Race Report - Round 3, USTCC at Llihrednuht 4 May 2008

by Jerry (Siddhartha) Bradbury

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 5^th.

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 6^th 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 4^th. 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 4^th 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 3^rd.

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.

And now a word from our sponsors

by Jerry (Siddhartha) Bradbury USTCC #37

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.

Thanks for listening.

Jerry

Dyno Testing at NCA’08

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.

And the Adventure starts here!

Race Report - 2nd Round USTCC at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, CA

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:

Phil Wicks Driving Academy/North American MINI Cooper Challenge

 

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…  Read the rest of the Article here... Photos courtesy of Ed Dean

 

 

Race Report - Phil Wicks’ NAMCC Race at Spring Mountain

by Jerry (Siddhartha) Bradbury

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.

Trying to get 170HP from a Cooper Engine

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

All reported from Adam at Mini Mania UK 

Press Release – for Immediate Release from Brad Davis Racing

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 2^nd at Sebring International Raceway, 3^rd at Carolina Motorsports Park and 2^nd at Roebling Road Raceway, taking 2^nd 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 6^th 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 12^th and 13^th at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Virginia.

For additional Information contact Brad Davis @ 843 402-6551 or brad.davis@hendrickauto.com
www.minicooperracing.com

Mini Mania is proud to be one of the sponsors that help make the entire MINI Cooper racing effort possible!

Mini Insights

By Clark Brownstein

Modifications made to NAMCC Racing MINI Cooper S

Part 1

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 2^nd 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.

List of Parts Added to the MCS include:

Mini Mania Ultrik camshaft

Performance Fuel Injectors

Ultrik/K&N cold air box (modified)

Ultrik Performance Oversized Valves

Unichip Uni-Q ECU upgrade

Performance Intercooler Upgrade

Quaife Limited Slip Differential LSD

 

RACE REPORT - March 8TH & 9TH - Thunderhill Raceway, Willows, CA

RACE REPORT - March 8TH & 9TH - Thunderhill Raceway, Willows, CA

US TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

by Jerry Bradbury (Siddhartha)

Pix Here

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 70’s, with a clear view of Mount Shasta and the Sutter Buttes. The paddock was jammed full of cars and transporters and most of the cars seemed to be in Group A. There must have been 70 racers on the track for warm-up. But all my opening night jitters were gone. I just warmed it up and watched my mirrors so none of the strafing runs would catch me unprepared. Sure enough, there was carnage as a few guys took themselves out during the warm-up session. Why do they DO that??! Reverse Darwinism, I guess. Good for the rest of us, as always.

Back in the pits, my support group was waiting. Canyon Bob Scheer and his dad, Jack, had motored up from LA with their race prep mechanic, Dan Pacheco. Bob runs his silver Burbank Plating 2002 MCS in the prestigious US Touring Car Championship, where they pay real money for racing. For the past two years he has been my hero and my mentor, always available to chat, diagnose problems and offer advice. His engine has been vigorously massaged by Dan with some amazing plumbing by Hubie Fuh and produces over 200 big horsepower in a lightened race car that goes like stink. All I’ll say about his suspension tweaks is that you can see twin Moton cans in the boot, ‘kay?

My JCW MCS motor is still stock. The car has been stripped and the suspension re-engineered, but it still weighs a chunky 2650 lb. and makes only 210 bhp. Still, our lap times in qualifying were only a second apart. Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland has put my car back together twice now after two costly shunts and Jacques Andres, a Mini racing wizard, has done the race prep. That’s Jacques behind the wheel of his orange and blue MINI MANIA/Andres Motorsports racing MINI that you’ve seen bicycling the car on the inside cover of MC2 magazine. I brought Lee, my treasured mechanic from BBM along and it was he who helped me into my safety gear and found and fixed my electrical problem. In addition, Vince (minispeedrcr) and Mickey (kmickey) were there with their S cars, running in the High Performance Driving Event expert class. They offered help and support to Bob and me as well.

