I just thought you folks might like to know what I’ve done and am doing for MINIUSA in my Rookie season in the Western US Touring Car Championship Pro Series, thanks to my sponsors. MiniMania and Bay Bridge Motors.
To see the current points chart, go to ustcc.com then click on “points”.
As you can see, I am 4th in points for the overall championship, 1st in points for Rookie of the Year, and Bob Scheer and I have combined to place MINI at the top of the Manufacturer’s Championship with three events to go. I’ve had one podium finish, but didn’t submit for contingency money because there were only 9 cars in the field. I’m hoping to make it back up there when there are 10 or more runners.
You can find me on page 137 of the October Issue of Grassroots Motorsports and on Final Drive TV #3 in the photo/video section of ustcc.com (to play the video, choose #3, then mouse to the top of the screen and click “download this video” on the pop up button.)
Next event - September 23-24 at Thunderhill. Ya’ll come!
The Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy and the North American MINI Cooper Challenge are coming off of one of the most successful events in the company’s still young history.At Virginia International Raceway on July 21, over sixty students participated in the FLOW MINI of Winston-Salem sponsored Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy eventThe Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy introduces new as well as seasoned MINI Cooper owners and drivers to the world-class handling and performance capabilities of the iconic MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper “S” automobiles.In addition to the Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy, organizers hosted another round of the North American MINI Cooper SOLO 1 Challenge as well as the North American MINI Cooper Challenge competition series.
“I am so pleased with the turn-out for this event,” commented Phil Wicks.“I am thrilled that so many enthusiasts were able to enjoy the benefits of learning to be better and more alert performance drivers after a day with our instructors and classroom instruction.”
The Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy has grown to become the world’s best known and a leading authority on MINI Cooper performance driving.In recent weeks, with the continued increase in fuel costs, Phil Wicks has begun expanding his curriculum to include special input and advice on how to achieve better gas mileage and conservation with a car that is already one of the category leaders in mpg mileage capabilities.This new emphasis will provide MINI owners a greater appreciation of the performance aspects blended with the economy that MINI Coopers have always been noted for.Now owners looking for performance as well as economy can find valuable input and instruction from Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy.
The North American MINI Cooper SOLO 1 Challenge featured a solid entry of 28 MINIs ready to take the challenge of competing on the twisty VIR racetrack, one at a time, to achieve the fastest timed lap.In order to compete, all drivers must have had adequate performance driving training such as attending one of Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy events or similar performance driving instruction.Drivers were grouped into individual classes ranging from stock to race prepared.Class winners were Group 1: Ed McAleer, Group 2: Jason Stencler, Group 3: Craig Clarke, Group 4: Chris Thompson and Group 5: Clark Brownstein.
In addition, round 3 of the North American MINI Cooper Challenge was staged in a unique, never-before-tried format that was met with great enthusiasm.Billed as a “high speed pursuit”, the eligible eight entries were staged based upon theirfasted time posted in the SOLO 1 challenge, with the fastest starting first and each entry thereafter placed on the grid by their progressively slower lap times.Then from the traditional standing start, each entrant was given the green flag at 3-second intervals to “chase” the car ahead.Therefore, there was no actual fender to fender racing competition.However, each entry was given a target time based upon their fastest SOLO 1 lap (muliplied by 8 to represent 8 laps). Finishing positions at the conclusion of the 8-lap event were based on how much they had improved upon their target time. In this unique format, each entrant had a chance for victory even if he/she had not scored the fastest elapsed time.Phil Wicks indicated that future North American MINI Cooper Challenge events might again adopt this unique competition format.The top three drivers of the High Speed Pursuit were in 1st, Clark Brownstein, 2nd Chris Sneed and 3rd Chris Thompson.
Flow MINI of Winston-Salem, NC was the event sponsor.Official sponsors of the Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy and North American MINI Cooper Challenge are Mini Mania, the official race parts supplier, Precision Motoring of Nashville, TN, Hendrick Automotive Group, MavTV, ALTA MINI Performance and the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation is the official charity.
The next event on the schedule is the MINI of Charleston, SC sponsored Roebling Road Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy on August 9 and 10 In Savannah, GA.For more information, visit www.minidriving.com
It’s called Infineon Raceway, but as markets and fortunes change, it could be called Yan Sing Raceway tomorrow. Regardless, it will always be located at Sears Point in Sonoma, CA, so we old timers call it Sears. It’s a very technical track, by which I mean it requires the utmost in attention and consistency or it will bite you. Take Turn 2 too fast and you’ll loop it in that off camber corner; turn in under braking going down the three storey drop of the Carrousel and you’ll spin. Take Turn 7B too far up the berm and it will put you in the air; lift in Turn 8, the esses, and you’ll end up in the tires backwards; too fast into Turn 10 will either push you out into the BIG wall that is three feet off the track or if you panic and lift, will spin you and cram the car backwards into the tower. Now fill the track with cars faster than you and slower than you and you’ve got a lot to think about. Except if you think about it, you’re doomed. Things happen too fast on a racetrack to see something, make a conscious decision and then act on it. So you rely on your muscle memory of the racing line and let your sub-conscious do all the complicated ballistics equations required to keep you from hitting anyone or anyone hitting you. You use slow hands in the fast stuff, fast hands in the slow stuff and try to make the right decision about whether that hole in the traffic will still be big enough for you to get through when you get there.
Saturday - Couldn’t buy a clean lap today. First session the track was cold under a chilly overcast, tires were cold and slippery, brain was in the back seat. I managed to control the car without getting much heat in the tires and keep it on the black stuff while others spun or went off. Terrible lap times.
By qualifying time the sun had burned off the fog and the track was warming up. A Porsche in the group before us had dumped oil all the way into turn 7 and through turn 8, so the line was slippery and there was kitty litter all over the track. Now there was a lot of traffic, both faster and slower, and someone’s shunt was so bad they black flagged the session about 5 laps in.
Saturday’s race is not for points so you can’t win anything. You can lose though, as Pete Boveberg found out in turn 11 when a Ferrari cut across him in the hairpin and jammed on the brakes. Pete locked ‘em up but slid into the back of the red car anyway, exploding his own front end and shooting the Ferrari out of the sky. It went down in huge clouds of blue smoke, the rear end crushed against the big back tires, but not before a Porsche blew a freeze plug and dumped oil all over turn 3, causing a red flag (all stop) and finally another black flag all after 4 laps to end the session. My best time was a 2:03 – not very good. Luckily there were some lovely ladies to flirt with at the barbeque, so the day wasn’t a total loss.
Sunday morning – Outside my window the village is waking up. Sleepy eyed folks with tousled hair are scratching stomachs under t shirts and stretching. Next door a girl of about 12 is trying to hold her little terrier mix in her arms like a baby, but the dog is squirming muscularly and wants to get down and play. The Mayor of NASA just rolled by on his Segway looking like Dr. Who in his long greatcoat, checking on how things are in his village. I’ll wash up my breakfast dishes, go pull the cover off the car, check my air pressures, re-torque my wheels and get ready for the warm up laps at 8:15 where we will doubtless lose more race cars to spins and offs. I don’t know why they take themselves out like that in a 10 minute warm up session. There are no trophies to win and Mario isn’t sitting in the stands looking for the next driver for Andretti Green Racing. It’s a mystery.
