Mo Mendham? 1960's/70's Mini Racer

[mab01UK]

Does anyone know what happened to the 1960's/70's Mini racer Mo Mendham or his ultra-lightweight race Mini from the 1970's or maybe you have some photos of his Mini (see below) or links to some on the internet?
For reference Mo Mendhams very strange looking ultra-lightweight aluminium paneled Mini No.179 (at 1m15s) can be seen in this race video from Crystal Palace Sep 9th 1972. I used to love watching the Special Saloons especially Mini's including Mo's at the race circuits in the 1970's. Happy days!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heL84f5l ... r_embedded

Quote posted below from one of his race and rally friends who had some info but lost touch with him many years ago:

"Now Mo, despite having a B.Sc. in aeronautical engineering, sort-of got into some bad ways and spent some time, let's say, out of circulation courtesy of Her Majesty.
His ultra-lightweight Mini then found its way to a scrap yard north of Stevenage called 'Jack's Hill. There was another well-known Mini race driver called John Aley, who was the first person to commercially make roll cages known as 'Aley-Bars'. He got a call from someone and went to look at it in the scrap yard, expecting it to be some sort of 'boy-racer' car, but was amazed at it when he saw it. I understand that it was sold within the motor-sport fraternity. I know this because I often used to have lunch with John Aley as his place was just down the road from where I worked in Cambridge. That was just a great coincidence really.
I was sorry to lose contact with Mo as he and I had been very good friends during our student days and I navigated for him on several of the rallies he did before he got seriously into racing. He was very competitive and we got some excellent results, but really his heart was in racing."

[mab01UK]

1972 Crystal Palace London
'Mo Mendhams' famous odd looking ultra-lightweight aluminium paneled race Mini!! (No. 179)

[GORDON STREETER]

I remember seeing him have an enormous crash at Brands, is it true he never wore a seat belt until they were made compulsory ?

[Gerry Taylor]

Mo and I were competitors. Rarely did we speak, and had a famous "coming together" at Mallory Park. Having said that. He is/was a formidable opponent.

[oneofapair]

Pretty certain that he ran this Mini in British saloon car championship in the "Bevan/ Mcgovern" era. Picture taken at Brands Hatch, car ended up in the bank at South Bank going on to GP loop. Number Plate was "famous" as it featured on a Mini used by Patrick McGoohan in the TV series "Danger Man"

[glyn parham]

The photos are from 1972. IIRC Mo intended to do the full BSCC that year but changed his mind after the Brands crash. He was very, very quick throughout his racing career.
Glyn

[glyn parham]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I remember seeing him have an enormous crash at Brands, is it true he never wore a seat belt until they were made compulsory ?

Gordon, I'm sure your right about the seat belts, quite a few drivers only started using them when it became the law. ��
Glyn

[mab01UK]

Thanks for posting the extra info.
Some more pics below of his lightweight Mini.

[historic racer]

Raced against Mo in special saloons in 71 and again in BSCC in 72, no he never wore a seat belt and his seat was a tillet kart seat ! If you look closely the number backgrounds were in fact what we were isuued with by the BSCC sponsor in 72 which was Wiggins Teape and it was called The Wiggins Teape Paperchase, as their business was industrial paper. One thing Mo used to do was run the car as a 999cc in one race and as a 1001 in the next race both at the same meeting of course, never did know what size it really was. An absolute character yes.

[mab01UK]

Video - Brands Hatch 17-9-1972
Amongst the clips are the Brands-based Kent Messenger 1000 , the series John Homewood won in 1972 , the first of his 4 consucutive titles in his Imp. The BRSCC Hepolite Glacer` Special Saloon race features the Toleman Ford Escort 3.0 of Colin Hawker and the unique Gordon Keeble / Sunbeam Rapier V8 of Martin Kent chasing 2 very rapid Minis. The 1000cc class race features the white `Swish Curtains` Anglia of Gerry Taylor , Peter Baldwin`s yellow Mini , Jeff Ward`s white Imp and again Mo Mendham`s Mini on 3 wheels. Modsport action at the end.
http://www.specialsaloons.co.uk/spec...70s/4584561300

[gt917]

Mab01uk,

not wishing to gate crash, but I cannot thank you enough for posting that series of films.

It made my day, nay, my year, as it contains the earliest and only "movie" of my racing in special saloons. Everything else is in photo form as far as I know. First race was in 1969 at Brands, but did not really get going till mid 1970.

Reward if anyone can trace my old Trinity Car Sales, black and white 850 Mini. Good paddock film of it in Mallory 1971 section. Would love to buy it back if it still survives. I still have log book.

Thankyou, and back to topic.

Graham.

[mab01UK]

Pleased to hear that the films above helped you discover some early footage of your racing!
They are great films to watch and bring back so many good memories of those days, I hope to find some film footage of my late brother Ray Bell racing in 850 Mini Free Formula in '71 and '72 but no luck as yet, so know how good you must feel at the discovery!