After another qualifying run and more attrition, I was getting ready for a nice lunch when who should appear at my door but Ali Arsham, who runs the west coast USTCC. He asked me how many cars were in PTD. Ans.: One. He asked me what I was getting for running in that class. Ans. : Nothing. He then said, “Why are you wasting your time? Your qualifying times are right up there with us, why don’t you come run with USTCC? We’ll give you 4 new Nitto racing tires today, two more at each race, we offer cash for racing and if you win, MINI USA will give you $2,000.” Sold. So I applied the USTCC sticker to my windshield and got ready for my racing debut in a professional series. You can see Bob and me on Speed TV. Hey, mira mami, I’m a pro!

I lined up 11th on the grid and waited for the green flag. There it is. Let out the clutch and we’re off. USTCC starts first so there was clear track; well, except for all the rest of the USTCC guys who were up ahead there. So I motored peacefully around behind the Toyota in front of me until two fast Honda guys flew by me and went through turn 6 with about 2 inches of daylight between their bumpers. Coming through turn 14, the Toyota ahead of me sputtered and I motored past into 10th place. Hey, I passed a guy!! Coming through turn 8 next time, I saw one of the USTCC cars stopped sideways on the track with parts scattered around and leaking. Just as I was thinking “Oh boy, I’ll pass another guy!” he fired that puppy up and fishtailed up over turn 9, trailing parts and fluids, fenders flapping and bent wheel wobbling. I was sure I could catch him, but I guess he figured he had nothing else to lose, put the hammer down and stayed ahead of me.

Still I was slowly reeling him in with about 8 laps to go when the yellow flags appeared and coming up over the turn 5 bypass I saw the leading Honda lying on it’s side, smashed into pieces. Coming over the blind hill, with the green del Sol still right on his bumper, they suddenly came upon a rookie back marker putting along in the middle of the track. The lead car took evasive action but the track is tricky there. A section of asphalt running down from the high turn 5 intersects the turn 5 bypass route there and the bump upsets the car’s balance as it’s on tiptoes from cresting the hill. He miscalculated. His protruding wheel studs struck the back marker’s rear tire which slammed his nose into the pavement and caused the car to fly end over end into the weeds. End of race. He was airlifted to the hospital with some broken bones, his car was scraped up and towed off and that was our finishing position.

No, you won’t see us on the podium. Bob finished 4th and I finished 10th. But we have two Minis running in USTCC West and we’ll be back next month at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point. Stay tuned for more adventure.

Shiva Waits In Pre-Grid

Mini Mania offer Dyno Testing for all Mini Coopers at the annual Nevada City Adventure 2008

Nevada City, CA. Mini Mania Inc. is expanding it annual Nevada City Adventure to include the first ever “Vtec Encounter”, public Dyno testing, and a free clinic in MINI Cooper detailing. This will be the 7^th annual event that highlights the joys of owning and driving both the Classic Mini Cooper and the BMW MINI Cooper.

The “Vtec Encounter” will be the largest gathering in the USA of classic Minis that have been upgraded to Honda Vtec engines. These modern powers units add both reliability and performance to the classic looks and handling of the Mini.

The Dyno testing facility will be available to all any participants subject to pre-registration. Classic, BMW and Vtec Minis are all expected to be tested.

The 7th “Nevada City Adventure” for Mini Coopers is set for Saturday, May 17th, 2008. Held annually in heart of the gold country, this event celebrates both the Classic Mini as built by BMC (and Rover) and the latest MINI Cooper as built by BMW. Planning is now underway to insure this will be the biggest gathering in the history of Mini Mania in the Gold Country.
Events planned include:
* Vendor Arcade- Supplies will demonstrate product and answer questions.
* On-site Dyno Testing - measure the wheel HP of your MINI/Mini- reservations required- call for details
* ‘People’s choice’ car show with awards in a multiple of classes!
* Nevada Country tour- see some of the best of the Gold Country
* ‘Vtec Mini’ Encounter- largest ever gathering of Vtec powered Mini in the USA
* Silent Auction- Great products at only the price you want
* Raffle- Take your chance and win your choice of great products
* Free Grand Prize drawing- Every entrant will be eligible for some great prices!
* Mini Mania Open House- 15,000+ parts, 10% Discount on most parts.
* New MINI Clubman special display from Niello MINI
* Detailing Clinic - see some of the tricks and techniques to keep your car looking new for years.