Yesterday it felt like I’d left my brain in the glove box. The car was all squirrelly and it felt like I’d never been on this track before. Today is better. Warm up was uneventful except the car felt hooked up and I was back to driving two corners ahead. By qualifying time the sun had come out and warmed the track some. With brakes and tires and brain all warmed up as well, I turned a 1:59 and change. Good for me, but not so good in context. The leaders were all around 1:55, 1:56. Four seconds per lap is huge. After 10 laps that’s half a track. All I can hope for is attrition among the leaders in order to place well. As it is, I’m starting 7th of 9 and could use some help from the Borg Collective.
We come around to Start/Finish after the warm up lap and wait for the green flag to drop. There it is and we all peel out and drive in a roaring clump up to Turn 2. There the RX8 behind me tucks into the apex and pushes me to the outside. I return the favor going into Turn 7 and regain my 7th place, only to watch the leaders pull away.The two cars behind me fall back and I’m left to circulate by myself. I make a couple of mistakes and the RX8 closes on me, but can’t get by and I pull out another lead.I suppose you could say I’m the leader of the back markers, but that’s no great distinction.
The real leaders play nice with each other this time and I finish where I started, 7th of 9. Later, one of the top three is disqualified for too much horsepower and I move up to 6th and into the points at least. A few points and my $300 check are all I have to show for this outing aside from the adrenaline rush and no damage to the car. Now I have two months to try to find those four seconds. I think two may come from tweaking the carbon unit, and maybe the Bay Bridge Motors team can find two in the car. At least I have a goal. The next race is August 23-24. Stay tuned.
Mini Mania Precision Steering Amplifier Component review will be up shortly in the blog. It was a good addition to the suspension and I’ll tell you why.
Five hours on the Dyno can yield a lot of great information and this was no exception! Dyno testing is like a ‘great dream’! Lots of us talk about them but how many people can really live them! Proving our metal is often equated to ‘dreaming’ about demonstrated how good we are by how much horsepower we can buy for our steed of choice. “How big is your dream” was a great experience at the Nevada City Adventure 2008!
We were fortunate to being able to test 15 various MINI/Minis during the 5+ hours. Those of us that dream of Horsepower have all read all the claims by the factory as to how their stock engine performs and most of us simply are never satisfied and ‘want more’; and ‘more’ has to have a starting point. But finding that reference point is a major part of the challenge. Industry standards are well defined but seldom understood. “BHP” was one of the terms/system first used to measure the performance of a motor. “BHP”, which stands for ‘brake horsepower’ is not really a measure of horsepower at all, it is a measure of torque as applied to a ‘band brake’ that is connected directly to the output of the engine. Basically it is done at the flywheel with NO ancillary (but necessary) equipment such as power steering pumps, water pumps, transmissions, etc. installed. It will typically be the highest number you will ever hear for your motor. “SAE HP” has become industry standard throughout the world in the last 30 or so years and will it took most of the practical ancillaries into account for it’s results, it still measures at the flywheel and thus eliminates the loses within any transmissions, etc. Obviously the cost to simply tweak or test you motor to directly relate to factory numbers will require a budget that is left only to the really big race teams.
So what is our choice to attempt to ‘live our dream’? Along comes a chassis dyno. This is a devise that measures horsepower at the wheels and as most is us will only ever use a motor on the road, why not test it in the most practical way. If the first thing we learned from this experience was the difference in terminology of “HP”, the next thing was an understanding of the different concept of engine verses chassis dyno, the final lesson so far is that not even all chassis dyno’s are created equal.
It is common practice when testing on an engine dyno (SAE HP) to simulate driving conditions such as load, cooling, air flow, etc. When a chassis dyno of any type is used, many of these conditions need to be taken into consideration. Modern motors as found in our little MINI Coopers are extremely sophisticated with closed loop sensors that tell the on board computer everything it is experiencing in an attempt to keep performance within the operating range as designed by the engineers. This is a great opportunity for the factory to provide consistent performance over a very wide range of conditions or use that the motor may be subjected to but makes it almost impossible for us to really understand how we are ‘living our dream’. On board sensors can adjust fuel mixture, ignition timing, blower by-pass valves and even water flow on some of the most modern motors, all to keep things safe and dependable to the warranted life of the car.
There are two other major considerations when attempting to ‘measure our dream’ on a chassis dyno. As the factory number are ‘at the flywheel’ and our will be at the wheels- how do they relate? Well, this depends ho who you talk too and what is the objective of the test. Driving the running gear of the car, transmission, differential, wheels and tires has to be factored. The most common practice is to simply multiply the results of the chassis dyno by 15 to 20% to arrive at a ‘flywheel’ horsepower number. If you want to feel good about your numbers you use 20%, if you want to demonstrate only a modicum of improvement you use 15%- OHH! Did I tell you this was a dream machine and thus very subjective?
The second very major issue to be considered when using most chassis dynamometers is who much friction loss occurs as you secure the tires the very large rollers as used transmit the power to the equipment. While it is easy to control the subjective figure you use to convert form chassis to flywheel horsepower, it is not so easy to control the extreme variable that results from how the dyno operator secures your car to the rollers. When tied down too tight, you will lose horsepower due to excessive loads, when tied not tight enough, you lose horsepower due to wheel spin (even if you can’t see or hear it). Of all the variables we have talked about, this is at least one that we can control with the right choice of chassis dyno.
The dynamometer we used for our test day was simple, fast, easy, and computer controlled. It eliminated the variable of operator error by having the drive hubs of the MINI connected directly to the machines, thus by-passing tires and rollers. What a joy to use.
So what did we really learn about 5 hours and all these cars on the same dyno in almost the same conditions (it was a little warmer in the afternoon than it was in the morning). First and foremost it was a fun experience to watch all the people get so excited about hearing and seeing the runs, looking at the computer screen live as it was happening and generally just communicating.
Both those that had their Mini tested and those that were just there to watch leaned that indeed a chassis dyno is first and foremost a ‘tool’ and not some sort of ‘God-like’ mystery machine that can perform mericles on a motor. No car ‘gained’ horsepower because it’s run on the Dyno, BUT the ‘tool’ did allow owners and operators to find a unbelievable number of problems that robbed many owners of ‘living their dream’. Not only were most performance numbers within 10% of each other but every-time the number just didn’t look right, we found a problem. Everything from slipping supercharger belts, to 2 different pressure by-pass valves not functioning correctly, to poor gas octane selection, broken motor mounts (3 of the 11 BMW MINIs tested had broken mounts that the owner was not aware of), etc. were all found by this great “Tool”.
The ‘Tool’ was also used by one owner that wanted to have bragging rights for day’s fun by having the best HP numbers. The operator made a second power run on the dyno while the owner dumped a bottle of water on the inter-cooler and (surprise-surprise) he picked up another 5HP.
