MINI JCW Team...
#427
Looks like they are set in 2nd place overall right now. Is that what you guys are seeing?
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#428
#429
It’s on the IMSA website now if you want to watch it. Enjoy the #73 “save” near the end of the race! ;-)
#430
OVERDRIVE
iTrader: (1)
Just finished watching it. What an exciting race for all three classes. I was blown away by that save that 73 pulled off. I was also glad for the 15 - 20 min that the 73 spent fighting off the BMW as that put the spotlight on the ST class and the MINI in particular. This was one race that had me yelling at the TV right up to the end. And I noted that the announcers are lamenting the loss of the MINI Cooper from racing. They surely are fun to watch. I am looking for to the next race. Hopefully, the MINI team has the half shaft problem fixed. It is a shame that was an issue early on as they DNFed in the last few laps on several race that they were doing well in. If they had finished those races they might have been in first now. Oh well....
#431
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, the JCW Team has been saddled with problems from the get go it seems. At first the brakes were too weak because they only had Cooper S brakes or similar....when they were finally permitted to actually run the JCW brakes did the MINIs really start performing, then as I recall they had a weight penalty so had to add weight to the cars, now the half shaft problems....all a part of racing though. It’s just a shame the rules changed that killed the ST Class! You are correct that the announcers actually lamented the loss next year of the MINIs and they seemed to really enjoy the battle between the #73 JCW & the #81 Bimmerworld BMW...Thats racing at its best! Gonna miss it next season! ;-(. At least I have my Team JCW Jerseys to wear!👍
#432
Ok, now that Atlanta is over and IMSA's Continental Tire Challenge is history, how did the MINI's finish up? I see where the final race is on YouTube, but I haven't watched it all yet. Did the #73 finish up 2nd for the year in the ST Class? I know Bimmerworld won the title because I get their emails. Sad to see the JCW Team go away! :-(
#434
OVERDRIVE
iTrader: (1)
Looking forward to watching the race. Perfect timing on posting the race as I just finished watching the 10 hr race (over the last few day... )
l like the looks of Road Atlanta. It looks like it has a nice flow and rhythm to it. It looks to be a track for me to try out some day, if I ever get that far south.
l like the looks of Road Atlanta. It looks like it has a nice flow and rhythm to it. It looks to be a track for me to try out some day, if I ever get that far south.
#435
OVERDRIVE
iTrader: (1)
Congratulations to MINI on their win and putting on such a great show for these past few years. You will be missed in the racing world. My wife and I will forever be fans!
That said, I will warn you that this was the worst production that IMSA has put on. Whoever was producing/directing this didn’t know what they were doing. Throughout this race and the Weathertech race the video would have little to do with whatever action the announcers were talking about. A lot of times they would be showing video of some 8th or 12th place car doing laps; maybe because it was a pretty looking car. But, while that was being shown, the announcers would be describing some 3 car pass going into T1 for a change of lead. They did this throughout both races. Uggggha, the worst.
As a result, they showed little of the ST class. This is a shame because the MINIs wer running hard throughout the race and doing well. They had a great battle with the Porsche towards the end that they didn’t show. Very disappointing.
Another note - It seems that there will be an encore race at Sebring. Hopefully the MINIs will be at that.
#436
Thanks for the update Eddie. I had no clue that MINI won Atlanta....it was the #73 surely! I will watch the whole thing this weekend likely as it's raining again as usual! :-(
As for the announcing, I have never thought the IMSA announcers were all that great, but when you are bad it really shows! I recall the first F1 race with Sky Motorsports this season...it was laughably awful!!!! To their credit they have gotten much better...actually the coverage now is probably better than the prior team of Hobbs, Matchett, et al (which I admit I still miss them terribly!).
Long live LAP Motorpsorts!...maybe they can race in another series! I'll watch!
As for the announcing, I have never thought the IMSA announcers were all that great, but when you are bad it really shows! I recall the first F1 race with Sky Motorsports this season...it was laughably awful!!!! To their credit they have gotten much better...actually the coverage now is probably better than the prior team of Hobbs, Matchett, et al (which I admit I still miss them terribly!).
Long live LAP Motorpsorts!...maybe they can race in another series! I'll watch!
#437
OVERDRIVE
iTrader: (1)
I usually like the announcers for IMSA. They are always very excited about what is going on, even if it is only moderately exciting, whether it is up front or fighting for position elsewhere in the pack. My wife watches with me because of that enthusiasm they have. She’s not a car person, and yet, because of them, she has learned to enjoy and understand the races. She is, however, a fan of MINIs as that was the first new car she ever had; all her’s, even paid for it herself. This was the attaction for her when we start watching these races.
The worst I have seen are the NASCAR announcers. I like watching stock cars on the road tracks (WGI in particular as I have had many years of doing track days there and know both courses pretty well). On the road courses those drivers really have to drive and can’t just play bumper cars and some are really good at it (better than watching the current version of TransAM). However the announcers pick favorites for winning the race from the start of the race and then spend the whole race explaining why they are going to win. With 3 announcers you get to listen to them argue over it for the 3 hrs of the race.
Oh well....Hope you enjoy the race.
