B-Spec MINI Racing
B-Spec MINI Racing
Welcome to the B-Spec MINI Racing thread!
Rather than have the information spread out into numerous little threads or other threads where people are unlikely to find it, Albiecrazy suggested we create a B-Spec MINI thread for news/discussion/pics/etc... so here it is!
I'll start this out with a highlight video I just finally put together from the first ever Grand Am B-Spec race!
I was helping with the #68 MINI "Art Car" driven by Bruce Hollander (see pic below with my car), and so I mounted my GoPro Hero2 to the roll cage for the first race, which was at Homestead.
The weather was downright crazy!
I'm following this series pretty closely and posting on turn17.com and the http://www.facebook.com/Turn17, but I'll post some of the info and updates here as well.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41540337@N07/7120372309/http://www.flickr.com/photos/41540337@N07/7120372309/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/41540337@N07/, on Flickr
Rather than have the information spread out into numerous little threads or other threads where people are unlikely to find it, Albiecrazy suggested we create a B-Spec MINI thread for news/discussion/pics/etc... so here it is!
I'll start this out with a highlight video I just finally put together from the first ever Grand Am B-Spec race!
I was helping with the #68 MINI "Art Car" driven by Bruce Hollander (see pic below with my car), and so I mounted my GoPro Hero2 to the roll cage for the first race, which was at Homestead.
The weather was downright crazy!
I'm following this series pretty closely and posting on turn17.com and the http://www.facebook.com/Turn17, but I'll post some of the info and updates here as well.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41540337@N07/7120372309/http://www.flickr.com/photos/41540337@N07/7120372309/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/41540337@N07/, on Flickr
This sounds fun and interesting, look forward to seeing more info as it progresses.
...too bad the 1st event and the weather was so awful!! ...very suprized folks were willing to attempt racing in conditions...water pooling in areas of track
...could have gone much worse than just sliding through the mud!
..are there any of these events scheduled for tracks that are curvier and better suited for small cars?
J
...too bad the 1st event and the weather was so awful!! ...very suprized folks were willing to attempt racing in conditions...water pooling in areas of track
...could have gone much worse than just sliding through the mud!..are there any of these events scheduled for tracks that are curvier and better suited for small cars?
J
MINI had another great day at Mid-Ohio today... Brian Audet edged by Robbie Davis, and the two of them ended up in 1st and 2nd!
Yeah, the weather was horrific!
Regarding more MINI-friendly tracks, Mid-Ohio was today, and, as noted above, MINIs took 1st and 2nd place! So, the season is half over, but we've still got Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca, and Lime Rock. Lots of great racing yet to come... and we'll see if Robbie Davis can continue to put his MINI on the podium (He's finished 2nd, 1st, and 2nd so far!).
This sounds fun and interesting, look forward to seeing more info as it progresses.
...too bad the 1st event and the weather was so awful!! ...very suprized folks were willing to attempt racing in conditions...water pooling in areas of track...could have gone much worse than just sliding through the mud!
..are there any of these events scheduled for tracks that are curvier and better suited for small cars?
J
...too bad the 1st event and the weather was so awful!! ...very suprized folks were willing to attempt racing in conditions...water pooling in areas of track
...could have gone much worse than just sliding through the mud!..are there any of these events scheduled for tracks that are curvier and better suited for small cars?
J
Regarding more MINI-friendly tracks, Mid-Ohio was today, and, as noted above, MINIs took 1st and 2nd place! So, the season is half over, but we've still got Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca, and Lime Rock. Lots of great racing yet to come... and we'll see if Robbie Davis can continue to put his MINI on the podium (He's finished 2nd, 1st, and 2nd so far!).
Edit To Add: We decided to go for the weekend, I just bought tickets.
Last edited by Btwyx; Jun 10, 2012 at 11:51 PM.
I found a reference to the B-Spec races which does say its Sept 7-9, but I'm looking at the event schedule (either for September or today) and it doesn't mention B-Spec. What group does it run in?
BTW, I'm sending you a PM!
Oh, and it will be interesting to see what kind of lap times the B-Spec MINIs put up compared to the lap times you've seen in your MINIs, especially now that you'll have Cooper/Cooper S/JCW times at Laguna Seca.
I'm interested to see how they do as well. The closest lap times I can find are the SSC record, that's 1:52.6 compared to my best (in the Cooper) of 2:01.3 (but reckon I could do 2:00 if everything went perfect). The b-specs run on racing slicks, which should be worth a few (or more) seconds. The weight reduction should be good for about 1.5 sec. I don't know how the suspension compares, and the I don't know how the intake restrictor would affect things. Everything else is supposed to be the same.
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I'm interested to see how they do as well. The closest lap times I can find are the SSC record, that's 1:52.6 compared to my best (in the Cooper) of 2:01.3 (but reckon I could do 2:00 if everything went perfect). The b-specs run on racing slicks, which should be worth a few (or more) seconds. The weight reduction should be good for about 1.5 sec. I don't know how the suspension compares, and the I don't know how the intake restrictor would affect things. Everything else is supposed to be the same.
I wouldn't be surprised if the restrictor cancels some of that out, too, given that it has less than a THIRD of the cross-sectional area of the stock intake opening!
I can't wait to see their lap times compared to yours. It should give a fairly good idea of how much faster the B-Spec cars are compared to stock.
I've been trying to work out what effect the restrictor plate has. The Mazda 2 is the one car which is run without a restrictor plate, so assuming they're trying to equalize the power to weight ratios of the cars, that'd restrict the Mini's engine to 112 hp. With the weight reduction, that works out to about a 6.5% improvement in power to weight ratio over stock (with me as the driver). I reckon that'd be worth about 0.9 sec a lap at Laguna.
Apart from being stickier, the tires are also smaller diameter, 205/50-15 vs 205/50-16 (or 205/55-16) I've run at Laguna. That'd decrease the gearing, which improves acceleration until you have to change up to 4th. The Cooper really runs out of puff in 4th, and doesn't get much faster once you change up. With the smaller tires you might be running up against the limiter running up to 6 and 11, or you have to change up. Running the larger diameter tires, I can keep in 3rd.
I also found a reference which might help me get a handle on the B-spec lap times. http://www.caranddriver.com/features...da-fit-feature. Is about 2 B-Spec cars running at the 25hours of Thunderhill, I've run at Thunderhill, but annoyingly they run a slightly different configuration (bypass turn 5), so the lap times aren't directly comparable. I reckon the bypass is worth about 3 seconds.
The Fit ran 2:09.4 (say 2:12.4 without bypass), the Mazda 2 ran "about 5 seconds slower". That's pretty good going considering the lap record for SSC is 2:12.7 (B-spec runs in the SSC class with the SCCA). My best lap in the Cooper is around 2:29.5, I'm not sure I had much more I could get out of it. I'd guess the tires would be worth 5-7sec, and the power/weight is worth another 1.1 sec or so. So they're going a bit faster than I could. It sounds like they did have some pretty good pro drivers doing that one.
So in the hands of the perfect driver, a B-spec car can run about the SSC lap record, 1:52.6 at Laguna where as I reckon I could do about 1:56 with the B-spec tweeks.
Apart from being stickier, the tires are also smaller diameter, 205/50-15 vs 205/50-16 (or 205/55-16) I've run at Laguna. That'd decrease the gearing, which improves acceleration until you have to change up to 4th. The Cooper really runs out of puff in 4th, and doesn't get much faster once you change up. With the smaller tires you might be running up against the limiter running up to 6 and 11, or you have to change up. Running the larger diameter tires, I can keep in 3rd.
I also found a reference which might help me get a handle on the B-spec lap times. http://www.caranddriver.com/features...da-fit-feature. Is about 2 B-Spec cars running at the 25hours of Thunderhill, I've run at Thunderhill, but annoyingly they run a slightly different configuration (bypass turn 5), so the lap times aren't directly comparable. I reckon the bypass is worth about 3 seconds.
The Fit ran 2:09.4 (say 2:12.4 without bypass), the Mazda 2 ran "about 5 seconds slower". That's pretty good going considering the lap record for SSC is 2:12.7 (B-spec runs in the SSC class with the SCCA). My best lap in the Cooper is around 2:29.5, I'm not sure I had much more I could get out of it. I'd guess the tires would be worth 5-7sec, and the power/weight is worth another 1.1 sec or so. So they're going a bit faster than I could. It sounds like they did have some pretty good pro drivers doing that one.
So in the hands of the perfect driver, a B-spec car can run about the SSC lap record, 1:52.6 at Laguna where as I reckon I could do about 1:56 with the B-spec tweeks.
If anyone's interested the B-Spec race is called the "Total Performance Showcase", it runs under Grand Am.
The "Continental Tire Sports Car Festival" was this weekend at Laguna Seca, that includes the B-Spec race, we were there on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday there was one of the 2 practice/qualifying sessions, we'd already wandered around the paddock and said "hi" and good luck to the MINIs. The turnout for the race was a bit thin, there only seemed to be 3 or 4 entries. There were the 2 MINIs from MINI of Charleston, numbers 36 and 37, there was a Mazda 2 number 0 and a Kia Rio number 90. For the Saturday practice session I'd gotten a lift up the hill to take some pictures of the cars going through the "Corkscrew", the spectacular signature turns at Laguna. After going uphill to turn 7, the course takes a quick left (turn 8) then a right (8a) while dropping about 100 feet.
I'm quite familiar with Laguna as a driver, I've driven there for about 9 track days so far, but I'd never taken a look at cars going through the Corkscrew. I'd been to a couple of SCCA events at Laguna, but had only watched from the front straight. This time I hiked up to the top of the hill, several times while watching the various classes running. (And my legs are suffering for it.)
The result of the session was good for the MINIs, number 37 the darker blue MINI ended up fastest, with a time of 1:55, the other MINI was 3rd with a best of 1:58. The official results also show both the other cars running, but I only thought there was one running. The 2 other cars looked very similar both with largely white paint jobs. They may both have run and I just didn't notice, I was also concentrating on the MINIs. There was also something different about the B-Spec cars, they were quiet. Earlier in the day they'd been running the other classes from the ST ("Street Tuner", hotted up street cars) all the way up to Daytona Prototypes, purpose built sports cars. They were all very loud and I needed earplugs to survive. The B-Specs are basically normal street cars, so are very quiet by comparison, no earplugs needed. When we run at Laguna we have no trouble even with the most stringent sound restrictions (like 92dB).
First thing (8am) Sunday morning was the second B-Spec practice/Qualifying, the grid would be set by the best time in either session. I made sure to get there on time, and this time set up for pictures around the turn 2 hairpin. Disappointingly number 37 only put in 4 laps and number 36 did 5 laps, the Kia didn't run so that left the Mazda out for a few laps more before it gave up. There were several angle's I'd planned to take shots from but didn't get the chance. The results were much the same as the first practice, number 37 first, with a slightly better time of 1:54.8 and number 36 3rd with a 1:56.3.
The race was due to start at 10am, and I went to stake out turn 4 this time. Despite the official schedule saying "TIME CERTAIN SCHEDULE – All sessions to start and finish as shown", the race actually started at 9:53 and caught me out I wasn't quite ready for them and missed a few shots I might otherwise have got. I started out at turn 4 and then progressed down the straight to 5 and halfway up the hill to 6, pausing to take pictures as they cars went by. With only 4 competitors and around 2 minutes a lap, I could set up for the car's next appearance.
At the start the #37 MINI jumped into an early lead and kept the lead throughout the race. The official timings show the following cars ran a 2:00 pace on the first lap, where as #37 ran 1:57.5. He extended the lead up to almost 12 seconds by lap 12, then the Kia began eating away at the lead for a bit closing to 8 seconds at one point. #37 won the race by 9 seconds in the end.
The real battle in the race was for second place. The #36 MINI started second but was running close behind the Kia, less than 0.1s behind. Somewhere on the second lap, he passed the Kia for second place. The lead changed several times over the next 12 laps. I saw a couple of passes (one for each) at turn 5 and saw the MINI take the Kia around the turn 2 hairpin. The Mazda had been running in 4th, but woke up around the 10th and 11th laps, taking both the other 2 cars before it conked out. The comentry says he parked at turn 7 at the top of the hill. The MINI then regained 2nd, but after that he began to noticeably fall behind. The timing shows he was running laps around 2:00, where the Kia was still running in the 1:56-1:57 range. I asked the guys after the race what happened, they said his right front tire started to give up. That was basically the story for the rest of the race, no more excitement.
The cars ran about as fast as I expected, somewhere between my predictions of 1:52.6 for the lap record, and what I think I could do at 1:56. The best lap of the weekend was during the race for #57 at 1:54.726.
I took 4.6GB of photos for the weekend, including lots of the B-Specs, you can see more of them at: http://btwyx.com/B-Spec/index.html
Here's #37 leading:
and #37 bottoming out at the Corkscrew:
and #36 attempting a pass at turn 5
On Saturday there was one of the 2 practice/qualifying sessions, we'd already wandered around the paddock and said "hi" and good luck to the MINIs. The turnout for the race was a bit thin, there only seemed to be 3 or 4 entries. There were the 2 MINIs from MINI of Charleston, numbers 36 and 37, there was a Mazda 2 number 0 and a Kia Rio number 90. For the Saturday practice session I'd gotten a lift up the hill to take some pictures of the cars going through the "Corkscrew", the spectacular signature turns at Laguna. After going uphill to turn 7, the course takes a quick left (turn 8) then a right (8a) while dropping about 100 feet.
I'm quite familiar with Laguna as a driver, I've driven there for about 9 track days so far, but I'd never taken a look at cars going through the Corkscrew. I'd been to a couple of SCCA events at Laguna, but had only watched from the front straight. This time I hiked up to the top of the hill, several times while watching the various classes running. (And my legs are suffering for it.)
The result of the session was good for the MINIs, number 37 the darker blue MINI ended up fastest, with a time of 1:55, the other MINI was 3rd with a best of 1:58. The official results also show both the other cars running, but I only thought there was one running. The 2 other cars looked very similar both with largely white paint jobs. They may both have run and I just didn't notice, I was also concentrating on the MINIs. There was also something different about the B-Spec cars, they were quiet. Earlier in the day they'd been running the other classes from the ST ("Street Tuner", hotted up street cars) all the way up to Daytona Prototypes, purpose built sports cars. They were all very loud and I needed earplugs to survive. The B-Specs are basically normal street cars, so are very quiet by comparison, no earplugs needed. When we run at Laguna we have no trouble even with the most stringent sound restrictions (like 92dB).
First thing (8am) Sunday morning was the second B-Spec practice/Qualifying, the grid would be set by the best time in either session. I made sure to get there on time, and this time set up for pictures around the turn 2 hairpin. Disappointingly number 37 only put in 4 laps and number 36 did 5 laps, the Kia didn't run so that left the Mazda out for a few laps more before it gave up. There were several angle's I'd planned to take shots from but didn't get the chance. The results were much the same as the first practice, number 37 first, with a slightly better time of 1:54.8 and number 36 3rd with a 1:56.3.
The race was due to start at 10am, and I went to stake out turn 4 this time. Despite the official schedule saying "TIME CERTAIN SCHEDULE – All sessions to start and finish as shown", the race actually started at 9:53 and caught me out I wasn't quite ready for them and missed a few shots I might otherwise have got. I started out at turn 4 and then progressed down the straight to 5 and halfway up the hill to 6, pausing to take pictures as they cars went by. With only 4 competitors and around 2 minutes a lap, I could set up for the car's next appearance.
At the start the #37 MINI jumped into an early lead and kept the lead throughout the race. The official timings show the following cars ran a 2:00 pace on the first lap, where as #37 ran 1:57.5. He extended the lead up to almost 12 seconds by lap 12, then the Kia began eating away at the lead for a bit closing to 8 seconds at one point. #37 won the race by 9 seconds in the end.
The real battle in the race was for second place. The #36 MINI started second but was running close behind the Kia, less than 0.1s behind. Somewhere on the second lap, he passed the Kia for second place. The lead changed several times over the next 12 laps. I saw a couple of passes (one for each) at turn 5 and saw the MINI take the Kia around the turn 2 hairpin. The Mazda had been running in 4th, but woke up around the 10th and 11th laps, taking both the other 2 cars before it conked out. The comentry says he parked at turn 7 at the top of the hill. The MINI then regained 2nd, but after that he began to noticeably fall behind. The timing shows he was running laps around 2:00, where the Kia was still running in the 1:56-1:57 range. I asked the guys after the race what happened, they said his right front tire started to give up. That was basically the story for the rest of the race, no more excitement.
The cars ran about as fast as I expected, somewhere between my predictions of 1:52.6 for the lap record, and what I think I could do at 1:56. The best lap of the weekend was during the race for #57 at 1:54.726.
I took 4.6GB of photos for the weekend, including lots of the B-Specs, you can see more of them at: http://btwyx.com/B-Spec/index.html
Here's #37 leading:
and #37 bottoming out at the Corkscrew:
and #36 attempting a pass at turn 5
3rd Gear
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 187
Likes: 23
From: S.NJ
If anyone's interested the B-Spec race is called the "Total Performance Showcase", it runs under Grand Am.
Are these races available for viewing anywhere?
SCCA World Challenge streams the full B-Spec races online. Not much MINI participation is this series.
3rd Gear
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 187
Likes: 23
From: S.NJ
http://www.world-challengetv.com/2012/#/races
B-Spec ran 9 races covering 3 tracks (Utah, Canada, Sonoma). Some where double headers so you have to pick them out of the list. Most are labeled "TCB". They always ran with Touring Car (TC).
B-Spec ran 9 races covering 3 tracks (Utah, Canada, Sonoma). Some where double headers so you have to pick them out of the list. Most are labeled "TCB". They always ran with Touring Car (TC).
You could buy the #36 if you wanted. I just happened to be looking over the SCCA forums and found a for sale add for the #36 http://www.sccaforums.com/forums/for.../postid/439548 The ad is a month old, but doesn't say its sold yet.
In other news Grand Am is dropping the B spec race: http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/gr...c-series-axed/ so they're not going to be back to Laguna next year. With the MINIs out of ST, it looks like there won't be any MINIs at all at Laguna this year.
The other B-spec race locally for me is the WTCC which happens to be on the same weekend as the Grand Am race but over at Sonoma instead. Though this year there weren't any MINIs in that series either.
Anyone know of any MINIs racing anywhere in B-spec this year?
In other news Grand Am is dropping the B spec race: http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/gr...c-series-axed/ so they're not going to be back to Laguna next year. With the MINIs out of ST, it looks like there won't be any MINIs at all at Laguna this year.
The other B-spec race locally for me is the WTCC which happens to be on the same weekend as the Grand Am race but over at Sonoma instead. Though this year there weren't any MINIs in that series either.
Anyone know of any MINIs racing anywhere in B-spec this year?
1st Gear
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
From: Charleston, SC
The 36 car is sold and now at it's new home in Kentucky! It's headed to school in the Detroit area. The MINI of Charleston team is building another one as a back-up/rental for the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge Series. By loose count, there are about 60 B Spec cars built now (MINI has 15 in North America!). The first race of the series is May 17-19 at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. MINI leads B Spec in SCCA National points, Majors Points and BFG Super Tour Points. Any base Cooper 2007-2012 MINI and a less than $7,000 in parts could put you in the winner's circle. They are an absolute BLAST to drive!
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