The cars tested ranged in years from 2002 to 2007, with as few miles as 20,000 to as many as 122,000. Every car had some level of upgrades, all had changed the supercharger pulley added a cold air intake and modified the exhaust. As all the results were within 10% of each other (even after the guy the dumped water on his inter-cooler) and thus we learned that almost all modifications produce incremental gains that simply allow us to ‘live our dream’.
Dyno charts:
Best BMW Supercharged MINI Cooper S (first generation)
Best BMW Turbocharged MINI Cooper S (second generation)|
This Race Report will be a little different. No purple mountains’ majesty this time. The hills around Buttonwillow are seared a golden brown by the early summer sun; it’s flat, it’s sandy and it’s hot.
Grassroots Motorsports. The name alone conjures up the image of a couple guys in dirty t shirts wrenching on a junkyard find in the garage late at night with some cold Budweiser close at hand. The car is held together with baling wire and bubblegum and powered by go-fast grease. So by extension, the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge should be a bunch of these cars whizzing around for the fun and the glory, right? Wrong. The winner of my class (I was placed in Independent Varsity because of the blower) was a carefully coiffed guy driving his Radical SR4. Grassroots? Excuse me, that’s a flat out race car! The paddock was full of such high dollar, high horsepower race machinery including a Morgan with an L7 Corvette engine in it, several Griggs Racing massaged Mustangs and other race cars. There’s no way I can hang with that bunch. They were turning lap times 20 seconds faster than me. A 5 second gap at the track is huge. 20 seconds is just a joke. So I figured I might as well just concentrate on learning the course. I haven’t spent much time at Buttonwillow so here was my chance to do some laps and hopefully learn some of its secrets.
Important to any athlete preparing to go is a starting ritual. Before each session, I like to do some visualization, some eye-hand coordination exercises, some right-brain/left-brain connection exercises and a little self massage before I get in the car. Then I walk up to the car, open the door, step over the roll cage and lower myself into the seat. With the door still ajar, I pick up the quick release buckle fastened to the submarine strap that goes between my legs and snap the lap belts into it. The HANS device slides around my neck and settles over my shoulders. The shoulder straps hold it in place when they are snapped into the quick release. Next I take off my glasses and place them on my right thigh while I pull my helmet on and fasten the chin strap. I stuff my glasses back into my helmet so I can see and fasten the HANS strap to each side of my helmet. The window net is rolled neatly on the sill of the driver’s door. I unroll it and attach it to the retaining clips at the top of the door, reach through it and close the door. Next my driving gloves are pulled on, the steering wheel is lowered and at last I exhale and pull the seat all the way forward, tightening the straps in the process and locking myself into the seat. A last check of battery cables, emergency cut-off switch, fire extinguisher and I fire it up and watch the lights for surprises while the engine warms up. I do it the same way every time and it is very calming. Sitting on the grid getting ready to go, I visualize driving laps and do some yoga breathing.
Now here comes a fella up to my passenger window while I am concentrating on what is about to happen. He’s ahead of me on the grid and is trying to promote some self-serving program where everybody behind him just stays back and gives him room to make a run. I respond that I will stay out of his way. If he’s faster than me, he’ll be ahead, and if he’s slower than me, I’ll pass him. “Oh, you won’t pass me,” he says, “Don’t worry about that.” Then he proceeds to go 50 mph down the back straight. Of course I pass him. Through the esses I see two faster cars coming. One passes me on the entrance to the last turn before the front straight. No problem. The other guy waits until I have apexed the corner and tracked out, then puts his left front bumper into my right rear quarter panel and keeps it there, trying to push me offline and out of his way. In the process, he shears off my valve stems and the tire goes flat. At the end of the straight when I try to turn left, I loop it and am done.All he had to do was go left and he could have easily passed me on the straight with his faster car. It was my first run-in with someone who would rather be disqualified to make his point that I shouldn’t have passed him than to pass me back. Later, I found out that car and its driver were 24 Hours of Lemons competitors – basically a demolition derby held at Altamont Speedway each year. I guess he forgot where he was. Or something. So I protested him, then had new valve stems installed on my wheel, pulled out a piece of quarter panel that was jammed underneath, laid on some duct tape and finished the day while his car sat in the paddock.
There was no chance of winning or placing with this crowd, so I just concentrated on trying to turn consistent fast laps. Approaching Magic Mountain at over 100 mph, the ABS light came on and when I got on the brakes, I locked them up and filled the cockpit with tire smoke. Back in the paddock I called Jacques, my sponsor from Bay Bridge Motors, to ask if there was anything I could do about it. “This is a good chance to learn to modulate the brake pedal,” he replied. Oh great. So I turned the emergency electrical cutoff switch on and off a couple of times and turned the ignition on and off a couple of times and the ECU finally decided that the ABS really was working after all. It gave me no more trouble.
Lessons learned: some people will cut off their nose to spite their face; Buttonwillow is fast – I was north of 100 mph in 3 places; aim for the dirt inside the berm at the Bus Stop; it takes guts to keep your foot on the floor between the Bus Stop and Magic Mountain, but the car will hold; for the last turn, slow it way down, turn in late and get back on the gas as soon as possible. I’ll be back here in October with USTCC. Hopefully, this experience will pay off then.
This was my first event with the new MiniMania Precision Steering Component in place. Look for my product review elsewhere in the blog.
By: Norman E. Nelson- Redwood Empire Mini Enthusiasts Club
On May 31-Jun 1, 2008 the 22nd Annual Wine Country Classic races were held at Infineon Raceway in the Sonoma Valley. It was a beautiful weekend with over 350 vintage racing machines competing over the famous 12 turn - 2.52 mile course. The automobiles ranged in age from 1915 to the mid 1970’s and in horse power from about 38 hp to over 600. Nevertheless they were all beautiful historic race cars with pedigrees a mile long. They were grouped into 9 races of 10 laps each.
Redwood Empire Mini Enthusiasts teamed with Mini Mania to arrange a Mini Cooper corral for this event. The officials of Infineon Raceway were very obliging and set us up with our corral right smack-dab in the middle of the paddock. On Saturday 26 Minis came out to enjoy the day and Sunday brought out 32. We were treated like royalty with guards assigned to help & guard our Minis, and positioned right in front of the wine & food pavilion.
The schedule of nine 10 lap races provided some very spirited and competitive racing. Don Racine of Mini Mania had a spectacular drive. Coming from last place starting position in the 40 car field, due to mechanical problems on Saturday, Don carved his way through the field passing one car after another working his way up to a 7th place finish. The only thing that kept him from challenging for the lead was the race was only 10 laps long, otherwise who knows.
Joe Huffaker, of Huffaker Engineering, brought our his famous number 77 National Champion Mini and parked it in with the rest of us in the corral. We had to give him a towel at the end of the weekend so he could wipe off all the drool marks. Tim Brecht compaigned his number 14 Mini Cooper until engine “bugs” sidelined him. Gary Anderson was also driving his #5 MGA in group 4.
All in all it was an exciting weekend. Our Mini Coopers were the center of attention as we were placed right at the entrance from the parking lots. Hundreds of race fans stopped by our corral for a look at all the colorful smiling Minis.
