Photo credits to; Lee Fisher Motorsport Photography
The Scottish Mini’s took to Donington Park for the penultimate round of the season, being joined alongside Dominic Wheatly! The former SMRC rising star, who made a guest appearance in the 14 car for the first time since 2018 and launching straight towards the front of the pack!
Who Is Dominic Wheatly?
Dominic Wheatley is a name well know across Mini racing in the United Kingdom, with the Hartlepool man racing in Mini championships since 2016 – in the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup. He debuted in the National Mini Challenge Trophy in 2019 after 3 years in the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup and won the championship on his third attempt in 2021- whitout taking a single win! Wheatly then moved to the premier JCW class the following year, on August 10th 2024 Wheatley would take his first win in 5 years at his “home” circuit Knockhill! His father Derek Wheatley is also a popular figure in British Motorsports, being a former British rallycross champion.
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Weekend Recapped!
Qualifying;
Race one saw Michael Williams snatch pole position in extremely wet conditions from the championship contenders of Jack Irvine in P3 and Chad Little – who required a strong round to boost his championship chances heading into the final round of the season – in P4. While Dominic Wheatley slotted into P2! Presley Barrett found the grip in the wet taking newcomers pole slotting into the front of third row in 5th position, while slotting in directly behind in 7th was championship rival Liam Kelso. With this round proving crucial to the independent standings. James Hitchen unfortunately failed to set a time due to a gearbox failure.
Race One;
Race one began with abysmal conditions heading towards the first corner with Williams, Wheatley, Little and Irvine going 4 wide straight off the – very quick to go out – lights . Little took the lead going into the first corner with Irvine hot on his tail through the craner curves following in very heavy spray. On the start of lap 2, into the first corner Irvine made a move which could only be described as world class move on Little, shooting from the outside line to the inside, catching his championship rival out in a brilliant showcase of skill. Behind them, the strong looking Barrett sadly found himself off at the first corner, with major implications for the newcomers championship! The Safety Car was deployed in reaction to the incident. The race restart saw James Hitchen’s troubles continue with a very long trip off into the gravel trap at the Craner Curves, with Hitchen being able to continue after the extrusion. On the sane lap Wheatly dropped behind Williams and Martin Wijetunga, also dropping behind Chris Cockburn shortly, with the quad battling out for 3rd position. Towards the front Irvine and Little ran side-by-side through the iconic Craner Curves with Little taking the lead with a stunning move! Wheatly had a very sketchy moment coming out of the first corner after contact with Cockburn sent the Englishman completely sideways! With Wheatly using every once of his decade of mini racing experience to save the car from a huge spin, with Wheatly making a move only corners later on Wijetunga to take fifth. Moments later Barry Homes found himself off at Redgate corner, with no intervention as Holme’s car was far enough out of the way. On the final lap of the race, Irvine came incredibly close to taking the win but to no avail with Little taking a crucial win for his championship hopes! Meanwhile Liam Kelso came home in 8th, taking the Newcomers championship lead!
Race Two;
The reserve grid draw saw Wijetunga take pole position alongside Wheatley in second – the exact same slot as race one. Race one pole sitter Williams lined up 3rd with Irvine to his right hand side, with Little a row back in 5th. During the formation lap Chris Cockburn went off the road at the old hairpin – with no clear explanation as to what happened to the ever popular driver. Cockburn was able to get back on the road, lining up at the back of the grid. Wijetunga lost the lead on the race start coming through Redgate to the rapid Wheatly and faced pressure from Irvine coming through the final chicane at the end of the first lap. The pair running nose to tail into Redgate with Irvine attempting to repeat his move on Little in race one. Irvine drifted wide on the exit of the corner and slammed into the side of Wijetunga sending him wide grazing the gravel trap and losing the place! The pack swarmed Wijetunga and forced him down to 5th by the Old Hairpin, with pressure behind from Hitchen and Cockburn. Third time round at Redgate saw Barry Homes have a short trip off the road in tricky conditions, with Holmes manging to get back onto the track. Little and Irvine proved why they are in position to fight for the championship in October at Knockhill having a brilliant battle round the circuit while Hitchen seemingly made contact with the barrier coming on the exit of the final chicane – onto the start / finish straight. Shortly after Hitchen found himself beached in the gravel trap at the Old Hairpin, brining out the safety car – just before it’s deployment, Little made his move for second on Irvine, slotting through at Redgate, the clear action point for the minis this weekend! Hitchen was assisted out of gravel trap, pulling into the pitlane and continuing on 3 laps down with 3 minutes to go! Irvine, Little and Wheatly sent it 3 wide through Redgate on the race restart! Little being the biggest loser while Irvine launched his way to the lead, securing his move on Wheatly at the Old Hairpin! As the pack came through the final chicane Wijetunga launched his way round the outside looking for a double overtake while on the exit Little pushed guesting Wheatly wide onto the grass as they flew into the final lap of the weekend! Wheatly came under pressure from Williams at Redgate and lost 3rd to the Scotsman coming through the craner curves! Through the final hairpin Irvine and Little came incredibly close with Irvine securing another race win! Lam Kelso completed a second clean sweep of newcomers wins taking his 5th in a row!
Championship Updates;
Jack Irvine extends his lead over Chad Little heading into the season finale in October, putting himself in a highly likely position to win the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup on his 5th attempt! Coming so close to the title before – the question remains, can Irvine get the championship over the line?
Liam Kelso now takes the lead of the newcomers championship pulling 30 points on his championship rival Presley Barrett after finding a sudden form coming into the backend of the season. It’s all to play for in the newcomers championship come October!
Martin Wijetunga closes the gap on James Hitchen in 4th, after Hitchen suffers a nightmare weekend down south. The pair will be ones to watch as they field fights for every last point!
The minis now take a month long break before some drivers prepare for the biggest races of their career so far! It’s the final stretch for the Scottish Mini Cooper Cup, with it down to the wire at Knockhill in a months time!