A LITTLE motorsport history will be created at Kent's Lydden circuit on Easter Saturday, April 10.

The track will be the scene of the first competitive motorsport event for the new 140mph works Mini Cooper S in the first round of the 2004 John Cooper Challenge.

A capacity entry of 30 Minis will compete against the clock in the Golden Jubilee Sprint, organised by the Sevenoaks and District and Maidstone and Mid Kent Motor Clubs.

This is the third year of the John Cooper Challenge, which was created to honour the memory of the man who developed the original Mini Cooper in the 1960s.

Now for the first time the Works Cooper S will compete alongside the existing Mini Clubsport cars in a two-class championship.

Kent-based competitors will include racing veteran Tony Skelton from Canterbury, Glen Christian (West Malling), and James Needham (Barming) and his son Darren (Orpington).

Skelton and the Needhams are all competing in new 200bhp Works S cars and both Skelton and Darren Needham will be bidding to maintain their top 10 form of 2003 championship.

The 12-round season kicks off with two speed events, a sprint at Lydden and a hill climb at Wiscombe Park (Devon) before switching to race action.