New member in Tucson, AZ

Hello, found this forum a couple of years ago and popped in from time to time to look things over and finally joined since NAM just hasn't had much content I want to look at. I have a Justa, the non Turbo version - 2008, it doesn't get much love or attention in the mods area. Anyway, love my car, pics eventually of the Mellow Yellow with the checkered flag details.

I do race my Mini at Inde Motorsports, you can find some videos of the track on you tube. Great facility and awesome scenery while racing, next event is Oct 24th and I am really looking forward to it. Best measured time so far is 2:10 on the long course which beats many Vettes, Porsches and even a real original Shelby Cobra (but then who drives a multi million dollar car like a lunatic?)

 

Here is one pic before I got the 15 inch race wheels.

 

Thanks, it came originally with the sport suspension, which I really have not felt the need to change because of the low miles. Nice OEM stainless exhaust, which is well broken in now and has a throaty sound with the occasional popping on the overrun when hot and with fuel additives. It is a manual 6 speed. I installed the NM Eng torque bushing and BMS clutch stop, K&N drop in filter and modified the intake to take out the resonator.

15x7" Kosei wheels are really light, 11.5lbs each, Toyo Proxes R1R (the new harder compound for 2015) for the street, 888's for the track. EBC red brake pads, wheel studs. Took out the DRL's and channeled the air thru the resulting holes to the brakes. Removed spare tire and stuff under there. 4 point Schroth racing harness, single PIIA 520 Ion driving light mounted on the tow strap socket.

It has what power it has, on the track I don't use the brakes much - just a slight squeeze with the arch of my foot to settle the suspension so the rear end comes around. It seems to stick well with smooth lines rather than the point and squirt technique of more powerful cars. The only track I have been on is Inde which is very twisty and hilly, lots of downhill blind off camber corners which gives high horsepower rear wheel cars fits to stay on the track. Inde's layout favors the light cars like Mini, Miata and any of the 4wd Subarus. The barely 1/4 mile straight ends in an off camber turn where the vettes, etc are hard braking from 160+ where I don't even let off the gas at 100mph to make the corner. Of course, experienced drivers of well prepped cars over 400HP turn in 1:5x times, but I was told the track record is only 1:38 set during F1 testing last year. The fastest I saw myself was 1:52 by a twin supercharged 2015 vette driven by a pro [redacted] driver out for some fun with the owner of that car, who then turned around and ran a 2:02 in a Cadillac Escalade rental with three passengers!

I have found on the track that if it is floored all the time, the variable engine mapping stays in beast mode. Sure more power would be nice, but that alone won't make me a better driver so to hell with the fragility and expensive maintenance of the turbo.