What can transform a peaceful sylvan lawn in Gold Country into a carnival overnight? The annual Mini Mania Open House and Lawn Party of course! Those who were there got to see first hand all the eye candy, but for those who were not, the Mini’s ranged from an electric Moke to a VTEC powered Classic, to Randy Steven’s tricked out CVT to Robert Holt’s Purple Haze convertible to three full on Mini race cars: my sprint car, Jacques Andres’ enduro car and Eric and Colin Herricks’s rally car, and many in between. Redwood Empire Minis had the largest contingent as one would expect from their proximity to Grass Valley, but there was also good representation from NorCal Minis and one brave couple from the Southern California Mini Maniacs club.
Presiding over the festivities was Don Racine, the visionary founder of Mini Mania which is not only the largest aftermarket Mini parts depot in this country, but is now branching out to the international arena as well. Don’s Aardvark racecar, clad in all the race venue stickers of its long career was posted prominently on the lawn.
I spent most of the day talking with folks about racing and putting people into the driver’s seat of my USTCC race car. At regular intervals the whine or roar of an engine would underline the fact that dyno runs were in progress on the corner of the main building. It was a very popular attraction and many a Mini owner was seen clutching the dyno printout, while trying to find others who had less HP so they could gloat. Around noon a large group headed out for a tour of Gold Country roads which seem to have been engineered with the Mini precisely in mind.
As the day wound down, the silent auction winners were revealed and the popularity winners were announced and it was time to load ‘er on the trailer and head out for home, already planning on an appearance at next year’s Mini Mania Open House and Lawn Party.
My 2002 dark silver under black MCS was delivered in May of that year making it one of the very first in the state of Georgia.I was at that time, driving one of the first dozen or so “S” cars in the entire state. My car was the 75th delivered in total from the dealer and yes, I have the t-shirt to prove it!MCSs in those early days were very hard to come by and represented a smaller portion of the total cars delivered.It was, to say the least, the closest thing I will ever experience to being a rock star.I was the center of attention.I was stopped at the post office, swarmed at my local Blockbuster, approached from every direction at the supermarket and not to mention the mob that would surround my car at the gas station.It was all smiles, waves and people pointing excitedly every motoring mile.Everyone, it seemed, was as excited about my car as I was.It was an unforgettable time.But that was 63,000 miles ago and both my car and myself have slipped into a routine that slowly replaced the early enthusiasm with everyday familiarity.Just like rock stars, my car and I faded away.No one wanted my autograph anymore….(not that they ever did, but you get the idea!).
With that in mind, I decided it was time to slip in some new enthusiasm into my MINI ownership.My car was completely stock, the exact same way it was on the day it was delivered.Well, yes I did purchase a car cover and managed to get a stubby antenna and center armrest, but for the most part, my MCS was factory original.No upgrades.No extra grunt.While I may not be very interested in technical aspects of upgrades, I enjoy performance driving and taking some advantage of the well-known handling characteristics that the MCS offers.I have attended the Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy and always enjoy a spirited drive when the urge comes to motor in the nearby hills and curvy roads of northern Georgia.So now was the time, nothing too drastic or over the top, but a modest beginning toward transforming this MCS into my MCS.As a start, a cautious first step, I decided upon the Stage I kit offered by Mini Mania.It consists of a cold air box air filter and a Borla cat-back exhaust system and the prerequisite added badging that goes with making performance upgrades on the car.Between the two elements, I’m told I would notice a modest increase in performance and a total of 10-15 hp addition to my car’s performance capabilities. It does not include a pulley reduction or any other performance change to the car.This seemed to fit my objectives perfectly.The cost of the Stage I kit is $1,175 and I eagerly awaited its delivery.
For installation I consulted my friend, colleague and client, Phil Wicks who recommended taking the car to his officially endorsed race shop preparers, “Precision Motoring” in Nashville, TN.Since I had family in Nashville, I figured this was a good opportunity to put the car in the hands of experts.If anyone could quickly and skillfully install the kit, surely these guys could handle this relatively simple task.Alas, my own mechanical abilities as well as the tools needed to exercise them are extremely limited.A good shade tree mechanic could install the kit with little difficulty.But I chose to place my car in the hands of professionals.I’m glad I did.
I motored to Nashville and Phil Wicks had arranged to use my car’s kit installation as part of a tech seminar that Precision Motoring had planned on this Saturday afternoon.Several MINI enthusiasts were at the shop as my MCS took to the stage for its debut as an aftermarket performance machine.The mechanics quickly installed the cold air box and moved on to the task of replacing the factory exhaust with a Borla system.Once the removal was complete, all in attendance noted how much lighter the Borla exhaust system was than the factory original version – much, much lighter.Whereas the factory exhaust is essentially two consecutive mufflers, one pipe with two mufflers placed one after the other, the Borla exhaust is a more true twin exhaust system with tail pipes routing the exhaust into two separate mufflers, all leading from the single exhaust header at the front of the car.The Borla exhaust that is part of the Mini Mania Stage I kit is the “standard” Borla version.There is a “sport” version that features a more aggressive and audible sound but the standard Borla is the typical exhaust sent with the Stage I kit.After a bit of twisting and shuffling to properly place the system under the car, the Borla exhaust was neatly contained and mounted.It is a true bolt on system with no welding or other alterations needed to install the unit.Gone were the “beer can” exhaust tips of the original and replaced with the more aggressive look of the twin exhaust Borla.During the installation, the Precision mechanics also removed the rear bumper (not necessary for the kit installation) to install a “MINI Do More” trailer hitch.At this juncture, they approached me with an idea they discovered while working on Phil Wicks’ racing MCS.They took the heat shield material that surrounded the exhaust and bent it upward at the rear and tucked it up instead of allowing it to simply hang down at the back of the car.Sort of like tucking in a bed sheet at the corners, the shielding was tighter against the rear of the car.With this accomplished, and the bumper façade replaced back in original position, the “simulated” air duct holes in the back bumper could actually be real “holes”.Without moving it, the silver heat resistant material would be visible but now, with the heat material conveniently tucked up out of sight, the simulated air-ducting could easily become functional allowing better airflow from the rear of the car, better cooling of the exhaust and a “racier” look to the rear of the car.This illustrates one of the advantages of taking your car to professional installers, particularly race engineer types who can modify the car in ways that make a routine installation just that bit more custom.It’s like pin striping on a car; a little bit makes a big difference and puts on a “finishing” touch that truly adds to the final appeal of any alteration to the original.Precision put the ‘pin striping” detail into my installation that made a big difference in the final outcome.I really like the looks of the enhanced functional rear bumper and no one else I know has had it done to their car, excepting the Wick’s racecar.
With the Stage I kit installed I was eager to hit the road for our return trip to Atlanta.After the required visit and stay with family, we took to the interstate for our 4-hour drive to Atlanta.The first immediate notable difference was in the tone of the exhaust.The sound that comes from the “standard” Borla exhaust is notable in the sense that it is not louder in an audible way but rather a more full tone quality.The important difference for us was that the Borla exhaust was actually quieter at highway speeds.The constant and familiar drone of the original exhaust was gone.My wife and I both noted how much easier it was to have a regular conversation with the much quieter highway tone of the Borla.I averaged 35.4 mpg on the way home, which was several mpgs better than I experienced on the way up to Nashville, but my everyday average has basically remained the same.It would be nice to note any modest increase in mpg with the Stage I kit installed but I haven’t noted it yet nor traveled far enough to establish it.
