Competitors
The Cars
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1959 Austin Mini
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Team:
Brick N' Brute Racing -
Division:
Targa -
Driver:
Richard Paterson - Stouffville, Ontario, Canada -
Co-Driver:
Tony Mattson - Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand -
Description:
The Car
Betty, the 1959 Austin Mini is a veteran of five Targa Newfoundland events. 1959 was the first year of Mini production and these early cars are quite rare. Betty was found derelict under a tree in New Zealand and was lovingly restored and prepared to compete in the 2003 Targa Newfoundland. Since that event Betty has been continuously improved by Richard Paterson, her owner and driver. She is a great favourite with young and old as she takes on the "big" cars. In 2006 she finished a creditable 6th overall. Keep those little wheels spinning Betty!
Richard Paterson
At age 13 Richard built his first motorized vehicle from wood and "borrowed" the motor out of his Dad's roto-tiller to power it. He would "liberate" the motor each morning of the school holidays and replace it in the afternoon. .....That enterprise ended fairly suddenly when his Father came home early one day to dig the garden.... By age 17 he was running his Mom's Mini in sprints and hill climbs around Dunedin, NZ. ....."Why does my car idle so funny, Richard?" (Nothing of course to do with the tall camshaft and head work he sneaked in while fitting new rings and bearings...) By 19 he had built a stormin' Hillman Imp with 4 Amal carbs, Triumph 650 motorbike valves and 4 tuned-length exhaust pipes. Some (hint, Michael Salter...) say the cyanide potion he used to harden the home-made valve shims had a lasting effect on his brain....
Richard ran vintage races in his rapid Triumph TR4 when he was so broke that he had to use undersized, worn, piston rings, screwing in brass plugs to take up the extra end-gap, hand-filing the bearing caps to get "one more race"out of worn bearing shells and cold-stitching a long crack in the cylinder head. He also raced and modified his bug-eye Sprite which gradually morphed into a 205 HP supercharged, intercooled, fuel-injected little monster with a Miata rear end and Nissan limited slip diff. - All in the interest of safer passing manouevers you will understand....
These days Richard runs his business, Tork Winch Inc., building specialty hoists and winches, successfully races his NZ-built Beattie (hence "Betty") sports car in NZ, as well as running his favourite event, Targa Newfoundland, in Betty!
Tony Mattson
What a Guy! Tony has come all the way from New Zealand five times to Co-Drive for Richard, and ‘08 will make it six! That speaks volumes for the event and for Tony's love of it. In New Zealand Tony is a gifted production engineer but takes time to run the NZ Rally Series with Reg Cook, a legendary NZ race and rally driver. Tony has sat in the hot seat for 4 NZ Championship series with Reg. and brings this experience with him to Targa. Tony is also quick with a wrench and an expert welder. He has built a string of fast road cars in NZ and is also a demon in a go-kart. He sometimes comes across as shy and retiring but don't be fooled, he has a wicked sense of humour when he chooses to unleash it.
Welcome back Tony!!