Some screenshots of your Mini

[mab01UK]

Originally Posted by glyn parham

Gordon, I'm sure your right about the seat belts, quite a few drivers only started using them when it became the law. ��
Glyn

Quote from 'Cooperman' an old rallying friend of Mo's:-
"You will note that Mo didn't use seat belts (they weren't mandatory in those days). He said they just added unnecessary weight!
I might have mentioned that Mo has a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, which is where his obsession with light weight came from. He & I were students together and before racing he did a lot of rallying and I had the pleasure of navigating for him on many occasions. He was always great fun to be around."
http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums...photos/page-11

[mab01UK]

Originally Posted by oneofapair

Pretty certain that he ran this Mini in British saloon car championship in the "Bevan/ Mcgovern" era. Picture taken at Brands Hatch, car ended up in the bank at South Bank going on to GP loop. Number Plate was "famous" as it featured on a Mini used by Patrick McGoohan in the TV series "Danger Man"

Journalist Sue Schofield tracks down the car used by John Drake in the 'Danger Man' series.
http://danger-man.co.uk/mini.asp

[gt917]

Originally Posted by mab01UK

Pleased to hear that the films above helped you discover some early footage of your racing!
They are great films to watch and bring back so many good memories of those days, I hope to find some film footage of my late brother Ray Bell racing in 850 Mini Free Formula in '71 and '72 but no luck as yet, so know how good you must feel at the discovery!

Some screenshots of your Mini

Oh you genius..how do you manage to that.

Sold it to a chap Aylesbury way, and never saw or heard of it again. If anyone knows of it and whether it survived, I would love to hear from them.

Thank you so much for your efforts.

[mab01UK]

Your welcome.
I paused the video and used 'Screenhunter 6.0' below which is free to download and fairly simple to use, by dragging an elastic rectangle around the area of screen you want to copy.
http://download.cnet.com/ScreenHunte...-10063246.html

If you want copies of those above just right click on the photos and select save as.

[mab01UK]

Quotes:-
"I remember seeing him have an enormous crash at Brands, is it true he never wore a seat belt until they were made compulsory ?"
Gordon Streeter

731 HOP
"Pretty certain that he ran this Mini in British saloon car championship in the "Bevan/ Mcgovern" era. Picture taken at Brands Hatch, car ended up in the bank at South Bank going on to GP loop. Number Plate was "famous" as it featured on a Mini used by Patrick McGoohan in the TV series "Danger Man"
Oneofapair

"The photos are from 1972. IIRC Mo intended to do the full BSCC that year but changed his mind after the Brands crash. He was very, very quick throughout his racing career."
Glyn Parham

Journalist Sue Schofield tracks down the car used by John Drake in the 'Danger Man' series.
http://danger-man.co.uk/mini.asp

Update:
I have just zoomed in on the 731 HOP race Mini photo to check for Mo's name and then noticed the small rectangular yellow sticker on the RH side of the bonnet with a distinctive large 'M' just visible at each end of the logo. Some time ago I bought a tatty '68 Mini which had been 'Mendham' tuned and being a bit of an 'anorak' took a photo of the sticker on the crumbling bootlid. I knew it would come in useful one day as I guess the photo below confirms that the 731 HOP racer in the photo above was a Mendham car.





'Mendham converted' Watford, Herts - original sticker on 1968 Mini bootlid.

[mab01UK]

1967 M7 Club Magazine:-
http://www.mini7.co.uk/downloads/196...b_Magazine.pdf

[mab01UK]

Mo Mendham is mentioned in the "Mini Racing Story" book as running his tuning business from the garage behind his parents pub in Watford and fellow Mini racer Paul Butler goes on to describe a pre-race overtaking incident between himself towing his race Mini with Mo's Mk2 Jag towing his Mini up the M1 to Mallory Park before they both became rather unstable at 70mph!

Quote posted below from 'Cooperman' (TMF)
"The pub was the Nascot Arms and I spent many happy hours there working with Mo on his Minis and drinking in the bar.
He and I, with another ace Mini driver Bill Rogers were all student apprentices together at de Havilland Aircraft, Hatfield from 1958. Before getting into Minis, Mo raced a very light TVR in which he had a big accident at Mallory. He said that after sitting in the wreckage with bits of fibreglass sticking up his 'jacksy', he thought a steel-bodied car might be better.
I could tell so many stories about Mo, but most would not be suitable for printing. Suffice to say that when young, we enjoyed life to the full - and then some!
I did ask my other great friend Barrie 'Whizzo' Williams if he knew where Mo is these days but he, too, has lost contact with him and I thought Barrie knew everyone!"

[mab01UK]

Originally Posted by Gerry Taylor

Mo and I were competitors. Rarely did we speak, and had a famous "coming together" at Mallory Park. Having said that. He is/was a formidable opponent.

Here is Gerry’s own account of the incident.
“Picture number five is me at Shaws Hairpin Mallory Park, approaching the corner at full chat, going "thru the box" to select first for the pull out toward the Devils Elbow, when blimey mate! a subtle touch up the back from Mo Mendham's mini, and its Goodnight Vienna! That was on Easter Sunday, we rebuilt overnight and put her on Pole at Silverstone on the following morning, Easter Monday!

Most people would take a week of work after a crash like this – racing driver are made of sterner stuff!
http://www.racing70s.pwp.blueyonder....liataylor2.htm