From a performance aspect, I would say that driving my MCS now is like driving before in the cool air of winter we have in Atlanta.The car has more spirited acceleration and drivability but not an exceptional change in a measured way.But my principal enjoyment of driving my MINI comes from its everyday handling capability and not straight-line acceleration.For this reason, the increase in performance nicely matches my driving objectives.I think it is safe to say that most MINI owners would feel the same way.If you want straight-line acceleration, buy a Viper, but my enjoyment is more contained to the “twisty” bits, as Phil Wicks likes to say.
Finally, and perhaps the most important result of adding a Stage I kit is more difficult to define.It has brought back a level of enthusiasm for my MINI I haven’t had for a while.I find myself roaming around my car in the early morning to take one more look at those Borla exhaust tips poking out from the back of my car.I start the car with the door open to hear the sound one more time.I rev the engine a bit to capture the burble of the exhaust tone.I more enthusiastically drive to work in the morning.I am eager to take the car up to the mountains again and share the road with other MINI enthusiasts and compare notes.I am one of them now.The relative few who have gone an extra mile to make their MINI Cooper or Cooper S a bit more personal, a bit more unique and a whole lot more fun again.I encourage all my fellow pedestrian MINI owners to bite the bullet, break the ice on adding some performance enhancements and choose some appropriate aftermarket products that will revitalize your MINI ownership and add to your sense of pride and privilege of driving one.Happy Motoring!
Standing on the track at the top of Thunderhill’s Turn 5, the Eagle’s Nest, I’m looking west down a three story drop and picking out reference points and points of timing for this blind turn. Little squiggles of asphalt patch and locked up tire tracks on the surface will help me place the car at speed and tell me when to turn, because I won’t be able to see anything on this approach. I’ll have to turn in on my POT and slide it up over the blind crest, keeping it on the black stuff as I head down the other side toward Turn 4. That’s right, 5 to 4, because today we’re running Thunderhill backwards. It’s a whole new track.
Behind me the sun slips over the horizon and turns the westward peak of Snowtop bright orange. Mount Shasta is visible to the northeast and the Sutter Buttes are limned against the blue-gray sky to the southeast.The gently rolling hills of the pasture land where Thunderhill Raceway was built are a mottled gold/green as the succulent grasses of the rainy season gradually surrender to the dry heat of approaching summer. It will be another perfect day at the races. Already I can hear the cough and mutter of cold engines getting their first taste of spark and air/fuel mixture under compression. Soon the quiet of the dawn will be ripped apart by the shriek of high revving rotary engines as the Formula Mazda cars are first out for warm up.
I arrived early on Friday to instruct for Trackmasters and to get in a few laps in the new direction. It was to be a weekend of attrition. First to fall was Canyon Bob Scheer whom I discovered sitting disconsolately on the cinder block wall running a torn supercharger belt through his fingers. His team just could not keep the race car from throwing belts, so he decided to fold his tent and pack it in for this race. Next, Rich Peterson failed to show, still working on his car, I presume. That left only me to carry the Mini flag to battle.
The population of our portable village was considerably less than last time at Infineon and I think that the new direction factored into some drivers’ decisions to stay home. Whatever their reasons, it was great for the rest of us; a perfect day and less traffic. Saturday revealed that drivers were still confused about where to go as our group split at Turn 5, some going up the hill, some going over the bypass. The Eagle’s Nest was in play because the Formula Mazdas get too much air going over the bypass and the slow turn up there makes an effective chicane. The rest of us were supposed to use the bypass. One Miata driver in HPDE 4 couldn’t make up his mind which route to take, split the difference, went off, lost the car and hit the flag box, spilling two corner workers to the ground. A massive emergency operation ensued which ended only after the injured corner workers were medevac’d out. Both are in the hospital but will make a full recovery. Belatedly the flag tower was dragged out of the hot spot between the forks and we ALL went over the hill from then on. I finished another race without a scratch and have now qualified for my national racing license.
Sunday was another glorious day and the cars continued to fail. During warm up some went off. During qualifying a Honda engine grenaded on the race line in the very fast Turn 6, spilling oil on the track. I was next around and did some ice skating before getting the car straightened out. After that, the yellow flag stayed out there and qualifying was essentially over, so I rolled into my pit early to save the car for The Show.
Jacques Andres and the Bay Bridge Motors team seemed to have found some horsepower since last time. They had traced a problem to an uncommunicative O2 sensor which was causing the air/fuel mixture to go fat at 4,000 rpm, just when the engine should be lighting up. A blown 15 amp fused was causing the problem, so I had more hp to work with this time. Still, I qualified 5th.
This race was all about traffic and attrition. At the start, I finally figured out how to get the transmission into second gear, but could not gain any ground and was passed by the 6th position RX8. By the end of the first lap I had reeled him in, re-passed and lit out after the leaders. I could keep them in sight, but could not close. Then we began running into back marker traffic and I was toast. The gentlemanly conduct of my history at trackdays where slower drivers point you by and where you take a breath in a tight corner and wait for a better place to pass is OVER! Now I have to learn how to pass any car anywhere on the track at any time. The racing line is out the window. So are lap times. All that counts now is position. This is a steep learning curve for me, but Sunday was better than Saturday. I found a way around Turn 14 by dropping the left front wheel off the curb there and hooking the car around the inside while everyone else went wide. I could get a good run down the hill from 9 through 8 and pass other cars at over 100 mph as they turned in for the apex at 7. I kept my foot on the floor coming through Turn 1 and got a good run down the front straight. But while I was doing this, the rest of the USTCC field was charging around and through traffic everywhere. If I can just get closer, I can train ride through traffic behind them . . . but I have to get closer. They are certainly not going to wait for me.
Then attrition began to be a factor. Around Turn 2 I saw Pete Bovenberg’s car parked in the grass. Now I’m 4th. Coming around Turn 1 there was Dave Bongiovanni’s EVO rolling to a stop in the infield. Unfortunately, I was just a little too late to pass him before he rolled past the checkered flag, so I crossed the line still in 4th place.
It was pandemonium at the podium. On the last lap, Curt Simmons had collided with Bongiovanni’s EVO and a Ferrari 355 while trying to pass in the extremely narrow, off-camber dip that is Turn 11. As the perpetrator, Curt’s very fast SRT4 was disqualified. Tom Lepper’s Cobalt had passed Bongiovanni as he was limping around to finish second on a flat left front tire and I was now 3rd.
No matter how you get there, a podium finish is a podium finish. You get your name called on the PA to take your place amid applause and hoots from the crowd, you get the big trophy and the kiss, you get the magnum of champagne with which to try to drown your fellow combatants, and you get the wide non-stop grin. Champagne stings when you get it in your eyes! And it makes your racing suit and hat smell winey. But I have to say, a fella could get used to it.
A perfect example of the photogenic line versus the fast line. While the Miata is busy getting air (no traction in the air) Shiva slips by on the outside.
Without the help of these sponsors, there would be no racing effort for me this year.
It will come as no surprise to my readers that since 1974, Mini Mania has specialized in parts and accessories for the Classic Austin Mini Cooper, and now the new BMW MINI Coopers. Mini Mania is the largest supplier of afteremarket Mini and MINI goodies in the world. The friendly folks at Mini Mania will do everything possible to get your parts and accessories into your hands quickly and efficiently. Their merchandise is the highest quality and the directions for installation or use are clear and concise. In addition, they are always ready with help and advice. My car is faster than ever before because of Mini Mania speed parts. There is no better place to get your Mini and MINI parts and accessories than Mini Mania. Call them at 800-94 MANIA.
Based in Oakland, California, Bay Bridge Motors continues to be the refuge for my race car. When it was totaled last fall, Jacques Andres and his crew resurrected it and turned it into the car it is today. Jacques, a former racer himself, has 18 years experience in building race cars and engines and has been offering repair and service for Minis and BMWs in the Bay Area for 10. There are two shops under one roof. Bay Bridge Motors handles repair, service and maintenance while Clean Green Collision does the body work and fabrication. The personal attention and reasonable rates you and your car receive is something no dealer can provide. So for Mini Cooper and BMW service and repair in the San Francisco Bay Area, think Bay Bridge Motors. For collision and auto body work for Mini Cooper and BMW, think Clean Green Collision. Both are located at 2408 Mandela Parkway, Oakland, CA 94607. Call 510 208 3273.
Fun and informative is the nature of this part of the Nevada City Adventure. Very few MINIs have been left absolutely stock and thus it is fun to be able to actually measure the differences. NO DRIVER Skill required!
Make your reservations now to have your MINI measured for wheel horsepower at the Nevada City Adventure, May 17th, 2008. We also very much would like to invite the very stock MINI to be measured to see if the factory is good to their promise also! Each participant will receive a full color print-out of cars performance. Introducing a radically different approach to chassis dynamometer testing….
The Dynapack! - the only unique and technically sophisticated dyno available today in a market that is crowded with cookie-cutter designs. We have SOLVED the problem of tire slippage and the inconsistencies of the tire to roller interface - while our competitors try to pretend that these problems don’t exist. If you’ve operated a roller dyno, you know better. We’ve started with a clean sheet to design a dyno that truly performs and exceeds customer expectations. Why settle for a “standard” dyno when you can have so much more.
The Dynapack is a true load-brake dyno - just like the best engine dynos. We directly measure the work being performed, while others just estimate it. Since we have real hydraulic load brakes, we allow you to perform tests that simple inertia-dynos are incapable of. You can now have unprecedented control over the vehicle with a degree of resolution and precision that has to be seen to be believed.
Waiting in pre-grid at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA. photo by minispeedracr
by Jerry (Siddhartha) Bradbury
Infineon Raceway, April 11, 2008
It’s quiet tonight under this hill in Sonoma. A few lights gleam and the faint tink-tink-tink of a hammer sounds from some hidden pit area where work continues as it always does on a race car. Bright stars look down on a few early arrivals and the air is redolent of hay and the sea. All through the night the transporters pull in, towing their brightly colored cars. They’ve come from Oregon, Utah, Nevada and all parts of California to become a part of this temporary community, to see old friends, to make new ones, to race. Dawn reveals a small village sprung up over night. There are streets, traffic, pedestrians, wives, sweethearts, kids and dogs. Cars of all descriptions, from daily drivers to factory sponsored racecars have become the focus of attention as they are prepared to go on track. An air of festivity prevails over this day at the races, but an undercurrent of the potential for violence and wreckage is present as well as the tow truck rumbles slowly around the perimeter like a bright red velociraptor, tail high, looking for prey.
One of the best things about a NASA event is that there is something for everyone. You can bring your daily driver and run a High Performance Driving Event. Anything will do as long as it’s roadworthy and safe. Looking out my door once, I saw a Ford GT40, a GMC pickup, a Toyota Camry, a Porsche GT3 and a Mini Cooper S, all lined up to go out in HPDE 1. As your experience and driving skills improve you can bring your modded up street machine, change to race wheels and tires and run with the faster HPDE groups, 2, 3 and 4. Some folks have been happily doing this for years. Since these are non-competitive instructional driving events with instructors on board, your insurance should cover any mishaps (NOTE: check with your own provider to be sure). In addition, there are many classes of racing to watch featuring exciting door-to-door competition. Add to that a free barbeque Saturday night and you’ve got a really fine weekend at the track.
My Mini has a new setup for this race. Speed parts from my sponsor Mini Mania have been added by my sponsor Bay Bridge Motors and USTCC sponsor Nitto has provided four brand new NT 01 tires. This will be my first official race with the US Touring Car Championship and I look forward to hitting the grid with more horsepower and quicker lap times. Alas, it is not to be. I’ve fallen victim to modomania, something I have been warning people about for years on the Mini forums. “Change one thing at a time,” I’ve said, “otherwise you won’t have a clue if something goes wrong.” You’d think I’d listen. Instead, we made five changes to the engine and the ECU does not like it. Horsepower has actually gone down. But I’m stuck with it for the weekend, so I’ll do the best I can, break the tires in well and fix it before the next event. Even with the car being slow I manage to wheel it around to within a second of my fastest lap at Sears Point.
Bob Scheer is back with his Ireland Engineering MCS. Bob is way faster than me but because he’s not used to the track, we qualify close and we’re side by side on the grid for the race. Finally in the late afternoon our turn to race arrives. The track is hot under a warm California sun and a little greasy with all the rubber that has been laid down today. Caution will be called for at the off-camber Turn 2 and the braking zone for the hairpin Turn 11. USTCC goes out first for the warmup lap, then pulls up by start/finish for the standing start. The furled green flag goes up (engines rev) it is unfurled up high(cars seem to lean forward in anticipation) it drops and the air is filled with the sound of roaring engines and screeching tires as the field blasts off for Turn 1.
All except me. In all the excitement and adrenaline flow, I make the same mistake I did at Pahrump. I catch the detent to reverse on my attempted one-two shift and can’t find second gear. *expletive deleted*. Rookie mistake. The field streams by me on both sides and by the time I get it going, I’m behind the Honda Challenge cars. The Civic in front of me is just a little slower than me and is braking just a little sooner. I pull up next to him several times but I’m running with the pirates now. They show no mercy and give no quarter and I just don’t have the skills yet to shoulder my way by and get away.
And so I finish last. In spite of the embarrassing start it was far from a wasted effort. I have completed two more events as a provisional rookie racer without incident or going off track. One more and I can apply for my NASA National racing license and the gloves can come off. Before that happens, though, I have homework to do. I have to find more horsepower for the car and I have to practice standing starts until that 1-2 shift is automatic. Next time will be different.
It was great to have some of you Mini owners at the track cheering us on. Next time at Thunderhill on May 3-4, Bob and I should be joined on the grid by Rich Peterson in his USTCC MCS. Hopefully as more Minis join the racing we will see more of you out there, too!
Shiva kicks some Acura butt at Infineon. Photo by jimZ68
More photos by minispeedracr here:
And you can watch the last USTCC race at Thunderhill here:
March 28, 2008 Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch – Pahrump NV2.2 Mile Track
It was an absolutely perfect day for a track event – 75 degrees, 5 mph wind. The Phil Wicks MINI Driving Academy drew strong list of entries from various regions of the country, equally divided between basic novice, intermediate, and expert classes.
Pre-registration and tech inspection were completed the day before, Thursday, at the AMVIV host hotel, Palace Station in Las Vegas. Everyone attended the drivers’ briefing and safety instruction meeting first thing at the track on Friday morning. Instructors were allocated to students. Some instructors were allocated two students, one in basic novice and one in intermediate. This meant that every student had an instructor one-on-one all day.
The first group on track was the expert group, which consisted of dedicated autocross competitors and instructors getting some fun track time. Meanwhile, Phil Wicks delivered the first classroom session to basic novice and intermediate group. Safety and track etiquette was covered.
The intermediate group was next on track with instructors with each student. The novice group remained in the classroom. Phil Wicks delivered the Accident Avoidance instruction curriculum. This curriculum deals with ABS braking, slalom (serpentine), and emergency lane change. The track was marked with cones and students drove to each station under instruction. The instructors guided the students to complete the course. This continued until each student gained sufficient confidence in him/herself as well as the capabilities of their MINI. Then, for each student, the excitement really commenced as the cones were removed from the track and the three groups started on-track instruction in rotation of 20-minute sessions.
Lunch was staggered so there was no track downtime. At approximately 1:30 pm, the AMVIV group arrived from their morning tour of the Death Valley Run. There were about 100 MINI/Minis arriving. They were served lunch courtesy of MINI USA. The Solo I Autocross began. 26 cars lined up for a one lap standing start (one cool down lap). This consisted of 5 MINI classes and 1 Classic Mini class. The classes were quite evenly divided between 26 cars. This was the first round of the NAMCC Solo Challenge and was a huge success.
Next came the invitation Touring Laps. There was no fee charged for this one. 100 cars enjoyed a few…
It’s springtime in the high desert. Wildflowers cover some of the hills with a mosaic quilt of yellow, orange, red and blue. Landmarks clearly visible are deceptively distant in the dry air and the surrounding peaks of the big shouldered mountains appear to be cut from cardboard and pasted onto the cerulean desert sky. In the Pahrump Valley everything is straight or jagged lines. The only curves to be seen are on the lovely ladies threading their way gracefully through the throng of Minis in the paddock and the sinuous 2.2 mile circuit of Spring Mountain Raceway. It’s nice to be back here and see all the changes that a large infusion of cash has accomplished over the past year. What was formerly just temporary vinyl Quonset huts next to the track has been transformed into a real bricks and mortar facility, all new and very upscale.
First, a big thank-you to my sponsors, the folks at Mini Mania, who have generously agreed to provide me with race parts and some cash, and Jacques and his crew at Bay Bridge Motors for building me such a fantastic race car out of what we all thought at first was a totaled wreck.
We’re here, about 45 minutes from Las Vegas, for multiple reasons:
It’s the weekend of A Mini Vacation in Vegas, organized by Sin City MINIs, and next to MINI Takes the States and MINIs on the Dragon in North Carolina, probably the biggest MINI/Mini event in the US. This year, almost 600 cars and their owners showed up for trips, tours, cruising the Las Vegas Strip and the vendors’ tents, hanging out with old friends and meeting new ones formerly known only by their internet handles.
Then too, Phil Wicks is holding a something-for-everyone event at Spring Mountain Raceway this AMVIV weekend. It’s a novice training school/track day/Solo I/track tour/North American MINI Cooper Challenge race event here at the track, and I have been asked to instruct as well as race. One of my favorite things is to help some folks achieve their dream of navigating a racecourse safely and having a whole lot of fun at the same time. I’m assigned two students, a novice and an intermediate. Since there are only three groups, the other being instructors/experts/racers, I’m jumping around like a flea on a hot griddle and there is NO WAY I could have done that without the help of my dedicated crew. Thank you, Marcel and Michael!!
But first and foremost, we’re here to race. Except for Canyon Bob Scheer, who is just too stinking fast for me, I’ve only run against other marques, so I’m looking forward to some track time with other racing MINIs. Phil has fielded a race prepped JCW MCS driven by Clark Brownstein from Novato, CA, and is taking on all comers. Unfortunately, all comers turn out to be me and Jeff, who drove his silver MCS #233 car down from Oregon for his first ever race. Well, as you may recall, it’s only my second, so that shouldn’t be a factor. Phil’s driver, Clark, on the other hand, drove the car last year and is starting his second racing season with it. He’s a good driver and a tough competitor.
As the day wore on the schedule slipped further behind. It was not entirely the fault of the organizers by the way, because everything came to a screeching halt while some guy landed his Cessna on the back straight and then taxied slowly and obliviously past a hot pit full of suspended Minis on his way to the clubhouse, and then because Jeff, our other racer, had a spectacularly dusty shunt and had to be towed out of the weeds. Because of the schedule slippage, the race shrank from fifteen laps to ten, to eight, and finally to five.
Jeff and Phil’s crew made a Herculean effort to get Jeff’s car back to race worthiness and finally we lined up on the grid. By this time, Jeff was pretty shaken and Clark and I had decided that since there were so few of us, and since the race was so short, we should try to stay close together and make a good show for the crowd.
It seems like there has never been a Phil Wicks event without controversy, and this one was no exception. I made a terrible start, somehow misplacing second gear, and Jeff led off the first lap.Clark and I caught him and passed on the back straight. Our plan was to barrel into the chicane side by side with the inside guy taking the lead and then reverse it next time around.
Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. And since Clark will be driving the whole NAMCC season in Phil’s car and since I’m only doing this one event for the experience, it seemed like a good idea to make it close but give the win to Clark. You can’t please everyone, however. Many spectators commented to me how much they enjoyed seeing us dicing down through the chicane before the main straight, but my racer friends were aghast that because I could out brake him and out corner him, I didn’t just drive off into the distance and leave the others to drone around on their own. What do you readers think? Show or go? Did I make the right decision?
video by michael leonard
As it happened, Clark took the medals and the glory and I got to thank my sponsors and wish that the two sleepers in the paddock, TC Kline with his suspension test sled R56 and Matt who was driving the Way Motor Works R53 had been on the grid adding to the fun, since they were both very fast - maybe next time, guys.
Now it’s back to business as we prepare the car for the April 12-13 USTCC event at Infineon Raceway. For sure I need new axles since mine are clicking like castanets. Maybe we’ll have time for some other Mini Mania mods as well. We need more horsepower and less weight in order to be competitive.
The last two times I have been to Infineon, I have wrecked the car. What will happen this time? Stay tuned. Or better yet, if you’re in the Bay Area, come on out to Sears Point and watch.
It is possible , Mini Mania UK has a customer who has obtained 228 bhp from the Cooper.
