I am going to break how to upgrade your R56 from the MINI accessories to Aftermarket parts regardless of how deep or empty your pockets in the pursuit of adding to that legendary road-legal go-kart.

Suspension

A key component of what makes a MINI a MINI is it handling. The MINI’s suspension is quite firm from the factory and even firmer if you opted with the sport suspension which came with lower & firmer springs and different dampers. Sadly MINI didn’t provide coilovers or lower ride height option from the factory other than on GP2 which came with Bilstein coilovers for a 20mm ride height drop which actually gives a better ride. You can buy else from MINI, however, they have been prone to leak and cease up on GP2s resulting in them being replaced or repairs needed as they aren’t cheap at £400 a corner.

There are a few options for suspension upgrades depending on budget:

Lowering springs – Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs work with your existing shocks to give you a 30mm lower ride height if looks are all you’re after. Approx Cost: £170

Upgraded Dampers – It’s not all about ride height as lowering for stance points but they way your MINI controls itself over the road which the dampers take care of. Changing over to Koni FSD sport dampers will improve the way your MINI rides regardless of the surface or how fast you’re going. These ‘FSD’ dampers are frequency selective damping which responds differently to low-frequency movement such as that produced by cornering, braking and accelerating and high-frequency movement generated by driving over the uneven road surface. This means that the damper provides excellent body control through cornering and other manoeuvres but becomes more compliant when a bump or dip is encountered without compromising in ride quality. Cost: £550

Coilovers – The ultimate option for stance queens or track warriors regardless of budget coilovers are the best option to improve on the MINI go-kart handling and lowering ride height to your preference. Coilovers offer better control over stock suspension as it offers adjustability in height, rebound, damping or chamber compared to a fixed damper and spring from the factory. This adjustability allows you to set up your MINI to your liking for looks, ride or handling.

They are often the more expensive option for improving your MINI handling as kits vary from cheap and cheerful to sell your kidney prices.

AP Coilovers on the low end at £450 but I have seen many issues and varied quality problems with these. Remember you get what you pay for…

ST Suspension is just KW under another name offering the reinsurance of quality brand at cheaper price option so you are getting more bang for your buck. Cost: £650 to £1,000

Meister R & BC Racing coilovers are another halfway house of price and performance at £800 to £900

Bilstein coilovers are a well-known brand so quality is there with TUV approval and testing on Nurburgring. I have been told with mix opinions that they are firmer than the KW suspension in regards to ride quality. Cost: £750 to £1,500

KW coilovers arguably the biggest & best name and well know brand regards of the ultimate suspension. KW offer different kits at various price points ranging from the basic V1 setup to full-blown racing suspension with top mounts and external reservoirs. Cost: £800 to £2000

Ohlins coilovers is the alternative option but for the more serious and deep-pocketed buyer as they don’t come cheap. Cost: £2,000

In my opinion, stick to the big well-known brand when buying suspension as there is nothing worse than having to your MINI out of action because you went cheap and it broke. I followed my advice when I went for the ultimate and brought a set of KW Clubsports for my JCW : D

Also for the love of God don’t do something stupid like cut springs for cheap lows as will shorten the life of your shocks and might even completely destroy your whole front suspension and everything with it.

Also worth noting if you live in country with varied climates it’s worth getting Coilover socks as they stop salt/grit from killing your springs in the winter months – £35

For the stance nation peeps WHAT WHAT!!!! air suspension is there but will set you back £4000 for the system then everything else is even more money so choose wisely. Don’t pick right and say goodbye to your front end, oil sump and engine with it with low lows and that goes for static ride low riders as well.

Tyres

Often the most overlooked part when modifying or upgrading your car yet it is most important that keeps your pride & joy on the tarmac and not in a ditch. Tyres are often the most expensive upkeep on your car if you daily drive or drive everywhere like a bat out of hell as they are the fine line of cost per tyre versus all the requirements need from it ranging from tyre width, profile, mileage, dry grip, wet grip, noise, and fuel economy.

One the first things to do on a MINI is to get rid of the run-flat tyres are these ruin a lot of things with most importantly being ride quality and tram lining as they reinforced tyres which have been designed to run on with no air in the tyres. The major benefit is outweighed quite quickly by the key negative of the high cost of replacement tyres is often nearly twice as much the equivalent normal tyre.

Quickest and easiest option to gain more grip when switching to normal tyres would simply get a wider profile tyre of 215/45/17 which will reduce torque steer, give a better ride and more efficient way of transferring power to the asphalt plus they are cheaper than the 205/45/17 tyre! MADNESS!!!!!!

With the wider profile, you will need to increase the PSI in a tyre to 34psi from the standard 32 psi recommendation as a greater amount of air is need to fill the tyre. Me personal I tend to go for higher speed-rated tyres at Y or Z from the standard W rating as I know I will not reach the limit and it is always better to under stress something than overstress anything.

Let’s run through the tyre options available for road use:

Uniroyal Rainsport 5 – Great all-around road bias tyre that is epic in the wet and at the price it is totally unbeatable! – £70

Kumho Ecsta Sport KU39 – All round tyre for fast driving at a great price – £70

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 – Great performance tyre with all road ability with great wear rate – £90

Continental Sport Contact 6 – Epic tyre whatever you throw at it but they ain’t cheap and they will wear out quicker than rivals -£104

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 – Arguable the best road trip which has the greatest pedigree as given they made the tyres for the Bugatti Veyron & Chiron. Along with this, it is reign champion of EVO magazine’s tyre testing – £104

Track Tyres

Yokohama AD08R Advan Neova – More of road bias tyre but sold more for a track option given it has a B wet rating making it a great choice for driving to and back from the track – £80

Federal 595 RSR – More track orientated than the AD08R as heat is needed for these tyres to work properly – £85

Nankang NS2R – This tyre comes in two forms with medium and hard compound allowing you to choose for road orientated or track the only tyre. The Hard compound will need a lot of heat to get the tyre working on track mean a sightseeing lap then maximum attack. Yet in both cases, they are both road-legal and have a wet rating of B allowing you still attack corners in the wet – £89

Kumho V70A Ecsta – The OEM fitment of the GP2 which is track-focused tyre but it’s not your friend at all in the wet from what I have been told by owners/friends. But for the price, they have been overpriced given the competition are cheaper and don’t wear out after 2,000 miles on the road – £120

Brakes

It is all fantastic doing fast but you will need to stop and it is often overlooked as everyone is chasing more power. Again depending on your budget improvements and overhauls can be made to scrub speed off as easily as heavy right foot can manage.

Brake Calipers

JCW – £800, Copy JCW Budweg £500, GP2 – £1500

Aftermarket – £1200 Brembos or Ap Racing

Brake Discs
Simple upgrade on an S or JCW would be to upgrade to drilled or slotted discs from MINI which will aid cooling or bite plus they look cooler.

OEM Front Plain Discs – £200
OEM Front Grooved & Drilled – £220
But remember the standard JCW Discs are bigger at 316mm and the S are 294mm under normal brake calipers for each model variant.

However, a lot of money can be saved by buying Brembos replacements discs for your MINI.
Brembo Front Plain Discs – £100
Brembo Front Grooved & Drilled – £120

Brake Pads
As per the above, the Brembo replacements are better than the stock in every way with better bite, less brake dust and cost less which is everything you need changing away from OEM.

Brembo Front Pads – £160

OEM Front Pads – £120 (JCW) £80 (Cooper S)

Alternative pads such as MINTEX M1144, Tarox, Ferodo DS2500 or even making Nissan 350Z pads will fit the JCW Brembo. FYI Mintex is the supplier of the pads for the MINI Challenge race car.

If you’re planning some track time then changing your brake fluid to 5.1 dot will reduce brake faded as it has higher boiling temperature than OEM fluid at 4 dot. Along with this going for braided brake lines will give a better brake feel and reduce brake fade as do not expand/stretch under heat like the OEM lines. Both offer improvements and are no more expensive than your standard replacement parts.

Drivetrain & Differential

A limited-slip differential (LSD) allows faster cornering by shuffling torque between the driven wheels. This lets the car use its engine’s output in the most efficient way possible by preventing wheelspin and maximising traction.

There was a great time where MINI offered a limited-slip differential from 2005 to 2010 but it was sadly dropped because of cost, weight and lack of uptake. This was a genuine shame if they just held on or gave it some marketing push people would have brought it at £500. However, the underlining issue was price as they could replicate it using electronic software – Electronic Differential Lock Control (EDLC). EDLC emulates a diff by putting on the brakes or limiting to manage power to the ground without all the complexity, install or warranty issues.

