McNiven masters Mini

Successful season: Leongatha’s Peter McNiven finished third in the seven round Mini Challenge this year.

THIRD in the Mini Challenge was a top achievement for Leongatha resident Peter McNiven.
Particularly when the plan was to use 2010 as a learning year that would lead to a serious assault on the tile in 2011.
Unfortunately the Mini Challenge will not return next year as planned, but McNiven is already considering other racing options such as entering the ute series.
“We’re rapt for the result that we’ve got considering it was meant to be a learning year,” he said.
McNiven drove the Mini for the first time at Calder Park a week before the season opener to learn how the gears change and to become used to a front wheel drive car.
“I had never raced a front wheel drive car before,” he said.
“The challenges from the year were jumping into a new category straight off the bat and learning how to set one of the cars up and what you have to do with tyres, and the things you need to learn to gain the most out of the car.
“I’m quite happy because I feel by the end of the year we’ve got a fairly decent handle on that, so that’s what’s disappointing about not being able to go ahead with it (next year).”
McNiven said the Minis are great fun.
“They’ve got really good tyres and brakes, but front wheel drive is something that is not easy to pick up…coming from a rear wheel drive car,” he said.
“When the car starts to slide, in any other car you would lift off, in a front wheel drive car you have to put more power on, so that’s a pretty unnatural thing to do.”
The opportunity to ride at seven iconic tracks across the nation from the Grand Prix circuit in Melbourne to Homebush in Sydney was a thrill.
“Every track this year was new to me except for Phillip Island and given the fact we were in a new car every track was a new challenge,” McNiven said.
On the familiar Phillip Island track he achieved good speeds.
But even on other tracks across the country he showed his driving skill.
“The race win in our first round at Clipsal (Adelaide) was a good way to start off and finishing at Homebush with two second places and on the podium at Homebush was a great way to finish,” McNiven said.
Another highlight was racing against motor racing identities such as Glenn Seton, Paul Stockell, Dean Canto, Warren Luff and Luke Youlden.
McNiven would not have been able to drive the Mini without the sponsorship of Super Charge Batteries and K and H Surface
Technologies.
“Motor racing is more expensive than golf, but it’s what I love,” he said.
McNiven thanked his parents Jim and Anne McNiven for their support and the crew of Wayne Gould, Jamie Harvey, Paul De Maria and Anthony De Maria.

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Posted by superadmin on Dec 21 2010. Filed under Featured, Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry