Okay, some of you may or not be aware but I've been without my MINI for quite a few days now. Anyway, because of this I had some time on my hands today so I thought I'd post a few new/old pics of the MINIUSA/Fireball Tim race car.

Last summer I was asked by Fireball Tim if I'd be willing to take pictures of a, then secret, project MINI. Since I wasn't teaching summer school I agreed.

So on Labor Day weekend I made my first trek out to Hubie Fuh's workshop in Phoenix, AZ. (Dang was it hot out there!) That's where I was welcomed into the FTR Team.

Not wasting any time, I shot a few pics of the Chili Red that would become a monster. Not having been up close to dragsters in a long time, my first reaction was that the rear wheels looked funny.



Not surprising to me, though, was the stripped down interior. Mind you, the car had yet to be worked on by FTR. There were still boxes of goodies in the back. (Yeah, that's Dominic's MINI in the background!)



The next day was to be the first day of work. Fireball Tim himself got down and dirty in removing the vinyl and performing other odd jobs.



In the meantime, the expert hands of Hubie, Jan, and Brian performed heart surgery on the Cooper engine (removing NOS stuff and other arteries).



Lots more went on that day. I went out with Tuls to shoot Hubie's MINI and got a chance to meet Emis/StoopidGirl with her sizzling Pink MINI. (but those are other pics)

So it's October and I'm back in AZ for the M600's debut at Hot Import Nights. Hubie, "Doctor Fuh," ever the perfectionist, provided some finishing touches on the MINI before the big event.



After winning a first place trophy at HIN Phoenix, it was on to Pomona Raceway here in Southern California for some butt-kickin' dragstrip runs!



Waiting one's turn for a run was sometimes agonizing. Hubie at least had Tuls as his right-hand man to help him out while I had time to switch lenses and find a spot to snap off a pic or two.



Then it was race time! Time to show the crowds, and the MINI world, what this little behemoth could do! Last minute conference before the infamous runs that would set the MINI Nation on fire.



From Pomona to Palmdale, the fabled Doctor's Fireballed Frankenstein race MINI has been the buzz wherever it appears.

To outsiders and onlookers this MINI has led to discourses over the benefits of this mod and that one. As for me, I've had the opportunity to observe, and be a part of, something else.

Becoming the world's fastest MINI was more than turbo chargers and front mount intercoolers. It was about believing it would happen and bringing one's ancestral beliefs to the venture.

This final picture portrays this idea. On various runs, I noticed this soft yellow object in the M600. Finally, I asked Hubie about it. He told me it was a Chinese good luck "charm."




Thanks for taking the time to view this post.
-Juan

 

Thanks for taking the time to write up captions and posting pictures!
And the time and speed?

 

Nice pics! Like a historical pictorial .What were the times for the 1/4 mile? Just Curious.

 

They're all great, but the first two are my own favorites. The fisheye for the interior was a nice choice.

 

Very Nice pics, very sharp !!!!

 

Nice pics! One thing I question about the car is their use of what appears to be the stock style transmission setup. Since it is a drag racer wouldn't they be smarter and put in a drag/racing style gear box with like a max of 4 gears. I don't know about in the MINI, but in my Uncles '05 Mustang dragster this shaved a good second to second and a half off his times.

 

Thanks for the comments y'all.
I posted these pics in the photo forum on purpose. Any questions regarding 1/4 mile times, choice of tranny, etc. can probably be found by searching NAM.

If you'd like to see the MINIUSA/FTR race car in person and talk to Fireball Tim (or me), head on out to the Chicago Auto Show next weekend.

 

No freakin way, where will you guys be at in the Auto Show?

 

Juan,

Nice pics. Whats going on with your Mini?

 

It does show off HPYMOTRN pretty good doesn't it ;-)

 

Scoober,

My ride is getting its 3rd transmission, a clutch, and a master and slave hydraulic cylinders.
Oh, and on the side, it's also going to have a Sport Link installed. (Might as well have something for me bike.)


CCS,

Uh . . . we'll be at the MINIUSA exhibit on Saturday (2/11). You might want to hook up with the Chicago MINI Club that morning. They're fortunate enough to have a pre-show GTG organized that morning.

CarTV is supposed to show up and videotape Fireball Tim, along with the race car. My task is to document crowd interactions with the MINIUSA dragster. I'm looking forward to taking pics of all you Heartland MINI owners that Saturday. (maybe even a Goose!)

I return to SoCal on Monday so, aside from family visits, it'd be cool to hook up with any Chicagoland MINIacs for pix on Sunday.

-J/C

 

great stuff juan! thanks for sharing and writing up some stuff

 

Nice work!