Fear not the aftermarket to the rescue with Quaife with their LSD which is the best name in the business for road and light track action so quality is where you want go especially as installation takes £500 due the gearbox coming out.

Quaife ATB Helical LSD differential – £726

If you’re more of track warrior then Wavetrac is the more track-oriented diff as it has more aggressive locking.

Wavetrac ATB Helical LSD differential – £1152

If you hunting power you will need to change your clutch will the victim as the stock Cooper S/JCW will let go after 230 bhp running through it. Lohen a long time MINI specialist has formulated the right package with clutch experts TTV & Helix for all power levels of MINI either for road or track usage. Go for an organic clutch if your road user and if it’s track then 4 or 6 paddle one will be the correct thing for your application – £200 to £260. Whilst your there if you want your MINI to rev quicker go for a lighten flywheel which will 7kg lighter than stock dual mass one – £450.

Servicing

It’s all fine and well making your car faster in every conceivable way but not looking after it will have drastic effect if do not pick up faults/issues or keep to the service intervals.

MINI UK recommends oil changes every 20,000 miles but I can’t iterate enough how idiotic this is move is as MINI USA recommend oil changes every 10,000 miles. What you have understand is that the oil that feeds the turbo also feeds the engine, therefore, it is imperative that oil is clean and regularly changed to keep the engine & turbo running as it optimum efficiency.  So if you a low mileage user change it every year or 10,000 miles whichever comes first to keep it running smoothly. If you have tuned it then every 8,000 miles as your engine will be running hotter given the extra load/boost it will be at degrading the oil a lot faster every component in your engine is running under greater pressure. Oil change should be £90 and Oil & filter being £120.

The cabin air filter is overlooked filter as people don’t know it exists and the effects it has on the air and heating system within the car. What’s a cabin filter and when should you replace it? It catches dust, pollen and other airborne material from outside the car. It should be replaced between 12-15,000 miles dependent on how often you drive and where heavy traffic city or off-road driving would require annual changes. Telltale signs that you need a new cabin air filter are reduced air flow through your air con/climate control when the fan is on high and you get more noise or persistent bad odours. It will take you a few minutes to change the filter which is located under the glovebox and you just need a flat screwdriver to open the filter housing plus filters are cheap at £10.

The fuel filter is the most forgotten filter on the R56 as it is said to be ‘lifetime’ by MINI but after changing my own at 89,000 miles it was PITCH BLACK and clearly not really filtering anything. I would advise changing the filter at 50-60,000 miles to be on the safe side and this was small cost at £135 with the new filter kit (£53) and fitting from MINI (Part number: 11252754870).

Spark plugs have become less so an issue as modern platinum or iridium spark plugs can last 60,000 miles but if your running more boost then running a colder spark to stop pre-denotation/pinging is advised. If you own a JCW make sure the dealership changes your spark plugs at every service as it recommended per MINI service bulletin and is often missed as Cooper & Cooper S are the motors they normally work on.

Gearbox oil another lifetime item which should be changed but isn’t because of MINI’s advisement that it shouldn’t be. Changing the oil will have a drastic effect on how smooth your gear changes are along with prolonging the life of your gearbox. You might think gearbox oil is an expense but what is more costing than refurbing or replacing one? You will need to 2 litres of oil for a complete change and this oil will set you back about £45 with about £50 for labour.

Carbon build is an issue that has plagued the 2nd Generation MINI engine from its conception as the move to direct injections. Direct injection engines brought about improvements efficiency, power, mpg and emissions but have negative side effects of carbon build up around the intake value and inside the engine. The problem with this is you can only slow it down with an oil catch can but this issue will always be there regardless of what you do. The only way to reset this problem is decoking/walnut blasting or full engine cleaning but again carbon build will return like an unwanted guest. A decoke will set you back around £200-240 while a full engine clean will set you back £1000 minimum.

The timing chain is a known issue on this generation of MINI’s in the S & JCW which diagnosed by a loud rattle aka ‘Death Rattle’ that is particularly prominent from start-up/cold and lack of go/pick up when applying throttle. This happens because of the chain tensioner becoming less efficient or failing which leads to a slacking of the timing time which in turn hits timing chain guide rails and as lead to damage to these guides or damage to the engine internals. The issue affects the N14 engine found in the MINI R56 Cooper S between 2007 and 2009, and JCW’s from 2008-2012. However, the issue has been resolved with the N18 engine in the later MINI Cooper S/JCW/GP models. A MINI specialist can fix this at £600 or MINI will charge you £1200.

The fuel pump is another common issue so they only last between 50 to 80,000 miles before a replacement is needed. Replacements bounce in the price bracket of £220 and keep it going on for a long period do not let the fuel level go below 3 bars. The fuel in the tank acts like a lubricate for the pump and when the fuel is lacking it increases the wear and burns out the pump thus resulting in premature failure.

Valve Stem Seal Set is an annoying german car problem as the wear out and lets oil into the combustion chamber resulting in white smoke into your exhaust and vastly increase oil consumption.

If your MINI is starting to burn oil at a high rate this will likely be the case as it ages – £64 part and £300 install

ECU Remapping & Engine

I have never been an advocate of ECU tuning as I have seen it end in tearless one too many times hence why I have personally avoided it as you asking the engine to work beyond its manufacturer’s state of tune, tolerance and long-term durability. Also tuning boxes and race chips are a no no no no no given what they do by lying to the ECU in tricking it in my more power.

MINI JCW Tuning Kit was available from MINI if you want it for the Cooper S to bump up the power and keep a warranty but we are kind of beyond that now.

I can’t really recommend anyone now given Miniac have folded and the only thing I can say is to go to a MINI specialist like Lohen or 1320 given their long-run history with getting more power of them and racing them.

If power is still on your mind you will need to forge your MINI ‘s engine as they cope will with higher power levels than stock as they weren’t overengineered like old school cars of past years. So dig deep and prepared to the cost to run into the thousands of pounds in parts then labour rates.

Silicone hoses will be a worthy upgrade over the stock rubber pipe which will split over time as rubber degrades. These hoses will not flex under boost or load as they are stiffer giving better airflow from resonator delete pipe or noise maker delete pipe which is not expensive at £80.

JCW turbos are a good upgrade for Cooper S to gain more power the S turbo runs out of puff and Hybrid will be the way to if you want 270bhp upwards power levels – £1200.

A good cheap mod will be the Alta stiffy spring which is stiffer spring which will hold more boost between gear changes so less lag – £20

Don’t bother with fancy diverter values like forge as they leak boost and it will run like crap instead get a genuine GFB DV+ from an official stockist as fake ones are floating around now – £120.

Induction

The sweet noise of the turbo spooling, intake noise and bleed value is the noise of my people so here is how to get more!!!

Panel filter is the best bang for the buck as it gives like 2-3 BHP and more induction noise. However, do not buy an oil-based air filter as these will ruin your MAF airflow sensor but instead get a dry flow air filter.

JCW Airbox is the mid-range option for Cooper S on N14 as it’s a simple plug and play

AEM Induction kit is the ultimate as I have run once since they came out in 2014 and I have zero issues in every weather and over 60,000 miles covered on it – need I say more?

Click this link – Full review on the AEM Cold Air Kit

An extra 15 BHP on a Cooper S or JCW is welcomed along with the induction and blow-off noise but a surprised and welcome extra is increased mpg by 5mpg works a wonder so the kit actually pays for itself over time – £400 Just an FYI the OEM JCW strut brace will not fit after adding in this induction kit so you will have to buy the AEM one as it goes around the box – £280.

The only issues I have seen are numpties removing the OEM heatshield from the catalytic converter which then results in the engine cover melting and damaging everything around. It’s kind of self inflecting problem so just don’t even think about doing it!

For hotter climates, it will be advised to get a turbo blanket to keep engine bay temps down and key the engine cover intact – Forge turbo blanket £125

Exhaust

The sound of the car can make or break it so much so Porsche did a U-turn on the Cayman and brought back the flat-six in the GTS instead of the flat-four turbo. I have listened to all the options to bring the noise at every price point to bolt-on.

Resonator delete is the cheap option which results in chopping out the resonator and welding in a straight piece of stainless steel pipe – £80. In turn, you gain more metallic noise with more pops and bangs but it welcomes in unwanted cabin drone on the motorway so turn up the music.

