I am working with the regional board of SCCA to establish a club classification for the MCS and perhaps a spec series. What would you want to be allowed if we had a spec class?

Here are my thoughts:

Adjustable camber front and rear to save tires
Intake
Exhaust
Shocks
Springs
Swaybars

Or shoud we leave it bone stock save tires? I would really like to have at the least some front camber adjustment, or we would be going through tires every weekend.

Help and input appreciated!

Randy

 

Hi Randy,

I'll start off by saying good luck with your initiative. I hope you can get it off the ground but, what will your effort (at least the 3rd natl MINI spec series proposed to date) bring to the table that hasn't already been tried (without much apparent success) in the series discussed in this thread:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ic=2816&20

I don't mean to sound down, but I've been hoping to see at least one, any one, of the proposed series gain some traction and takeoff before I move back to the U.S. next year. I've been a bit diappointed up till now.

Having said that, I'll offer my .02 on your spec. It should be extremely cheap since one of the biggest roadblocks I've heard to entering a spec MINI series is the expense of a brand new car to go racing with. It seems to me some of the proposed series are first and foremost an alliance with a series sponsor which tries to showcase certain products. I 100% understand the need for sponsorship support, but in this case it seems like the entry level cost of the new car and the cost of the spec endorsed aftermarket parts are a deterent to getting a major series off the ground.

The limited power mods you mention are a good start. I'd go so far as to seal the engine, supercharger & transmission for relatively easy enforcement of the drivetrain spec.

For the tire spec I'd go with something along the line of the Toyo street tire in stock size (preferably on a lighter rim - maybe 16" if stock). That tire is a proven, long lasting tire you won't have to replace for each race weekend.

Suspensions wise, keep it really simple like you've already noted. I would even consider leaving the stock swaybars on. The only major thing I would add is to improve the stock brake system by adding lots of brake ducting. I've mentioned in other threads that the series I run in has one 4cm and one 9cm duct for each caliper. That and ATE Superblue combined with PFCM 97 pads (or the equipvalent) seem to last 2-3 race weekends (2 quals, 2 sprints and a few practices) before they're in desperate need of changing.

For safety, if possible a non-intrusive bolt in-cage (I'm not sure what the minium SCCA requirements are) and of course all the other requirements like harness, fire suppression & race seat.

To address performance issues I would allow as much removal of stock equipment as possible. This only requires a little elbow grease to implement and the weight savings will increase the HP:Weight ratio and reduce the abuse on tires and brakes (your 2 biggest consumables).

Bottom line is I'd really concentrate on the cost savings aspect of a MINI spec series since we're dealing with a brand new car as the entry point and not something like the spec Miata series or spec RX7 series. Well, that's my 2 cents.

 

This would have to start as a resgional series, then go on to the national level - as Spec Miata did.

I was thinking just a rear swaybar, the safety equipment, tires, and maybe require the stock equipment to remain in place to keep from detering the weekend warrior. Pads and fluid would also be open.

Sealing the engine and gearbox are a great way to assure the cost is kept relatively low.

I just want to go racing more than anything - and help expose all of the parts needed to make the car fast. Sponsorship as far as required parts go doesn't appeal to me if it keeps the class from getting off the ground.

An easier route might be to classify the MCS in an existing class?? As I haven't raced other than instructing or testing in SCCA, I'm not sure if it would be feasible in a showroom stock category...

I have the ear of the regional board at this point though, so I'd like to come up with a few proposals.

Thanks for your help!

Randy

 

One of our MINIs is a race prepared MCS, I discussed it in the other thread referenced above so I won't repeat that story. The first issue for most people considering racing vs autocross is going to be the roll cage. To install a bolt-in cage, like the Autopower one, you have to remove most of the interior, how much you put back will be one of the issues your SPEC rules will dictate. Once it's in, 4 of your six airbags will be blocked by the cage. The rear seats will not be safely useable. The sunvisors will not fully pivot, they will be permanently down or removed. You can unbolt the side bars for street use, but in general I think a lot of people are deterred by the effect of the cage on a daily driver. Don't get me wrong, all racing organizations require roll cages for good reasons its just that most people won't want to take a new car and modify it that much. In some states a SPEC prepared race car wouldn't pass the state inspection for street use.

I think eventually NABR and BMW CCA will get some more racing interest. They are allowing MINIs to compete now in their regular class structure. Regionally, the Arizona Sports Racing Association encourages the racing MINIs built up by Scottsdale MINI to compete in their races. Our SCCA region dropped racing years ago so I have no comment on their attitude...

 

>>An easier route might be to classify the MCS in an existing class??

Unfortunately, the SCCA does not allow forced induction in any of its nationally recognized club racing classes (even the "regional-only" classes like Improved Touring), so the MCS is out because of the supercharger. The last forced-induction cars I remember were the turbo Dodge products in the now-defunct Showroom Stock A class.

Some regions (like New England) have an ITE (Improved Touring Everything, or something like that) class that allows cars prepared to other sanctioning body rules - like BMW CCA or PCA - compete in SCCA-sanctioned events, providing they pass SCCA tech for safety (and will likely need to be issued an SCCA log book). There are also a coule of region-specific "super production" classes with fairly liberal rules. For specifics on SCCA safety rules, get a copy of the latest General Competiton Rules from the SCCA. The GCR specifies what's required for safety equipment (and for my $0.02, I'm all for welded-in cages despite the expense and even if bolt-ins are sufficient - it's my butt out there and I want it as safe as possible).

As for a new class - there are many who believe that there are already too many classes in SCCA club racing (over 25 currently, I believe), and that it's VERY hard to get any reasonable track time given the number of cars/classes/race groups that you have to get through on any given day. I'm lucky to get more than 45 minutes on track during a one-day regional when I race (a non-MINI).

So, either sign up with BMW CCA, and then run with SCCA if your region lets you, or you could run a MC in SCCA Showroom Stock C...

_________________
'03 MCS BRG/W, 3 option pkgs

 

As you know Randy, there are 3 teams that campaign the MCS in the Grand-Am Cup ST-1 class. The 2004 Grand-Am Cup rules are published here, www.grandamerican.com/competition/2004_Cup_Rules.html.

 

Randy, I'm the 5th person to bite the bullet and get a spec-Mini from Scottsdale Mini. N.A.S.A is sanctioning the series. It seems like everyone has been waiting for someone to step up to the plate and do a series. It isn't cheap but damn this car is fun. The dealership is really backing this series and with any luck it will take off and spread to other N.A.S.A. regions.

 

This is Dennis O'Neill in a Cooper at Fontana USTCC.

_________________
Treasurer, SCMM | paul@scmm.org | Future MINI owner: [insert name here] Who the hell knows what it will look like??!!

 

Rumor Mill... MCS in SSB for 2004 SCCA

 

Just to jump in here, why not a spec series for the MC, too?

-Rob

 

The BIG question... does SCCA want to compete against BMW CCA? IMHO, a spec series for the MINI would seem to fall in BMW CCA territory.

What I like about SCCA though is the wide/full divisions across the US and participation of grassroots participants. As far as I know, a BMW CCA sanctioned event hasn't graced Indiana [where I live]. MINIUSA supports BMW CCA, how willing would they be to support SCCA at a spec series level?

Maybe SCCA could work in collaboration with the UK John Cooper series. <---would be VERY interesting. I would like to see MINIUSA release a spec MINI(s) similar to what the JCW challenge has. [Like Dodge did with the ACR---cept rollcage/safety for road race]

_________________
-goin440
IB/IB MC on 17" Volks

 

Actually, MINI USA also supports SCCA, at least in autocrossing, with contingency money. I think if a viable program got off the ground and gave good exposure, MINIUSA would jump on it.

goin440 hit the nail on the head - BMWCCA is very limited in its races, whereas a national class (like SSB) has regional events in every region of the US, plus nationals and the Runoffs. That, in my humble opinion, would be a much more effective series.

Randy

 

Spec tires for sure, running race rubber every weekend would add up fast.

I am very keen to see costs contained as much as possible, which would probably lead to sealed motors and such. But are you then excluding those guys who want to just add an intake, or just add an exhaust. But maybe the best would be to have the car stock with only a few allowable mod's.

