MINI JCW Team...
They come up if you search on Blancpain TCR. The race is the TCR and TCA cars, of which the MINIs are part of the TCA group.
Here is a link to the first race:
And race 2:
Enjoy!
Here is a link to the first race:
And race 2:
Enjoy!
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,161
Likes: 105
Yes, I always watch Sebring...I was a teenage car fanatic in high school in 1966 when I attended my first (and only) 12 Hour race at Sebring (March 1966)….it was awesome! Cobras racing Vettes, Ferrari's, etc....it was great....I'm sure the noise & smells were much more raw back then than today. I returned to Florida for 12 years from 1975 to 1987 and didn't go to Sebring one time!.....that's what happens when you are busy raising a family I suppose. Now, I'm in PA lusting for another visit to Sebring...you really need to be there to experience it! Thanks for the COTA link above too!
Like wise, here. I’ve lived in upstate NY for most of my life and have never gone to WGI for an F1 race. Then I got into tracking my MINI and have been going there to do track days but still have never seen a race there. I did see the Tony Stewart/Lewis Hamilton car swap that was done there. Freakin’ F1 car sounded like it was going to split the Earth in half right there. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have 20 or so of them running around the track together. And fast - simply amazing! This year I planned to go to see the Indy cars run there (next best thing to F1) and they cancelled their contract after 2 years. So I missed that too. I have seen the P1 and P2, and GTLM cars, as well as the IMSA ST (including LAP’s MINIs) run at Lime Rock Park. That was exciting, but it is a short track and there is nothing like seeing these hyper cars on a track that is made for them.
Hope you get back to Sebring.
And, you’re welcome.
Hope you get back to Sebring.
And, you’re welcome.
5th Gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 975
Likes: 15
From: Cathedral City, CA
I did see the Tony Stewart/Lewis Hamilton car swap that was done there. Freakin’ F1 car sounded like it was going to split the Earth in half right there. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have 20 or so of them running around the track together. And fast - simply amazing!
From the Toe (turn 6) where I was, I could tell/hear each turn it was going through, from T1 and onward. The bus stop was just a blip of the throttle for that car. Yes - amazing!
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,161
Likes: 105
I was at WGI back in the late 90's when the PTG BMW E36 M3's were racing (6 Hours at the Glen)....it was awesome. We could walk around the garage area and talk with the driver's and car owners! I met Eric Wenburg with the M-Group BMW CCA and chatted with him. How often does that happen today? Very cool track. I have several cars that would love that track, including my JCW!
Do it if you can. The GVC chapter of BMWCCA runs great track day(s) events at WGI. Whether you are a novice or advanced they will have instructors for all run groups. They even have an advanced solo group for high level drivers who are not instructors, and they run by themselves and, sometimes, with the instructor run group. Go to MotorsportsReg.com to check them out.
There is another thread discussing the upcoming GP 3 and on there it has been noted that there nothing out there about the upcoming fourth generation MINI Coopers. There is also discussion that the fourth gen MINI will be on whole new platform.
Could it be that MINI isn’t fielding any cars in TCR this season as it wouldn’t be worth the development of a Gen III based car when there is a new platform that will coming out next year and that might be a better option on which to concentrate one’s efforts?
Uggggha! There is soon much that is unknown here...
Could it be that MINI isn’t fielding any cars in TCR this season as it wouldn’t be worth the development of a Gen III based car when there is a new platform that will coming out next year and that might be a better option on which to concentrate one’s efforts?
Uggggha! There is soon much that is unknown here...
5th Gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 975
Likes: 15
From: Cathedral City, CA
I was at WGI back in the late 90's when the PTG BMW E36 M3's were racing (6 Hours at the Glen)....it was awesome. We could walk around the garage area and talk with the driver's and car owners! I met Eric Wenburg with the M-Group BMW CCA and chatted with him. How often does that happen today? Very cool track. I have several cars that would love that track, including my JCW!
6th Gear
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,161
Likes: 105
everything!” The Porsche teams complained as I recall.....such whiners!
The MINI JCW Team was initially screwed by the rules by not being allowed to run the stock JCW Brembos! At one point I believe they had to carry additional weight as well. Rules aren’t always fair!
5th Gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 975
Likes: 15
From: Cathedral City, CA
No, those cars had the S54 6-cylinder M-power engines as far as I know. There was a short time later when the E46 M3’s had the V8’s & they were FAST!....but eventually disqualified! I remember thinking “wow how cool, and the rules ruin everything!” The Porsche teams complained as I recall.....such whiners!
Yes, that's the one I remember. When you looked under the hood, that V-8 pretty much filled the whole space. The complaint was legitimate in the sense that the M3 with the V-8 wasn't imported at that time, but it seems to me that rules were bent before...
Yes, I remember that about the brakes. It was pretty silly, but it took a while to be righted. Sad to say that MINI/BMW didn't support Randall Smalley that well. He switched to Honda because they were much more responsive. The thing is, whenever you deal with the Balance of Performance, it is intended to be fair overall but not on an individual basis. Someone is always going to have to give up something...
There is a lot of discussion on another thread about MINI dealerships closing and BMW not wanting MINI any more. Could be why there are no MINI factory race teams.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4461475
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4461475
Well, the TCR and TCA, with the 2 MINI Coopers, are racing this weekend at VIR. Hopefully they will have some good weather. Looks like low 70s for temperatures for Friday - Sunday and rain early in the day on Friday, but clear on Sunday for the races.
https://www.tcamerica.us/event/6/vir...tional-raceway
https://www.tcamerica.us/event/6/vir...tional-raceway
The live streaming is good (not as good as IMSA, but, then there is only one Shea Adams and they have her). I just stream it to my Apple TV and it comes out well. It also shows up on YouTube pretty quick so it is easy to watch post race.
I watch several of the other races yesterday and a number of cars were cutting tires on the curbing. Pombo may have done the same. I will give him a lot of credit for being talented enough to be able to push the car as hard as he does and to also have the sense to find a way to get the car off the track and out of the way so he doesn’t yellow flag the event (he was good about that last season too when the cars were blowing out half shafts). Hopefully, in race 2 he dials it back a bit and makes it to the end (no spoilers now; I haven’t seen the race... 
).
).
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 888
Likes: 105
From: Lodi,CA
VIT TCA/TCR Race 2
Another disappointment. The JCW teams seems to have some big tire problems, either cutting or just premature tire wear. Aside from their tire problems, the JCWs are the fastest cars. I hope they get it ironed out. I can't wait to see them race at Sears Point.
Even though it was a disappointment, it was very entertaining! Both MINIs raced really well and showed that they are competitive. Tracks with a lot of turns have always been their nemesis. It is a shame, though, that they didn’t podium and didn’t get those points. Pombo needs to manage his tires better. He knows this from the IMSA racing, but there are differences in the cars from that series and this one. Maybe he is trying to see what he needs to do differently to have a winning run. Pushing a car to its limits will highlight its strengths and weaknesses.
OMG - YouTube app on Apple TV, iPad and iPhone is the worst. I spent 15+ minutes searching for this race and couldn’t find it. It kept coming up with COTA, St Petersburg and Qualifications. In 10 seconds I found it on a Google search on my iPhone. Then I had to AirPlay it... Ugh. What is it with Google that the search function in YouTube is so bad???? To make matters worst, the Blancpain web page didn’t have a link to them either. What gives with that? Ok, rant done. I’ll know better the next time.