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Hey, TrueEddie, is there any info about that white VW with the Frankenstein fender flares? I couldn’t find it in any of the IMSA class standings at the end of the race and the announcers said nothing about it even when it died out on the track and then again at the end of the pit road. Is this what the MINIs will be up against next year?
And the Clubman as the choice for a race car? That seems odd. It is a shame that they don’t have a Gen III version of the Coupe to race. The better aerodynamics over the hatch might have made them more competitive.
The VW is a Golf GTI TCR. I'm not sure what happened to them but they did finish the race in 5th in class, 8 laps down. The Golf and Audi RS3 LMS TCR will be what the Clubman will be competing against next year in the TCR class.
Originally Posted by 02fanatic
Well, I will not be watching MINIs race anymore if they go with the Clubman! Sad! I don’t think aerodynamics has as much impact as the regulations regulating weight, horsepower, turbo boost, etc. IMSA is not making good choices right now by alienating race fans!
Regulations definitely plays into it. The Clubman and 4-door hardtop were the only eligible cars.
Eligible cars: 4/5-door vehicles Body shell: Reinforced production body shell; wheel arch modifications allowed to accommodate tyres Minimum weight: 1250 kg for cars with production gearbox, 1285 kg for cars with racing gearbox (both including the driver) Minimum overall length: 4.20 metres Maximum overall width: 1.95 metres Engine: Turbo-charged petrol or diesel up to 2.0-litre Torque: 420 Nm Power: 350 PS Lubrication: Wet sump Exhaust: Homologated catalytic converter using production parts Traction: On two wheels Gearbox: Production or TCR International Series sequential; production paddle shift accepted Front Suspension: Production lay-out; parts free design Rear Suspension: Original design of production car with reinforced components Brakes:
-Front: max 6 piston calipers, brake discs max diameter 380mm
-Rear: max 2 piston callipers; production ABS accepted Wheels: Maximum dimensions of rim: 10″ x 18″
I didn’t see anything about homologation requirenents, so why can’t the F55 be fitted with JCW components? To me that would be a much better setup & better looking than a Clubman for racing.
The longer wheelbase will help stability on the track as well. So, what will the JCW Team do next year? I may have to email Luis & see what he says.I’m still pulling for the JCWs this year anyhow...Daytona sucked but the cars still have some speed!
Hmmmm, looks like a bit of a chopped roof in the rendering...
Nice look but I would doubt that would be allowed.
I do wonder how open the requirements are. The front brakes are 6 piston max. Does that mean a MINI brand like the Gen II GP brakes (the current JCW still uses the Gen II JCW 4 pot brembos) or can they go with anyone's 6 piston, like a Stop Tech, or AP? Brakes were a real issue early on in the race car development and with more HP and higher speeds in these cars I wonder if the GP brakes are up for the task.
The GP3 concept is quite close to it, but with regards to availability i would rather back my planning on that super sexy F55
Aaaagh...
I was half way to the bank looking to get a new car loan for this great looking 400hp, 4WD hyper MINI Cooper before I realized what this was...
I see that the LAP rendering has the requisite 4 doors whereas the Gran Turismo version has only 2.
It does make one curious as to what 2019 is going to look like.
Well, they have only just started with the 2018 season and Sebring is a month and a half away...Hopefully MINI can get the bugs worked out an put on a good showing.
"Our race weekend outcome stings. Our MINIs are extremely reliable, so to fall out of this race with mechanical issues is extremely disappointing. After the race, we discovered both right side CV joint axle failures were caused by torn CV boots allowing the grease to escape causing the CV joint to overheat and ultimately fail. We’re not sure what caused the boot to tear since we’ve never had this issue before. What’s interesting is after performing 21 laps for the IMSA VIP hotlaps in our MINI hotlap car it also tore a CV boot but on the left axle. – Team Owner Luis Perocarpi
the boots gets overstressed, had that on my daily after short time, the driveshafts are to short in certain situations.
Well, they didn’t have this problem last year did they?....so what’s different? I’m sure they are on it “hopefully”!
That was my thought, exactly. What is different? The cars aren't any lower than last year. So it must be in the drive shaft assemblies that were replaced. It wouldn't be the first time that a manufacturer went to a different supplier for some sub-part of an assembly. I wonder if the boots came from a different source and they are not as good in the flexing that occurs.
Sebring is always a hard test of cars. They'll find out there if they fixed the problem or not.
Well, how did the MINI JCW Team fair today in Sebring? I watched a little....enough to see the #37 ram into the BMW & wreck & get penalized! Ugh! The #73 was also fast though and was leading when I stopped watching.
Hope there’s more cars in the ST class soon though!
That would be nice but I doubt it will happen. The rules change has killed the ST Class. Next year we will not have the JCW Hardtop Racing at all but a Clubnan maybe and that’s it. Too bad!
I watched the Sebring race on YouTube. Boy, that track is hard on cars and drivers. The MINIs did well and the announcers did well at acknowledging that the ST class exists, at least for now. They seem to get a kick of how the MINIs run around the track. As for next year, the announcers said there will be no MINIs in the TCR class as BMW won't sanction them (or however they said it). There might be a 1 series BMW, but that may be later in the season. It appears that BMW doesn't want competition for their marque from a lesser cousin.
I watched the Sebring race on YouTube. Boy, that track is hard on cars and drivers. The MINIs did well and the announcers did well at acknowledging that the ST class exists, at least for now. They seem to get a kick of how the MINIs run around the track. As for next year, the announcers said there will be no MINIs in the TCR class as BMW won't sanction them (or however they said it). There might be a 1 series BMW, but that may be later in the season. It appears that BMW doesn't want competition for their marque from a lesser cousin.
How did you find it on YouTube? I may watch it too! Yeah, Sebring has always been tough on cars & drivers. My only visit to see the 12 hours was in 1966....believe me those were the days! Cobras racing Grand Sport Corvetts, Ford GTs, Ferrari’s...you get the idea...oh, in those days just straight headers and pipes....SWEET!
I’m very sad to see BMW take this route with dissing the MINI. I’ve been a BMW CCA Member for about 30 years & they will hear from me!
Kudos to the JCW Team for having such a strong showing! The MINIs don’t get the respect they deserve imo....I just love seeing the hatch racing! How can it not make you smile?...just like getting behind the wheel of our MINIs! :-)