Sports cat is another way to crank up the volume to 12 whilst keeping it road-legal compared to the decat which will fail MOT/Inspection. The benefits of sports catalytic converter will be the increased noise, more aggressive pops n bangs along with reduced turbo lag while being road-legal.

Decat will reduce turbo lag further but I will make you not road-legal as it will fail MOT/Inspection on emissions. This more oriented for a track car than a daily car as suffer from unwanted attention as the noise levels are too load for road use for you and other people.

Challenge exhaust can be fitted to the road MINI and it will increase noise further than a standard back box MINI but hard it loud enough to set off car alarms – £750 for resonator onwards exhaust system

The Catback exhaust is expensive as it the full exhaust system and will allow a wider 3-inch system the full way down. Honestly not worth the money on an R56 JCW as the stock system is too good from the factory but to a Cooper S it’s a lot better.

JCW back box is worthy addition to an R56 Cooper S as it makes the S sound better than JCW given different compression ratio of the engine. Its will give loud noise with zero compromises and cost is £500.

Cooling

Larger Intercooler is the easiest upgrade to the JCW or Cooper S to reduce inlet temperatures as the stock intercooler is a tiny thing. This will allow colder air into the engine so it will perform better on-road and track with a few bhp increase and nm increase in torque throughout the rev range – £250 to £450 depending on the brand – Airtec, Forge & Wagner

Waterless coolant is innovation within the market from Evan’s waterless coolant has a larger range of temperatures meaning that heat transfer (cooling) is more effective than water-based coolant that would be in gas form at the equivalent temperature. This coolant helps to eliminate premature detonation this reduces head gaskets and other engine failures associated with overheating. This will require a flush of the system and new coolant which will run you £220.

Meth Injection is an expensive way to keep engine temperatures down when increasing power but it has another benefit of cleaning as well so it will perform even better than stock as it stops coking. There are only a hand full of systems on the market but always go the established name like AEM or DevilsOwn. These full kits hover around the price point of £380 and refill methanol tank costs about £40 (needs filling either every 2 to 3 times you put in petrol) but the car will need to be mapped as well so the ECU can understand what is going on for it work correctly.

Aerodynamics

The MINI GP2 brought about some aero goodies with the GP2 Front undertray & GP2 Rear Diffuser which actually create downforce compared to another aftermarket aero parts. These parts can be easily installed on to Cooper S or JCW to gain those benefits of increasing stability and downforce as they just bolt-on. GP2 diffuser will be enough for most as they want the look rather than the full ground effect when combined with the front undertray.

MINI GP2 Front undertray – £350 & MINI GP2 Diffuser – £380

MINI GP2 carbon fibre wing is available but its price point of £1500 is going to put off a lot of people but it has been tested in a wind tunnel compared to aftermarket wings.

Aftermarkets ones are all show and no go as just a bolt-on which increase drag and lift as they have never been tested in a wind tunnel…

Chassis

Bushes – MINIs are epic in the corners for a reason which there complex front suspension but that awesome turn-in fades after a while because the rubber bushes perish over time.

It’s advised to move over to poly bushes as they are put in and forget as they don’t wear down compared to OEM rubber ones which will need replacing multiple times.

Powerflex is the king of the market so get all their bushes which will come to £230 but the kicker will be labour rate which is £360 give the time to the front and rear subframes which are an 8-hour job. Trust me it’s worth as the handle handles on rails even more but once it’s done its done as Powerflex offer a lifetime warranty on all bushes. Only get the purple or yellow Powerflex bushes for road and the black series ones for the track only as the black series are basically solid blocks so the vibration will resonate throughout the car which will get tiring.

Strut Brace – Are the only school way of increase chassis stiffness by adding a strengthening bar aka a strut brace.

You can go the official MINI route and order the JCW strut brace which is £250 or aftermarket around £200. Be wary the GP2 one will not fit on to your JCW or Cooper S due to the different mounting points for the shocks compared the GP2.

The MINI convertible has the under car bracing due to the roof being chopped off causes body flex so it’s possible to buy these underfloor bracing and add to your hardtop MINI.

