Feeling the love with the mini again!
Turbo Mini Forums

8-)
Had an awesome day yesterday with the mini. Endaf, Mark Chandler (aka cuddles) and myself spent the day testing it at pembrey. We arrived at the track just before 9, and already my mondeo was telling me the air temp was 22 degrees, the forcast was 26 degrees so thought the mini may suffer in the heat. First session out I was driving with Cuddles next to me, car felt awesome, all the previous torque steer problems have now fanished. Not sure exactly what got rid of it, my guess is a combination of removing the bump steer, squaring the car up and running on slicks. The power out of the engine is awesome on the track, coming out of the corners in 2nd would often light up both front slicks. After just a few laps I got my lap time down to 1:13.71

Cuddles was next behind the wheel, this time I was passanger, cuddles was straight on it, and after 2 laps got a 1:11.57, next up was Endaf, I stayed in a passanger to learn from the pro's Endaf banged in a 1:07.37.

The car had done about 30 laps water temp was around 90, oil temp about 120, so we brought it in to cool down and check over it, made a few suspension tweaks.

This session I was behing the wheel again, with cuddles next to me knowing what the car could do I had a lot more confidence with the car and pushed it harder than I'd ever done before, I was caught up in quite a bit of traffic but managed to get a 1:10.58

We then came in again and noticed a puncture in one of the rear tyres, we didn't have any spare soft rear tyres, so we had to put some of the harder compound 770's on the back.

By now Endaf and Cuddles are both getting quite eager to beat each others times so they decide to go out on there own. Cuddles goes out first and set quickest time of the day with a 1:07.48, I didn't let Endaf or cuddles know his lap time, then Endaf went out and did a 1:06.14. This time is quicker than the miglias have ever done around Pembrey, (half second quicker than Hacky did last time the miglias where there). Endaf thought he could go about a second quicker once he knew the car more. Even quicker qith the right shocks on the car, and some tow out on the back of the car.

The Day went on with us all taking the car out giving it a real hamering, taking out different passangers. For some reason they would not allow us to use a camera in the car, would have had some great footage, it was by far the quickest thing on the track, and got loads of people around the car in the paddock.

There was a photographer there on the day so I'm looking forward to the photo's.

We have agreed now that we have found the limit of the shocks, and need some ohlins on there, the breaks felt awesome, the carbon metalic pards really are amazing.

So all in all an awsome day, I think we must have done 100 laps between us, the car never missed a beat. I have said in the past that I don't think a mini turbo running over 15psi could ever hold together on the track being driven hard for 10 laps in a race. Well I've just proven my self wrong.

After a few rolling road sessions, one race day, and a hard track day the car is still going strong. I will remove the eninge now and check through it but so far all looks good. There is a suspect fault with one of the CV's after the boot split the car does feel harder to push, no suprise 255bhp and a dry CV don't go well together. I think I may also have a slight boost leak, because as the day went on, we seamed to get a tiny bit of lag, I'm guessing the intercooler has a small split after running 30psi.

All in all, an awesome day, and I'm feeling the love again.

Thanks for all who's helped me over the years with my car, Mainly Endaf Owens and our own Turbo Dave, and many others.

Cheers also to Avonbar and swiftune who have always given me special prices.

And no my engine wasn't build by morspeed, 100% made in wales :)

Team www.sheepspeed.com Racing

nice to hear this sound of love, your mini's awesome, no reason why it shouldn't be like this.
The most impressive, is the reliability you have, track's not as road,it could tear down in few minites an engine wich could have lived a year on road.
cheers
Fabrice

What an awesome Story :)

Awesome car Jim, one of the most amazing minis around for sure.

It's nice when things work perfectly after years of development isn't it?

Mr. Prawn, the friendly Crustacean- slowly making steps towards forced induction.

Sounds like an awesome day mate! I managed to get some faith back in mine again over the weekend too.

Hopefully some footage will turn up on youtube of yours on the track!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fusion-Fabri..._homepage_panel

www.fusionfabs.co.uk



1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&...fa-20b504a0d89a

Great report, and great credit to you.

Si

I drill holes in everything..!

Some pics on here Jimbo

http://www.photodirectuk.com/MSE09/12%20PE20090531/index.htm

About time you blew the dust off it!!

Well done

I'm not feeling the love. Mine broke down....

Good stuff Jimbo, an awesome car indeed.

WWW.TURBO-MINI.COM

greats stuff!

how much bump steer was removed?

Looks fantastic Jim!!

Which wheels are they you had on the rear with the yellow centres?

Thats beautifull

Own the day

nice going fella

If Carling made Mini engines
it would probably be like this one!

cheers for the comments, and cheers for the link Tom,

I got rid of about a degree of bumpsteer.

The yellow wheels on the back are Endaf's I think there MB's, but running the wrong 770 (front) compound slicks. .

Team www.sheepspeed.com Racing

a degree sounds like a fair bit,

Great Read! I can only imagine your well chuffed with the way it performed and didn't give any suspect damage throughout an almighty thrashing.

would have been really interesting to see a vid, especially with all your trick components you had showing on your last one.

Well done mate

lovely job, you have got one seriously sorted mini.

I only hope my engine holds together tomorrow on the rolling road, if it doesn't break I'm definately building a k1100 turbo motor next year.:)

It looks so good on those slicks...

I must say, shouldn't it be faster than a Mig by quite a margin? LSD, power, same suspension etc? What does Endaf say?

Did that buggy thing forget to turn left after entering the track, sign posted 'Off Road This Way <---'

Team www.sheepspeed.com Racing

Great stuff Jim, realy makes a difference having Endaf and Mark there, those two know there onions.

I found with MOT 13.14 or 15 psi was more than enough on track, power and reliabitly but still leaving that extra suirt if needed.

You will get no more top end speed on less boost.

Carl and myself are putting the Don engine in the Metro so we should have a good battle at the fastest Mini in th world race...

JF.

it just shows if you put a car togeather well thought out, with all the right bits and given patience skill and experteese
hats of jimster well done!
enjoy your racing

On 2nd Jun, 2009 giallofly said:
Carl and myself are putting the Don engine in the Metro so we should have a good battle at the fastest Mini in th4 world race...

JF.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

Sounds good Jon, which one are you doing Lydon hill or silverstone classic?

Team www.sheepspeed.com Racing

Sounds like a brilliant day out. Great car

Paul

I seriously doubt it!