Liam Doran’s Custom Autograss Austin Mini Truck Is as Wild as the Owner
It’s an Austin Mini truck made to go dirt oval racing in the UK, but it only gets even more bonkers from there.
The owner of this crazy-looking custom Austin Mini Pick-Up is no stranger to the dirt racing life. Liam Doran is best known for his rallycross driving, and blasting up Pikes Peak with his Ford RS200 Evo hill climb beast that puts out more than 900 horsepower. That doesn't totally explain what this Austin was built for and why as it looks like nothing you're probably familiar with here in the U.S., because it's for so-called Autograss racing in the United Kingdom, which looks like an absolute blast of a racing series.
0:00 / 0:00
Wait, Auto-What?
While the U.S. has some wild racing on short oval tracks, the UK has a series of incredible racing known as Autograss. To best describe it, it's racing on tracks no longer than quarter-mile and on an all grass or dirt. Much like the grassroots racing you may be familiar with at your local short track, there are multiple classes from pure stock cars to incredible, purpose-built machines made to do only one thing: go fast on dirt turning in only one direction.
This Austin Mini pickup (or Pick-Up if you're into branding) is built to be a part of Class 7, a nearly unlimited class that allows you to build anything as wild as you want so long as you have a body shell shaped from a "saloon, hatchback, or pickup."
Welcome To The Bonkerdome
When the National Autograss Sport Association says "unlimited," they apparently really mean it. Liam's Mini Pickup is a great example of this. But why would a guy known for professional auto racing in some of the highest classes in rallycross racing and hillclimb now go build and drive something in relatively low-buck racing? Part of the reason was witnessing this type of racing with his own eyes. "I recently attended a round the other month and thought these cars are absolutely mental," Liam told us over email. Racers get the sideways action like you find with drifting, but with the added spectacle of wheelies coming out of the corners like high-powered sprint car racing, mixed in with some of the most amazing feats of both backyard and professional engineering to create these truly one-of-a-kind machines.
This machine that Liam owns is built off a tubular steel chassis from X C Worx Chassis Developments from Sidmouth, UK. It uses a set of Ohlin's dampers supplied by Mick Gardner Racing in Barnsley, and attached to X C Worx lightweight suspension components. The body is a shell painted and prepped by R&M Motorsport with vinyl wrapping other parts with Liam's sponsors and number plates from Chris Prior Graphics. It also features tributes to his late fellow Monster Energy athlete Ken Block, with "KB43ver" on the nose, B-pillars, and tailgate panel.
The Hearts Of This Mini Monster
No, you didn't read that subheading incorrectly. Settled just behind Liam's carbon Tillett seat and an aluminum firewall are a pair of Suzuki Hayabusa engines that were built by Dan McKenzie of DM Racing with a full Simpson race exhaust system. These engines are fitted with a pair of four-speed gearboxes that are then linked together using an X C Worx twin-drive box just for this dual sportbike engine setup. The drive is sent to the rear wheels, which are 15-inch Force Racing SLR modular beadlocks with Maxsport Alaska 1 tires in 195/65R15 mechanically attached to them. Up front are another pair of Maxsport Alaska 1 tires but in 195/55R15 and mounted to matching Force Racing SLR modular wheels minus the beadlocks. With everything set up and ready to go racing, this Class 7 Mini Pick-Up only weighs in at a paltry 1,323 (American) pounds.
With the power of two 1,340-cc Hayabusa engines on tap, this is basically "a small powerful pocket rocket," as Liam describes it. "It there was ever a car to match me as a person, it would be this thing," he told us, "Hence, why I thought I had to have one and—coincidentally—it falls perfectly with my next venture." That also takes us to the other reason Liam had this car built: he'll be taking a step back from professional racing and focusing more on doing what he really wants to do. "Which is building a stable of 'artillery.' Building a car for every discipline but then disrupting those disciplines by taking some of those cars out of their normal environment and seeing how they fare," he explained.
To keep Liam secure within this spartan, race-prepped interior is a Tillett Racing C1 carbon racing seat with a built-in FIA Halo to protect his head from sideways impacts. The X C Worx chassis puts Liam dead center of the car while an OMP Corsica Superleggero steering wheel keeps the wheels pointed in the right direction. Even if that direction is opposite of the nose of this Mini. A Stack gauge keeps Liam informed of how the powerplant is doing.
Doran has plans for live demos, wildcard entries, and other promotional stuff that he'll be sharing on his social media channels. "And this little Mini is just the start," he promises, and we're certainly interested in seeing just how wild this Pick-Up will be in real life and watching what other automotive adventures Liam will get up to in 2024.
Imagesprovided by Teosnaps
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
Read More