Don Racine, owner of Mini Mania said “We expect this to be the biggest event of it’s kind in the area with 200+ MINIs and MINI Coopers on display. The event has always brought the old classic Mini together with the modern BMW MINI Cooper and this year we have added the “Hot Rod” Classic Mini. This community will make for a great match of personalities”

About Mini Mania, Inc.

Mini Mania was founded in 1974 and has grown to become a multi million dollar market leader that provides high quality aftermarket parts that include its own ULTRIK(tm) line of high performance parts and very specialized services to a growing customer base of approximately 50,000 consumers around the world.

Mini Mania solidified its market leadership position in 2001 by becoming the first company in the US to import the then all new BMW MINI to use as a product and performance test bed. Shortly thereafter, Mini Mania began to offer a suite of “lifestyle & performance enhancement products” that appeal to recent purchasers of the MINI Cooper(tm) automobile.

Mini Mania is headquartered in a 16,000 square foot state of the art facility in the Northern California foothills outside of Sacramento. The company’s dynamic web site is truly a one of a kind information portal for any Mini Cooper enthusiast – containing over 50,000 pages of unique content, augmented with 50,000 part number, technical articles and interactive community forums. Each month 75-100,000 individuals access the web site for research and purchase of Mini Cooper parts and accessories.

For more information - on the web: www.minimania.com, 800.946.2642, info@minimania.com

Mini Mania announces sponsorship of SCCA racing MINI Cooper S of Brad Davis Racing.

Nevada City, CA. Mini Mania Inc. announced today it has signed a sponsorship agreement with Brad Davis Racing. Brad Davis Racing will again be running the MINI Cooper S of MINI of Charleston. The MINI Cooper S, which competes in SCCA class “B” stock will be driven by team owner Brad Davis.

The MINI Cooper S has been running competitively in SSCA Road Racing for a number of years following the heritage of the classic Mini Cooper that earned National Championship in GT5 several years. Driver Brad Davis has been SCCA Road Racing since the early 80s. Brad won the DC Region Championship in 1988 and finished 2nd in the MARRS Series three times. Brad has had several class victories at Summit Point, Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta. Working for the Hendrick Automotive Group, parent to Hendrick Motorsports, Brad has had the opportunity to get seat time in some NASCAR hardware, including laps at Lowes Motor Speedway.

Don Racine, owner of Mini Mania said “We are excited to again be associated with such a quality and experienced team of SCCA racers. It provides us a great opportunity for product testing and development. This team is at the forefront of racing the MINI Cooper in SCCA.”

About Mini Mania, Inc.

Mini Mania was founded in 1974 and has grown to become a multi million dollar market leader that provides high quality aftermarket parts that include its own ULTRIK(tm) line of high performance parts and very specialized services to a growing customer base of approximately 50,000 consumers around the world.

Mini Mania solidified its market leadership position in 2001 by becoming the first company in the US to import the then all new BMW MINI to use as a product and performance test bed. Shortly thereafter, Mini Mania began to offer a suite of “lifestyle & performance enhancement products” that appeal to recent purchasers of the MINI Cooper(tm) automobile.

Mini Mania is headquartered in a 16,000 square foot state of the art facility in the Northern California foothills outside of Sacramento. The company’s dynamic web site is truly a one of a kind information portal for any Mini Cooper enthusiast – containing over 50,000 pages of unique content, augmented with 50,000 part number, technical articles and interactive community forums. Each month 75-100,000 individuals access the web site for research and purchase of Mini Cooper parts and accessories.

For more information - on the web: www.minimania.com, 800.946.2642, info@minimania.com

MINI in the snow!

Should we drive our MINI Cooper in the snow? We all know that front wheel drive cars will go much better in the snow than rear wheel drive! But does that mean we should take it anywhere? The real truth for me is not if the MINI Cooper will get me from here to there but what about the other guy?

