Kop Hill Climb 2025 - 'Drive it like you stole it....!'

This car is the 3rd pre-production MG TF built in 2001 and the earliest survivor, as the two prior to this were scrapped after their development program finished.

Steve Woods:

Steve Woods was a senior combustion development engineer who worked on the K6 engine development program with the company Powertrain that was sited at Longbridge during the 1990’s.

Steve also raced MG’s and had considerable success with his competition prepared MG Sport & Racing MGF Trophy from 2001 to 2003, in both sprint and hillclimb competitions, being sponsored by the Friarsgate MG Rover dealership of Lichfield at the time. He also tested cars for MG Rover on the MIRA Circuit.

Meanwhile, the MG TF was being developed in 2001, as a successor to the MGF and by 2003, was in its second year of production. Steve was still racing his MGF Trophy car at this time....

After the takeover by John Towers and the rest of the “Fab 4”, (Beal, Edwards and Stephenson), Sport & Racing became a proper department and brand. ‘Team Spirit’ was then “created” to try to promote lower level MGR competition interest, whilst the company pressed on with the “BIG” stuff, ie Le Mans, Touring Cars, and Junior World Rally Car.

Steve says; “During 2003, Sport & Racing Chief - Brian Griffin, said he couldn’t justify supporting the MGF, as the MG TF was in production. So John Rowson, (who was MGF Vehicle Manager, and my MGF co driver), discovered that a pre-production MG TF car, road registered by MG Rover Group : BU51 HYK was due to be ‘pensioned off’ from its development program and probably scrapped, having been the trim and hardware ‘slave car’ from new. Brian Griffin then ‘signed the car off’ and the car was saved for a new chapter in its life – competition racing under the ‘Team Spirit’ banner...”

The MG TF was transferred from the trim and hardware shop to the Sport & Racing fleet, via the Methods Build Workshop, where it was converted from LHD to RHD. (All of these workshops were on Longbridge factory site). The trim was replaced minus any of the NVH pack to save weight. The wheels, tyres and 4 – point harness racing seats were then transferred over from the old MGF Trophy car. Around the same time, it had the distinctive black stripes and ‘MG’ decals applied, identifying it as a ‘Team Spirit’ competition car.

A ‘blue-printed’ exhaust system was fitted, and is the actual one that was used on the Government witnessed TF160 Engine Power Homologation (and the 135 Homologation).

The steering/suspension geometry was then set up on the MG Sport & Racing Hunter Chassis Rig, and rechecked a couple of times later during the 2004 season.

Steve Woods achieved 26 'Class Wins' and many 'New Class Records' between 2003 - 2011 for both Sprint and Hill Climb competitions.

These took place at: Curborough - Three Sisters Circuit - Prescott Hill Climb - Loton Park Hill Climb - MIRA Circuit - Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb – and many others.