Does anyone here have a new Mini Cooper road racing in their region? I am curious how they are doing. Has anyone in this forum had a chance to road or track one?

Sorry for the non H-A brand inquiry

Victor Penner

 

Victor. WTF are you talking about here? The new Mini is not something to graduate from the ITR to. I'm worried about you my friend. Perhaps this GFCP is messing you up mang.

Scott, who says that if you are "just asking for a friend", then disregard this note.....

 

*lol* They could be kinda good, with the decent weight and all. They were popular race cars back in the day. Never seen one around here tho.

 

....yeah...for a friend... Sell his R, sell his WRX, sell his vintage roadrace bike and get the base Cooper and run in SSC, drive the car to the track , listen to the radio, race on the same tires you drive to the track with...have fun....


Victor Cooper

 

They're slow. In my ITR, I passed both of the Mini Cooper S in the instructor group last weekend without breaking a sweat.

 

I know they are slower than an R that is why they are classed in Showroom Stock C in SCCA roadracing and not in Touring 2 with the R and M3 etc. What I am interested in is how they are doing in class. I have learned that it is not how fast I can go but how good of a race I can have that is important to me right now. Don't get me wrong I love the R but there really isn't a great place to run with it stock and do well. You can always run in Radial Sedan here in the North West but then you have to get beat up by SR (he made me carry his umbrella once!) and then wonder why you modified your car in the first place.

Victor Coopner

 

Dammit Victor! If pursue this course you must, then Spec Miata it must be. I know it, You know it, evrybuddy know it.

Scott, who thinks you should race the ITR one more year.....and I'm not gonna let you hold my umbrella any more if all you're gonna do is complain about it!

 

Grassroots Motorsports has one. Read their article on their website.

 

A guy from My Car Club ran a Cooper S in the Open Track Challenge this year did pretty well.

 

Does anyone know the 1/8th or 1/4 mile times for the new Mini's?
I also noticed at night they all have HID. Is this standard on the Mini?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Victor Penner &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">....yeah...for a friend... Sell his R, sell his WRX, sell his vintage roadrace bike and get the base Cooper and run in SSC, drive the car to the track , listen to the radio, race on the same tires you drive to the track with...have fun....
</TD></TR></TABLE>

What about a RSX-S or Miata for SSB then?

RJ - who's learning that going to the track and just having fun is worth its weight in hoosiers

 

I dont see how 130hp and not overly lightweight will be able to compete with the Civic Si in SSC.
Of course, BMWs do have a tendency to be greater than the sum of their parts so who knows.

Evan, who is still kicking himself for not picking up an orange SSC Si that went for $8k on ebay a couple months ago

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rob &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">*lol* They could be kinda good, with the decent weight and all. They were popular race cars back in the day. Never seen one around here tho.</TD></TR></TABLE>


OMG!!!! do not compare the old mini coopers racing heritage with the new mini coopers.. the new ones will NEVER have the same success or appeal as a classic cooper has.. NO MATTER WHAT THE CONDITION!!! hahahaaa. i love the old ones, don't mind the new ones.. but i would rather have an old one with a built 1380cc motor and 10x8 mini lites with a nice little roll cage..

 

Wow, I thought I was time travelling for a sec!

RJ. I have been thinking about the RSX and such but right now I am going to run T2 again. I have put my interior back in and my speakers and such (I am underweight so why not). I am looking forward to driving to the track again and just enjoying the weekend. I have missed the first National race in my division and because of work I will miss a double next weekend (Hi John, Kyle, Nash, Scott, Greg.....DAMN!!!) but you know what it doesn't really matter (well, maybe a little). Hope to hook up with Pac West crew at the Rose Cup and have some fun. This is fun right?

Victor Penner

 

T2 is fast, I was browsing some results out of curiosity since the WRX is now eligible, and the top local times were around the same time as Gary Sheehan was running in his USTCC WRX........ouch

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hybrid93Hatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Does anyone know the 1/8th or 1/4 mile times for the new Mini's?
I also noticed at night they all have HID. Is this standard on the Mini? </TD></TR></TABLE>

lol..my neighbor has a mini cooper and blinds me everytime with his HIDs....they look sweet!

I seen the making of The Italian Job and they drive 2 mini's on there...makes me want to buy one!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elgorey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... the WRX is now eligible,</TD></TR></TABLE>

Turbo cars are classified in SCCA Club Racing again?!?!?!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crack Monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Turbo cars are classified in SCCA Club Racing again?!?!?!</TD></TR></TABLE>

T2, yes. I dont know how they're planning on policing boost.

 

I thought the WRX was in for 2004 (and the EVO). The WRX will have to run a restrictor plate. I am interested in this car in T2 because why have one track pig when you can have two

Victor Penner

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by elgorey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">BMWs do have a tendency to be greater than the sum of their parts so who knows.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

What a great saying... I agree with you there, too.

 

Not great power to weight ratio. Base Cooper: 2534lb, 115 HP (110 tq)
Cooper S: 2678lb, 163 HP (155 tq)

MT times: 0-60=8.9; 1/4= 16.6@83.3 mph for base
and 0-60=7.1; 1/4= 15.3@91.8 for S

As for handling I'm sure it's a different story as aluded to. Mac struts in front and Multilink rear suspension with BMW tuning.

 

For what it is worth, the "new" Mini led quite a few laps in the rain at the Rolex this weekend in B'ham. Even bumped a BMW in the rear thru the hairpin to get there.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Victor Penner &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The WRX will have to run a restrictor plate. </TD></TR></TABLE>
really? I hadnt heard that. As if the car isnt already going to get its *** kicked.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 95hbMatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I seen the making of The Italian Job and they drive 2 mini's on there...makes me want to buy one! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Three Mini's but who's counting...

FWIW, I drove a base Cooper on stickies at an autox recently. Slow as molasses in a straight line (and I autox a Sentra) but EXCELLENT handling. Very little body roll and with stock shocks, the thing rotated very compliantly and directly. Definitely a point and squirt kind of car. Very forgiving, very easy to drive reasonably fast (I came within 2 tenths of the GS car I was driving that day...)

At an autox, where turns are never ending, it was nearly as fun of a car as I've driven. On a track... the lack of power might be more of an issue.

Andy - who also saw part of the making of the Italian Job so if anyone sees it, remember when the Mini's go up on the sidewalk in front of the Staples Center and my friends and I are barely out of the shot.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 95hbMatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

lol..my neighbor has a mini cooper and blinds me everytime with his HIDs....they look sweet!

I seen the making of The Italian Job and they drive 2 mini's on there...makes me want to buy one! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Is that the movie that has the guy from "The Transporter"? I saw that on MTV last night and theire were mad Mini's all over the place in the film. Definitely a movie I will be seeing. Yeah, everytime I see the Mini, I want one more and more. Especially when I see the HID coming toward and see it's a Mini as it passes