Mini to expand U.S. dealer network

Krause hints at Mini crossover vehicle

Ryan Beene

Automotive News
January 14, 2008 - 11:33 am ET

DETROIT — Mini will expand its dealer network in the United States after coming off a record year for sales.

Stefan Krause, BMW AG board member in charge of sales and marketing, said Mini will add 13 U.S. stores by 2010, making a total of 95.

The United States is Mini’s second-largest market behind the United Kingdom, after surpassing former No. 2 Germany in 2007. Krause said Mini sold 42,045 vehicles in the United States in 2007, up 7.3 percent from 2006. About 222,000 Mini vehicles were sold globally last year.

” We initially believed it to be more of a European car, so naturally we were quite surprised to have such great success in the United States,” Krause told reporters today at the auto show.

The United States also will see additional product. The three-door Mini Clubman is scheduled for U.S. launch Feb. 16 and will have a base price of $20,600, not counting shipping.

Krause said the next new Mini will be a crossover. He declined to give specifics but said the yet-to-be named crossover still will be in the small-car segment.

Source: Automotive News

BMW MINI Cooper Clubman- Winner or Loser?

While it is only good business for BMW to try to advance the MINI Cooper brand by introducing a new model, will the name/model ‘Clubman’ be a winner or loser?

While BMW has not been bashful in leveraging the historical name of Mini to produce the modern re-incarnation, again, why the Clubman name?? Did they not know that it was, by most historical accounts, a failure by the original Mini manufacturers to update and modernize their design?

The original Mini Clubman was first introduced in 1969. While the Mini Clubman was intended to replace the original ‘round nose’ Mini, the factory decided to hedge it’s bet and keep the original Mini in production along side the new version. For the real Mini lover, the new Mini Clubman was considered an ugly evolution that should never have existed. The original Mini was introduced in 1959 and the Mini Clubman in 1969, it only lasted 10+ years while the original continued for another almost 20 years.

So what does the name ‘Mini Clubman’ really bring to the BMW MINI. You could argue that the name at least is a part of Mini heritage, but is it a winner? Now, I don’t want to hurt the feeling of all classic Mini Clubman owners (as I also still own one!) but let face it- the factory produced almost 5,000,000 classic Minis and only a little more than 275,000 Mini Clubmans.

While the original Mini Clubman was simply a Mini with an extended, squared off front sheet metal, it was just not a Mini. Will the BMW MINI owners look at the new MINI Clubman as an ugly step-sister? It is sure bet that BMW is looking to expand it appeal and not upgrade it. The Mini Clubman will for sure be more considered a family car rather than a sports car! It must be remembered that the original Mini while introduced as a ‘peoples car’ in 1959 was already found in sporting events by the end the end of the same year! While the new BMW MINI Cooper has yet to achieve the same panache of the original as a ‘sports sedan’ first and a ‘family sedan’ second, the BMW MINI Clubman will for sure ONLY be a ‘carry-all’ for the family!

And next a SUV/SAV MINI? Sorry, this is not even a BMW MINI but simply a marketing exercise!

 

MINI Cooper Nevada City Adventure 2008

The 7th “Nevada City Adventure” for Mini Coopers is set for Saturday, May 17th, 2008. Held annually in heart of the gold country, this event celebrates both the Classic Mini as built by BMC (and Rover) and the latest MINI Cooper as built by BMW. Planning is now underway to insure this will be the biggest gathering in the history of Mini Mania in the Gold Country.
Events planned include:
-Vendor Arcade- Numerous aftermarket supplies will be present to demonstrate product and answer questions.
-’People’s choice’ car show with awards in a multiple of classes!
-Nevada Country tour- see some of the best of the Gold Country
-’Vtec Mini’ Encounter- see the largest ever gathering of Vtec powered Mini in the USA
-Silent Auction- Great products at only the price you want
-Raffle- Take your chance and win your choice of great products
-Free Grand Prize drawing- Every entrant will be eligible for some great prices!
-Mini Mania Open House- 15,000+ parts, 10% Discount on most parts.