He used 4 throttle bodies,and reverted to a cable from the pedal, also used an aftermarket ECU from DTA in Manchester, ( Motec could also do this) , used the Minimania cylinder head with our big valves , he did however use titanium rods /crank (custom,) and a lot of other internals -pistons, rings, and he runs at 11000 rpm.
When finished he spent a lot of money to get 228hp
The bigger valve head and billet race cam (skimmed a bit for higher comp ratio) would push him close to 170 (stock rpm) -and would make more than this with raised rpm limit in remap 7200 rpm -this would require also
1 oil cooler
2 aluminium rad -too allow the 7200 excess heat
3 4-2-1 header
4 larger throttle body
increased springs in head and retainers-all available
I would also suggest light weight fly/clutch and use the S 6 speed
over 180 would result -(5 speed suffers around this mark)
intake manifold breathing restricts output to 180 ish -unless throttle bodies fitted
Braselton, Georgia – Robbie Davis continued his dominance at Road Atlanta this weekend by winning his third straight SCCA National series race at the 2.5 mile 12 turn Road Atlanta Raceway. Robbie’s 2005 MINI Cooper S has been on the podium every race this season, but he never got to stand on the top step this year, until last weekend. Rob finished 2nd at Sebring International Raceway, 3rd at Carolina Motorsports Park and 2nd at Roebling Road Raceway, taking 2nd place in the division standings in the process. But this weekend Rob was determined to keep his streak alive and not let Mike Scornavacchi of Manheim, Pennsylvania get another Southeast Division win. Rob used the supercharged power of this Showroom Stock MINI Cooper S to power his way past Scornavacchi. Mike had qualified on the pole, continuing a streak of his own that goes back to Mike being the fastest qualifier at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs last fall in Topeka, Kansas. The two SSB class leaders swapped positions several times during the 18 lap race. At one point in the race the two immaculate showroom stock cars hit hard nose to tail when car from another class spun in front of them. The nose of Scornavacchi’s Pontiac Solstice hit the rear bumper and exhaust of Davis’ MINI, but both cars were able to continue. By the end of the race both cars had tire rubs (donuts as NASCAR calls them) down both sides of both cars, but neither driver ever hit hard enough or with the intent to spin the other. “This was the most intense race I’ve ever run”, said Robbie. “Mike raced me hard but clean and any contact was just close racing.”
Proving again that a Counterfeit MINI is no substitute for the real thing, team manager and proud father, Brad Davis finished 6th of 9 in the Showroom Stock C class that was won by Joe McClughan of New Braunfels, Texas.
The MINI of Charleston team hopes to gain some more points on Scornavacchi at the double National April 12th and 13th at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Virginia.
Starting his second season of MINI Cooper S racing, Clark Brownstein has been driving the Phil Wicks Racing entry in the North American MINI Cooper Challenge (NAMCC).Recently Phil Wicks and his crew at Precision Motoring – The MINI Cooper Centre, added new race parts supplied by the official race parts supplier of the NAMCC, Mini Mania, the leading Mini performance parts source.In this article, Brownstein compares driving last year’s car to the same racecar this year after the new parts and additional modifications
were made.
Throttle response:
Last year the car responded just the way a stock MINI Cooper S would. For racing purposes, the car was slow to rev and slow to come back down. This is a problem when heal/toe braking is needed. You just can’t go down through the gears fast enough for max breaking and rev matching. Then on the other side, the throttle for pick up after setting the car during a turn and exit would exhibit relatively slow response.
After he car was fitted with the new racing clutch and flywheel, all of the above problems vanished. When I first started the car I felt the difference instantly.The engine revved much more freely all the way up and the revs came down almost as fast.I could not wait to drive this new version of
the MCS.
Power.
Last year the car had some modifications and was faster than a stock MINI Cooper S but was lacking enough power to be completive with the more race-prepared classes needed for an overall win.
This year during testing at Talladega Gran Prix track, the car had an amazing amount of power.It simply seemed endless. I tested all day and by end of the day the car was the fastest on the track. Even with that, I don’t think I used all the power the car has to offer me.It will go faster still.
Getting the new power to ground. (Differential)
This was huge improvement over last year.In the past, I pretty much spun my tires hard in 2nd gear turns. So to keep from spinning my tires, I would be forced to feather the throttle coming off the turn.It resulted in much slower straightaway speeds. It was frustrating to watch other cars simply drive away from me because they were getting their power to the pavement better.This year (After installing a Limited Slip Differential as supplied by Mini Mania) I can mash the throttle and not spin the tires, even with all the added horsepower.It is a great feeling to be able to put all the new horsepower to the ground so quickly.
Handling:two words — No Comparison.
Last year was a year spent plowing the fields on the track. Amazing change again. The car will now do almost anything I ask it to do.
I would like to finish with this. The car feels and looks much more like a real racecar. The new parts from Mini Mania and the car prep done by Precision Motoring makes this year’s car behave as it should. I look forward to the opening race in Las Vegas and benefiting from continued modifications that have been made since the last testing session.
As Phil would say,
Cheers Mate…
###
All race parts added were supplied by Mini Mania, the official race parts supplier of the NAMCC.
Ah, the thrills of racing! The smell of high octane fuel and hot brakes, the squeal of tires, the machine gun rat-a-tat-tat of the Wankel rotaries, the deep rumble of American iron, the pretty girls in the paddock and everything on the grid from highly polished pro race-cars, layered like a Victorian drawing room with vendor stickers, to five colored back yard beaters whose quarter panels look like they have been worked over by a large angry man with a big hammer. And that’s before the race starts. When the green flag flies another set of sensory impressions rolls in: the sound of engines all around you, the rush of the wind, the feel of g forces against your harness and seat in the corners, the clatter of the chassis working under stress, the low howl from your tires as they fight for grip, the buzzing swarm of Miatas ahead that you must somehow get past or through and those pesky Hondas that dance in your mirrors briefly before blowing past.
I wish I could tell you about my debut race on Saturday at Thunderhill Raceway in National Auto Sport Association’s Performance Touring class, but I failed to make the call to the post. Oh, I was in there for “warm-up”, which to most of these crazy guys means “spank the rookies and cut ‘em off at the apex” on a cold track with cold tires. Gee whiz, fellas! And I qualified first in my group of one with the fastest time I have yet turned at Thunderhill, a 2:08 and change, but I was having electrical problems during qualifying. I lost my power steering in turn 6 with Miatas going past me on both sides and the wheel suddenly feeling like it weighed a hundred pounds. I managed to limp it around to the pits, turned it off, started it again and the problem went away. Come race time, I strapped into all my safety gear and was heading for my grid position when the panel went black and the starter solenoid would only click-click-click-click. Dead. Off they went without me and we pushed the Mini back to our pit and tore into the external master power shut off switch that is mandated by NASA rules. Sure enough, one of the poles to the alternator was dead and the car ran only until the battery died.
So we re-routed the wires, charged the battery, went to the free barbecue, drank mudslides and went to bed, satisfied that the morrow would bring better tidings.
Sunday was another perfect day, mostly sunny, in the 7
With that in mind, I decided it was time to slip in some new enthusiasm into my MINI ownership.
single exhaust header at the front of the car.
