I got this shot from the Orlando MINI twitter account:



I took this shot when I was at the track, don't know if it helps:





I have some more pictures here. I'll get some closer shots if I make it down to Sebring.

 

Looks like an NM strut bar.

 

Thanks for the pics! I figured that they use the stock air intake and not an aftermarket one, but it's nice to know for sure. 👍

 

Chances are, it's required by the rules.

 

Yeah, I never thought of that. It would be interesting to know the rules in regards to mods for this class.
They've done a few other mods...
KW suspension, strut bar, roll cage, brakes, and I'm sure there's more.
In terms of the air intake, I was thinking they kept the stock unit since it actually provides cool air.

 

Looks like you guys had fun and a bunch of owners showed up for a MINI meet.

Yea they are running stock Cooper S brakes and some one off compound pads. Has to be that the class is the Cooper S stock car because at the time the JCW production car was not ready or something like that.

 

OOohhh I see those adjustable camber plates!

They need to get those on the market ASAP!

 

The cars started life as Cooper S's. IIRC from what the guys said at Miles Ahead, they're not allowed to run the Brembo's from the JCW.

 

Looks like the KW V3 with KW one off adjuster plates

 

That's what I heard also. Cooper S because of the JCW production car was not even close to ready also.

 

Yes, in Red

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2014-Cooper-F56-S-3_Door-B48A20A/Suspension/Strut_Tower_Brace/

 

Yeah when Lap Motorsports started the team the JCW wasn't out yet. They had Cooper S's they were preparing to run. But then MINI USA joined up with them and the team was branded the "MINI JCW Team" and they changed the cars. If you look at pictures from their first race there were still S badges on the grill (and if you look at the picture above that MINI has S scuttles). I don't know how many of their fleet are converted S's vs fJCWs.





2015 Sebring Race. Notice S grill.

 

Not allowed to run racing brakes on a race car?...imagine that! Those brakes are definitely not the stock Brembos....now I know why they can run those wheels!

 

"Racing brakes" is not what the JCW has. They're OEM-budget Brembo-branded 4-piston fixed calipers with semi-high-temperature pads with simple 1-piece rotors. They're very good for factory given the JCW's price point (arguably the best part of the F56 JCW), but they're not on the same level as motorsport-spec brembo [different logo font], AP, Carbon Industrie, Hitco, et al racing brakes.

All that said, a race car has to run whatever the class rules dictate.

 

Booo. Why is the aftermarket so absent from this platform?

 

They look like the top mounts from the clubsports to me. Could be wrong but they look identical.

 

I know that Ryan......just trying to make a point...you know the stock JCW Brembos are better than the MCS brakes right?! The JCW team is not spec'd as a true JCW....if it was, they'd have wheels that fit the large Brembos (at a minimum). That's my point. I emailed back & forth with Lap Motorsports last Spring/Early Summer about their wheels and didn't get much help...now I know why? They're not JCW fitment wheels whatsoever, although I do like the "look".

The guy I corresponded with at Lap was very open and good to chat with about the team though. I'll definitely follow them, even if they don't have JCW brakes on their cars.

 

Ok cool, just making sure we're on the same page there.

I do like how the Fikse wheels look on the LAP car. It's a bummer our Brembo's are so huge....but they are no doubt better feeling [and looking] than the Cooper or S brakes.

 

Th new brembo are very big for a four piston. They stick out what looks like much further then the old 4 pots JCW brakes.

 

How are the jcw competitive against the gen 2 cayman s which seem to dominate the ST class? There' s a 92hp gap. I would love to see the specs on the jcw race cars.

 

I'd like to know how they write the rules myself....just seems Porsche & Mazda have an advantage due to being lighter than the MINI (maybe not?), but the MINI's definitely seem to be at a disadvantage for sure. Notice how the race announcers don't even talk about the MINI's during a race?....unless there's a wreck where they are involved (which seems to happen too often)...or the rear hatch pops up!

Seems that a race team with THREE (3) cars should have better screen credence (i.e. more respect)!!...or maybe the rules are stacked against the MINI, I don't know. Rather annoying and very frustrating pulling for cars that are consistently at the back of the pack though (and there has to be a reason for that!). It has to be the rules!!!

I believe the MINI's will do better at Sebring or just about anyplace where there isn't a large amount of high speed track (like Daytona) because the MINI's obviously don't have the speed!

 

IMSA handles balancing the performance of the different cars in the series. This balance is always being watched and IMSA and they make changes during the season and off-season to try to make things more even. Sometimes this includes adding/reducing weight, changing out the brakes, or even altering the size of a turbo.

Don't quote me on this stuff but I believe that more weight was added to the Porsches this season. And toward the end of last season the MINIs were given additional boost.

IMSA is also pretty good at finding people who don't follow the rules. For instance the #4 Civic that finished 3rd in the Daytona race was inspected afterwards and found to have an unauthorized engine modification. They were disqualified from the event. And luckily for all three MINIs this meant they all moved up a position in the race and points standings. If you're interested in the current point standings you can see them here: http://miniracefan.com/2016-ctsc-point-standings/

 

Yeah, I understand how things work....been that way for years. But, of course, when a new team emerges it takes time for the rules makers to figure out what is "fair". With the technology these days it's harder I suppose to level the playing field since in olden days it simply got down to
cubic inches, carburation, etc.

I remember back in the 1990's how BMW was always behind the eight ball due to weight being added to the PTG M3's....it really screwed the success of those team cars!

Hopefully, the JCW Race Team cars will be more competetive this year, because if they aren't it'll be due to unfair application of the rules! No reason all the cars can't be within a certain HP/# of weight, etc.

Btw, on IMSA.com you can also monitor driver & team standings.

 

I think if you look at the performance of the MINIs over all of last season you can see that a combination of the balance of performance changes and experience really had an impact. They went from finishes in the low 20's to a podium.

They had plenty of speed even at Daytona as evidenced by the 2nd place qualifying of the #73 car. And even during the actual race you could see the MINIs passing other cars on the high banks. If they hadn't had issues ranging from contact, to flat tires, to boot doors popping open I think you would have seen them competing for a podium there too.

Yeah I know, I just tried to make it easier to see their rankings by highlighting them. IMSA's page can be a bit difficult to read. Just trying to be helpful.

 

The MINI was definitely faster at Daytona, but having "plenty of speed?".... that's being overly optimistic.

I see improvement, from Road Atlanta (where it was raining which helped the MINI show its stuff) to Daytona, but I won't be happy until I see them fighting for at least a top 5 finish! 12th isn't anything to crow about....every team has something happen during a race.....the winners had a door fall off in the pits!...lost time but they prevailed to win!

The #73 is obviously the fastest. Here's hoping Sebring will be a better venue for the JCW Team! I was there 50 years ago....what a difference in racing from those years (safer today thankfully) but competition was intense back then....all I want is close competition & we're not there yet in the Continental Tire Series.