Ed D’Arata, Sales Manager of Mini Mania and who also serves as the technical expert on Vtec conversions says of the “Vtec MiniEncounter”; ” The ‘encounter’ will be the pit the best of the original Classic Mini as well as many of the new BMW MINI Cooper against the latest innovation to spring out of the Classic Sports car after-market, the Honda Vtec engine powered Classic Mini.”

The Vtec Encounter presents and opportunity to stand up and be counted! This will be the largest gathering of Vtec powered Mini in the USA. Special Awards, Special Parking and Special activities will be highlighted by technical demonstrations from the development team at Mini-tec. “Work in Progress” cars will also be displayed. A special manufacturers direct sale will allow V-tec conversion kits to be available at huge savings for immediate delivery.

About Mini Mania, Inc.

Mini Mania was founded in 1974 and has grown to become a multi million dollar market leader that provides high quality aftermarket parts that include its own ULTRIK(tm) line of high performance parts and very specialized services to a growing customer base of approximately 50,000 consumers around the world.

Mini Mania solidified its market leadership position in 2001 by becoming the first company in the US to import the then all new BMW MINI to use as a product and performance test bed. Shortly thereafter, Mini Mania began to offer a suite of “lifestyle & performance enhancement products” that appeal to recent purchasers of the MINI Cooper(tm) automobile.

Mini Mania is headquartered in a 16,000 square foot state of the art facility in the Northern California foothills outside of Sacramento. The company’s dynamic web site is truly a one of a kind information portal for any Mini Cooper enthusiast – containing over 50,000 pages of unique content, augmented with 50,000 part number, technical articles and interactive community forums. Each month 75-100,000 individuals access the web site for research and purchase of Mini Cooper parts and accessories.

For more information - on the web: www.minimania.com, 800.946.2642, info@minimania.com

Lifan 3-Series: Chinese Create 5door MINI Cooper Clone!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Lifan 3-Series: Chinese Create 5door MINI Cooper Clone!

Here we go again; the list with Chinese knockoffs has been enhanced with the addition of a MINI clone made by a carmaker called Lifan. The Lifan 3-Series (how ironic…) was introduced to the Chinese media today, and according to the translation we made from the clonemaker’s official site, the MINI(cat) will go on sale in China during the first half of the year.

Amusingly, Lifan decided to create a 5-door version of BMW Group’s MINI. Even though the Lifan 320 is somewhat disproportioned compared to the original MINI, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the resemblances between the two cars. Check out other Chinese clones here: Cadillac, Smart, Fiat Panda, Scion & Toyota RAV-4 -More pictures of the Chinese MINI after the jump

Official Statement (translated from Chinese)

Tencent vehicle - Recently, the Lifan 320 Weijiao finally lifted the veil of mystery. We have seen through the picture, Lifan The compact cars and MINI very similar, will produce cars there will not be much change. No accident, the first half of this year, this compact cars will be met with consumers. Reportedly, which amounted to 2.6 m wheelbase cars.

Source:  CarScoop

How good are the new MINI cooper S brakes?

It all depends! The first generation MINI Cooper S brakes as sold here in the USA in 2002 are just OK for most street applications. But as is true with all production cars the MINI Cooper S bakes are still a compromise!

From the beginning of production in 2001 until the introduction of the 2007 MINI Cooper S, the brakes in the MINI Cooper were the sake as that found in the MINI Cooper S. As the weight of the cars is the same it was not considered important that the much faster MINI Cooper S needed any better brakes. The problem lies in the fact that with the additional horsepower, people like to use it. Thus we drive faster and need to stop more often from higher speeds.

A street driven MINI Cooper S can expect the stock brakes to last 2 or 3 years depending on driving. The stock MINI Cooper S brakes suffer from only a couple of problems. The first one being brake dust. The stock brake pads are of a compound that seems to shed every time they are used. Thus the wheels of the car are always coated in a black dust. Most MINI Cooper owners change the brake pads for this reason long before the material itself wears out. From my experience the EBC Green Stuff pads are the one to use; no dusting and actually stops better than stock.