The worst I have seen are the NASCAR announcers. I like watching stock cars on the road tracks (WGI in particular as I have had many years of doing track days there and know both courses pretty well). On the road courses those drivers really have to drive and can’t just play bumper cars and some are really good at it (better than watching the current version of TransAM). However the announcers pick favorites for winning the race from the start of the race and then spend the whole race explaining why they are going to win. With 3 announcers you get to listen to them argue over it for the 3 hrs of the race.
Oh well....Hope you enjoy the race.
#438
MINI won't be at the encore race at Sebring in November. That's only open to the GS GT4 cars, LPM3 cars, and I believe the GT3 teams as well, more as a way to get track time for the new Michelin rubber they'll all run next year and as a way to entice new teams into the series.
There is, however, a rumor from Luis himself commenting on a couple threads on Facebook that they're eyeing taking the MINIs racing in the Pirelli World Challenge series next season. Hoping that's true because it'll mark a return to COTA and my home track so I can them them again.
There is, however, a rumor from Luis himself commenting on a couple threads on Facebook that they're eyeing taking the MINIs racing in the Pirelli World Challenge series next season. Hoping that's true because it'll mark a return to COTA and my home track so I can them them again.
#439
#440
Watching the the MINI through all these races, the MINI team had several disadvantages. The first was not allowing the JCW brakes. I wonder if BMW had something to do with this. And the other was the weak half shafts. Why would this problem continue. They won in the end , despite the extremely horrible support from BMW. I just think BMW Motorsport sees MINI as another competitor, and couldn't care less about their success.
Next year the Pirelli Challenge is going to have a front wheel drive class. That could be really fun to watch. There's a series in Europe like this and it is incredibly competitive.The Hondas will be formidable.
I think MINI is considering entering this class.
Next year the Pirelli Challenge is going to have a front wheel drive class. That could be really fun to watch. There's a series in Europe like this and it is incredibly competitive.The Hondas will be formidable.
I think MINI is considering entering this class.
#441
6th Gear
iTrader: (10)
BMW's stranglehold on the MINI dealerships has had negative effects too. BMW is too ignorant, still promoting BMW executives to senior slots while bringing their BMW brand philosophy to the door.
I dont think the brand ( MINI ) will survive much longer due to mis-management. MINI Dealers same as with LAP and other race teams who have with handicap (BMW) managed to perform very well.....no credit to BMW.
I dont think the brand ( MINI ) will survive much longer due to mis-management. MINI Dealers same as with LAP and other race teams who have with handicap (BMW) managed to perform very well.....no credit to BMW.
#442
OVERDRIVE
iTrader: (1)
I hear you on the BMW mismanaging thing. My local MINI dealer is placed 150 ft off the road with no curbside presence and a curbside BMW dealer on on side and a curbside Mercedes dealer on the other side. If you didn’t know the MINI dealer is there, you will never see it. Do you think they are really trying to sell MINIs on that lot? You can understand the frustration that anyone has who tries to do anything with these car when Corporate does those sort of things.
#443
Watching the the MINI through all these races, the MINI team had several disadvantages. The first was not allowing the JCW brakes. I wonder if BMW had something to do with this. And the other was the weak half shafts. Why would this problem continue. They won in the end , despite the extremely horrible support from BMW. I just think BMW Motorsport sees MINI as another competitor, and couldn't care less about their success.
Next year the Pirelli Challenge is going to have a front wheel drive class. That could be really fun to watch. There's a series in Europe like this and it is incredibly competitive.The Hondas will be formidable.
I think MINI is considering entering this class.
Next year the Pirelli Challenge is going to have a front wheel drive class. That could be really fun to watch. There's a series in Europe like this and it is incredibly competitive.The Hondas will be formidable.
I think MINI is considering entering this class.
#444
Brakes
#445
I'd love to see them in another series next season for sure! Even a non-MINI fan must surely admit that watching them race is very cool!
#446
Saw this in my BMW CCA Newsletter email today (11-6-18):
"With no place to run its championship-winning Mini JCWs in 2019, Luis Perocarpi’s LAP Motorsports team will run a pair of Honda Civic TCR cars in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series. LAP’s Minis won five races on the way to the Street Tuner manufacturer’s championship in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series in 2018, but the Street Tuner class has been phased out of the series for 2019, and Michelin has replaced Continental as the series’ entitlement sponsor."
"With no place to run its championship-winning Mini JCWs in 2019, Luis Perocarpi’s LAP Motorsports team will run a pair of Honda Civic TCR cars in the Michelin Pilot Challenge series. LAP’s Minis won five races on the way to the Street Tuner manufacturer’s championship in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series in 2018, but the Street Tuner class has been phased out of the series for 2019, and Michelin has replaced Continental as the series’ entitlement sponsor."
#448
#450
Yes, but aren't they starting over with Honda. Again, this has to do with factory support. MINI has had no support whatsoever. It's a shame. It seems that BMW has decided that for MINI to move forward, they have to get out of the sports, enthusiast mode and more towards the SUV, electronic gadget mode. I am buying my fourth MINI, but I see a decline of enthusiasts in the clubs and more of ," let's go for an ice cream or wine tasting trip". Ten years ago (N. CA), the club runs were really fun driving events (maybe borderline fast). Now I see eyelashes on the headlights.These people could care less about car racing. Sorry for the rant.