I do not particularly like bolt in cages, which are a SCCA requirement in most "stock" classes. I would much rather prefer a weld in cage that is designed to stiffen the chassis at the same time, 6 point cage. But that would be $$$$ for most, heck even bolt in cages can run $750.00. owning a tube bender sure reduces that cost

But seriously i would vote two ways
- Totally stock, similar to GS in auto-x. Everything must remain essentially as it came from the factory. The ONLY allowable mods would be fluids and filters, (oil, brake, cooling, tranny), plugs and wires, exhaust from cat back. No other mods, no camber plates, no springs, nothing. And a spec tire with a wear rating over 140. With a spec tire in the region of $100 per tire, I feel you could leave the factory suspension settings and only have to change tires every three or four races - twice a season. About the same cost as camber plates and a strut bar. And everyone would be facing the same suspension setup. This would make it esier to tech as well, you could use the SCCA "rat out your buddy" system where the fellow competitors would be responsible for reporting rules infractions tech wise. I am not sure how you would deal with the safety euipment, it would be nice to ditch the factory seats for some Momo's and a 6 point harness. I would also like the option of a weld in cage, rather than bolt in. What do you do about removing interior, how much is allowed?

- A version of improved touring class, where only certain mod's would be allowed. Free to change intake, exhaust, plugs, wires etc, but no internal mod's allowed to the motor (possibly also ensure the pulley is stock size). I would allow free springs, shocks, and swaybars, as well as all suspension components, control arms, and the like. That would allow full tweaking of the suspension settings, which would allow race rubber to be run to it's potential. Maybe ensure the rubber is DOT legal, like Victoracers or Hoosiers. Maybe even specify a type of tire, but allow only one or two sets per weekend. Problems I foresee would be keeping tech manageable, too many rules can be hard to enforce at tech, and it can take a while to get the inspectors up to speed, especially if you are working with SCCA where there are numerous classes and rules governing each class.

I think the first option would mean a budget of about $1500 initially, and about $1000 per season (local racing, not too many road trips). Set of tires $500, racing seat and belts $500, rollbar $500 (or a full cage $1500). That would be a manageable budget, the racing would be close, and driver talent would shine rather than a fat wallet.

The second option would run somewhere around $10 - 15 thousand, and with race rubber your tire budget could approach $3K for a season, again mostly local races. This would certainly be more than I could afford to spend in a season or two, and the Mini would not be a daily driver anymore for most.

Between the wife and I we race or compete with 4 different vehicles both on and offroad, the costs add up in a hurry. That is exactly why I find the stock autocross classes so much fun. The car does not require a week's preperation before an event, or much work when we return. (as opposed to say rock crawling where we tear the vehicle down between events) I can have a bunch of fun even on the stock runflats, even if I am off the pace by a second or two.

Keep it affordable and keep it fun. Once the competitors start throwing large sums of money at the cars it becomes more serious and may not be fun for all involved. I would much rather see a field of 20 Mini's evenly matched, than see 3 or 4 high $$$$ mini's beating a small field of Mini's who don't have as much $$$ into their vehicles.

It is the ancillary costs that eventually bite you in the butt. My own experience at rock crawling can be a parallel. Take a cheap Cherokee and wheel it until you get stuck, modify and repeat again. Eventually the rig has a bunch of $$$$ into it, and it becomes a hassle to drive it to and from the trails (or to the track, in the case of a Mini), so you need a tow rig and a trailer. By now you are very competitive so you build a new vehicle or continue with modifying the old one. A modified vehicle tends to break parts sooner, especially in the heat of competition, so after every event you are repairing or replacing stuff. This becomes expensive so either you find sponsors or you develop a business around your hobby in the hope of recuperating some income. all of a sudden that cheap Cherokee has turned into a $100K moneypit, and are you having anymore fun than when you started? Is it worth the cost?

I have worked in the upper echelons of motorsport, and it was just that - a job. If we did not win a race I would be depressed (and pissed) all week, we would work even harder for the next race. When we did win there was never time to enjoy the victory, it was full steam ahead for the next race.

SCCA racing is at the other end of the spectrum, we are all amateurs, and the intent is to have fun. If we win even better, but I have had a good time even when my times are terrible. Not too much at stake, or nothing at stake apart from pride, means there is not much to get upset about.

Damn that was longer and more complicated than I intended.

Keep the series stock, simple and fun.

 

From Brad Davis of Hendrick Import/MINI of Charleston:

Congrats!!!

David
-V--V-

 

There is a class for the MINI and Cooper S in next years season of the BMWCCA Club Racing League. They have full details on:

Page Title

There is also a list of mods allowed for the cars, along with major discounts to individuals prepping their cars. Exciting stuff!

Amit