car was doing it's " I dont like Brands thing" and cutting out through Clearways under load - meanwhile Scott in car 8 was putting in consistant times and trying some single wheel cornering at Paddock Hill which led to a lap time of 1:00.72 achieved on lap 7 to give him yet another Pole position for the race - Time for rest, lunch and a wait until the race at 16.25 oh and the small matter of sorting out Marks car! The electrical issues sorted with the number 6 car we are off to assembly area for the 8th Round - Scott is on Pole and Mark is starting in P7 3 rows behind Scott, green flag lap and some heat into the tyres (although it was hot and probably hotter in the cars !) back onto the grid ........ and away Scott leading the pack but with Bob B away well and side by side approaching the first right hander and Paddock hill beyond - Scott kept his foot in and emerged a leader as they climb up hill and into Druids for the first time, Mark has settled amongst the chasing pack and holding between P7 and 9 through out early laps, David K once again made steady progress through the race after starting in P8 to join Ben Seyfried behind Scott for the majority of the middle section of this race, Mark was battling well and using his 'mature head' seeking out the oportunities as they arose - Car 6 Mark Jones lap 11 - on the pace exit Paddock Hill bend good exit up the hill and ....... whats that some space on the outside coming into Druids..... I'll take that thought Mark, powering up the outside and turning into Druids ... dab the brakes..... what the!!!!!! yes youve guessed it once again the Curse of BH and our current 6 car and Mark is off deep into the shingle at Druids gravel trap!! oh well Mark safely out of the car, his support enroute with bottled water and time to watch the final 8 laps as a spectator! Still Mark did obtain an extra point (NO not for parking the car so well in the trap!) for obtaining the fastest lap of the race on lap 6 (1:01.17 - average 70.53 mph) Back to the race which was 'fairly possesional' as Scott had pushed the two followers together before pulling away as Ben S and Dave K fought out the podium positions below our Number 8 man! Lap 17 and Scott is now 3-4 lengths clear on average and despite the race announcers stating that an SMM or MM race cant be led start to finish (as we did at Mallory last time out!) and driving the way Scott had (agressively) during the race that the 'tyre management was poor' ( well fella's if you ever read this - our tyre bill for this year is actually less for two cars opposed to the single car we raced last season) - The only changes in the final laps was a move by DK on Seyfried relegating the 44 car into the lower podium position. So a THIRD chequered flag on the trot taken by the team and another laural in the race truck (shouldnt these be re-used or recycled?) Well done Mark for the good parking and avoiding a SC lap or two and the fasted lap point, and to Scott still 3rd in the championship but taking 3 points out of your rival.  Oulton Park next a trip to Cheshire which personally I have been looking forward to as I havent been there for a good few years, thats 12th September so 4 weeks time - See all you true race fans there!!

Oulton Park Circuit - Round 9 - 12th September 2009 - Another glorious weekend weatherwise and some surprise to have both cars here today - Mark Jones underwent surgery at the begining of the Month and had been recouperating before yesterdays test session here at Oulton. The qualifying session was not without incident - with one 'nameless' driver seeing fit to wait at vaious points of the circuit to spoil lap times and at one point caused Mark to slow to a trot and Scott to pull off the racing line and practically stop - lots of fist waving and discontent upon return to paddock following qualifying - which incidentally saw Kendall in P2 and Mark Jones qualify on 5th row in P9. - The sun shone and lunch and a further 2 races before race 5 of the day was here (our race) racing on the fabulous International circuit here is demanding but a racing drivers joy! - left, right, up and down - no time to read your Beano or Nuts here fellas!!  Anyway onto the grid following the green flag lap and Scott taking P2 on row 1 and Mark in P9 - 30 sec board (well it was more like 10 secs as the 5 sec board followed 'immediately') and away Scott ballting with Eliott Stafford into the first righthander before settling into second place down into Cascades for the first time - out along lakeside round the trickly lefthander at Island and then brave as onto Shell Oils Hairpit and back into Brittens and over hilltop and down into the chicane at Knickerbrook - phew - 2.4 miles of quick racing - Scott was battling between P2 and P3 with Nev Kirkpatrick and Stafford while Mark was steady in the following pack and making steady solid racing moves to gain places where he could - one incident saw the number 6 cars offside wheel arch become detached in a close contact battle - only 9 laps in this 20 minute race today with lap times of around 2.10 - 2.14 - Lap 8 and Scott made his move and into 1st place down through Cascades and Island into Shell Oils - leading by 3 car lengths (watch the video on face book - 'Team Dish UK Racing page) as he passes me at Brittens away over Hilltop and out of my sight into Brittens - Kendall and Stafford through but three other cars cause mayhem in the Knickerbrook - meanwhile Scott leads Stafford into Lodge for the last time ...................... BANG ................... Our car 8 hit from behind and off the racing line and passed by Elliot Stafford who went on to take the chequered flag with Scott Kendall finishing .55 seconds behind in 2nd place - Mark still battling finished in 6th place, exhausted and very hot as he emmerged from the number 6 car back at the race truck. A lot more accusations and finger wagging about driving - organising - consistancy - etc etc - within the paddock followed before dismantling and stowage of cars tools etc before the 5 hour trip home - All on the final race at Silverstone GP circuit scheduled for 4th October.................. Still possible for a championship win and both drivers well up the leaderboards ...... Well done everyone,  Drivers and supporters alike - See you all at Silverstone.

 Please come along to your 'local' meeting - we would love to see all sponsors, potential sponsors and true supporters of these wonderful modified classics.