My brothers and I went to Brainerd International Raceway this weekend for the Map Proving Grounds 2.0 where we participated in the High-performance driving experience on the competition track. The three of us had been through a racing school so this was a chance to remember those skills and test our cars on the track.



There were 3 Groups(Classes) that ran 20 minutes and the majority of the drivers were your typical car nerds and that made the day. Everyone was safe and played by the rules which made the experience well worth it. My Brothers brought an APR Tuned Gold R and a Heavily Modified S6.


passing zones

, it was impressive to watch the yellow mini maintain and pass in that group.

Our cars had stock brakes and street tires and that was our biggest limitation.


Scrubbing Front Tires

The JCW handled very well, I had the brakes a little hot once after chasing a Miata into several turns, but they didn't warp and they never smelled hot. The cooling was definitely up to the task, no warning lights in any 20 minute session.


Golf R Comparison: He has a Stage two APR kit, he could lightly pull away after a turn but after a couple of laps, his brakes were too hot to remain competitive.

It was exciting to track against the new Civic Type R, Subaru, Early 2000 corvette, and Miatas.

One car that was impressive was a 2020 Hyundai Veloster N

This car (& driver) did surprisingly well, he gained on me in the straights and was able to out-brake me in the corners. Once he passed I followed him for a lap before he had to slow down and I passed him again. After the session, I learned that his oil temps spiked and he had to cool down.


Photo from First Drive (https://www.nydailynews.com/autos/la...icle-1.4044082)



The JCW proved to me that it is capable on the track with endurance and power, I look forward to the next event with better tires and brakes.

 

Thanks for sharing this event, well done!

 

Very cool! How was the overall handling of the Clubman?

 

Low-speed cornering:

• Body Roll: Good
  • The NM rear Sway bar had a major improvement in cornering comfort.
  • A Front Swaybar would improve this further.
• Understeer: Manageable
  • ​​​​​​​ We need more control over the power supplied to the rear wheels to mitigate the understeering.

High Speed: Light

• 120-125 mph was possible on the long sweeping turn and the car felt light at that speed.

 

What size NM rear sway bar do you have? You do have the dynamic dampers on your car like I do I assume. What stock tires do you have?

 

The NM Rear sway bar for the F54 is 25mm. I do not have dynamic dampers unfortunately, I thought it did when I purchased it but I learned that it didn't have that feature.

The Stock 18" Tires are 225 Bridgestones Turanza T005 RFT.

 

I have the same tires. I know you love the sway bar, and I assume the same bar could go on my car with the DDs. Do you know what the stock bar thickness was? An aftermarket sway bar shouldn't affect the ride only the steering. I had one on my 2007 MCS (19mm solid from WMW).

 

I am not sure about the stock sway bar size, it is definitely smaller and hollow.