The second biggest problem with the stock MINI Cooper S brakes are the rotors. But this is a rather unfair statement as the typical brake rotor replacement is due to owner choice or drive abuse and not a design failure. The design of any brake rotor requires it to sustain some very high temperatures. And for the most part the stock rotors do an OK job for the non-aggressive driver. But even a driver that does not think he is aggressive can destroy a set of brake rotors by poor driving techniques (Braking techniques). Most rotors will warp long before they ‘wear out’. A warped brake rotor is not notable when as you are stopping the car you feel a little vibration in the steering wheel. A warped rotor can often occur under racing condition but still is common on street cars. Any number of circumstances can cause it. If you live in a hilly area and are prone to ridding your brakes down hill and then happen to run through a large puddle of water that could instantly cool the rotors, they could warp. If you use your brakes enough to get them hot and them simply sit an idle for a few minutes with your foot on the brakes, again the rotors could warp. An upgraded MINI Cooper S brake rotor as sold by Mini Mania with slots or holes will decrease the tendency for this to happen.

With the introduction of the John Cooper Works performance upgrades for the MINI Cooper S, the brakes also received some attention. The upgrade kit was an option on all models soon there after. With the introduction of the new 2007 model year for 2007, the previous optional JCW upgraded brakes became the stock brakes on all MINI Cooper S models.

So the now ‘stock’ brakes are indeed an upgrade from previous years and thus do work better on a real street car. But, sadly the reality is that if you ever have a chance to even drive a few laps on any sort of race track, it will fast be evident that a ‘big brake upgrade kit’ is a very welcome addition.

JCW Challenge Cars

MINI Fans:
Finally some additional info on the JCW Challenge Cars! Selected dealers in the US will be selling the cars by year end. Of course, MINI of Charleston will be stepping forward to be one of those dealers.

The cars will be 2009 model year vehicles, to be built in September this year with projected delivery dates in October. With the current exchange rates the car will be in the $60,000 - $65,000 price range. Below is a link to the Euro MINI site’s information page on the Challenge Cars (they will move the steering wheel to the left for US production!). The equipment level for the cars is still very heavy, and when you consider what it would cost to build this car yourself, it’s not totally unreasonable. If you want to see one prior to purchase, the car will make its US debut at the New York Auto Show in April. Press releases and a US website will be done shortly.

MINI is working on placing the car into a stand alone series with either SCCA and/or NASA. Currently the SCCA does not accept the FIA approved cage in the JCW car, but they already made an exception for the Ferrari Challenge cars in 2006, so that should not be a stumbling block. If I need a wave of letter writers to convince them, I may ask you SCCA members to give me some email time.

What MINI is trying to do now is get a reasonable count of truly interested potential customers to give Oxford some input for production schedules. NON-BINDING, if you think you are interested or could forward this to people you know that may be, I need a count of my hand-raisers to guide them.

Thanks for your interest and I’ll keep you posted as thing progress.

Brad Davis
MINI of Charleston

http://www.mini.com/com/en/mini_jcw_challenge/index.jsp?refType=teaserStandard&refPage=/com/en/general/homepage/content.jsp

Mini Cooper Message forum at Mini Mania achieves another milestone!

Over 16,000 users have now registered for one of the longest running message forums on the Internet. The Mini Cooper forum has now been on line for more than 10 years and is celebrating yet another milestone with the number of registered users. On the forum you can find both a social network and very detailed answers to technical questions. The message forum includes both classic Mini owners and owners of the new BMW MINI Cooper.

A new feature of the message board forum is the chance to see where all you fellow Mini Coopers owners live. The new mapping option allows you to see the location of all fellow message board users.

“We are extremely proud of the message board community that has evolved around the Mini Mania Website. After all these years of supporting the Mini Cooper community it has been very satisfying to also be able to give something back. Our message board has become the biggest part of our Website and we look forward to it’s continued growth”, says Don Racine, president of Mini Mania.

The Mini Cooper message forum provides the ability for the entire community to share there ideas, problems and technical expertise with fellow owners. The forum provides allows a community to find everything from that no longer available part to the best service shops. The classified pages sell more Mini Coopers than most dealerships.

http://new.minimania.com/msgthreads.cfm