Roll cage – Like with a track car that is going racing it will need a roll cage which will set you back £500

Interior

Seats – Having a bad or good driving position can make and break a car as it’s where you will be spending your time so make it a nice place. JCW Recaros are the ultimate given they look the business, airbags, heated and they are official MINI part but sadly discounted. They are virtually unattainable as were £1500 each when new and very few people specd them so they pop anywhere they get snapped up so be prepared to have £2000 for a good used set.

Aftermarket versions of the JCW Recaros are available from Recaro without the JCW logo for around £1000 each if you want the ultimate seats. Sparco or Cobra are available at more affordable rates starting from £500 upwards for your booty.

Shifters – JCW gearbox knob is an easy upgrade for any MINI owner as it gives the MINI gearbox through and who does love a bit of carbon and Alcantara – £ 90

Short shifters kit from NM engineering is the next step to reduce the throw length by 20% and is £40 part but the labour to install it will run you £80 given the exhaust has to dropped to gain access to the shifter ball.

If you want to go the extreme then CAE or Coolworx will be the quickest way to shift gears as it’s a stand kit which replaces your gear lever altogether – £750 plus another £50 to relocate your sport, traction and start-stop buttons into the cup holder so you only have one cup holder now

Music – If you didn’t spec the Harmon Kardon sound system I feel bad for you as it £500 option which you should have as it makes the MINI stereo sound soooo good with 1000 watts of all about that BASS BASS.

Fear, not a simple mod can improve the sound quality – Channel swap mod changes were the sound is addressed across the cabin, it transfers the high & bass notes more to the back speakers – £40.

Exterior

I have left this to last a few MINI should be unique as the owner’s personality transcended to their MINI. Please use a local vinyl specialist to get some stripes or head to MINI for bonnet stripes, side stripes, roof numbers etc. The MINI community can offer some more uniqueness to your ride – Stuck On MINIs, Luxewerx or JCW Adventure all have stores and what better way to support a fellow MINI owner and lover.

Get carbonated with MINI’s official mirror caps, boot lid, diffuser & wing or aftermarket like RSI C6 which make anything from door handles to bonnets. I will most like getting their bonnet and rear boot lid soon…

I want to talk about splitters but they are utterly pointless on a road as they will scrap or rip your front end off as I have seen with many mini owners so save your money and your front bumper.

Hopefully, this guide will give you a stepping stone to your MINI build and look forward to seeing them all at shows soon.

Here are my recommendations for MINI UK & Overseas specialist to visit:

Lohen – lohen.co.uk

1320 Mini – 1320.co.uk

Sussex Road & Race – sussexroadandrace.co.uk

Millys Auto – millsysautos.co.uk

TWG Automotive – twgautomotive.co.uk

MiniWorks – mini-works.co.uk

RSI C6 – rsic6.com

Outmotoring – outmotoring.com

ESC Tuning – ecstuning.com

Detroit Tuned – detroittuned.com

My list is made by own opinions and me speaking to respective companies & other owners across the world and this is not sponsored post for full transparency.

If you got the modding bug don’t forget to check out JCW Adventures Store or Official eBay Store for some stickers for all generations of MINIs or R56 JCW carbon fibre exhaust tips as seen on my MINI R56 JCW to support the blog & YouTube channel.

All your support over the years and please offer that same support by following my Youtube Channel as well : )

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The post MINI 2nd Gen Tuning Guide: The Best Mods For The R56 MINI appeared first on JCW Adventures.

This list will include a mix of PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Stadia & Mobile so you can play on your favourite gaming platform.

The Crew 2 – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC & Stadia

The Crew 2 is an open-world game that has land, sea and air cover as you can switch between any time of vehicle anytime you want to give you the vehicle fix while you’re stuck indoors. The open-world is a mix of the US states in a large map which can be covered by a variety of vehicles including cars, motorcycles, boats, and aeroplanes.

The game features a nonlinear story that follows the unnamed player character as they go to become a racing icon in the United States by winning in all racing disciplines available in the game. There are four disciplines: Street Racing, Off-Road, Freestyle and Pro Racing. In Street Racing, the player is assisted by Latrell. In Off-Road, the player is assisted by Tucker “Tuck” Morgan. In Freestyle, the player is assisted by Sofia and her father. In Pro Racing, the player is assisted by Alexis.

MINIs in the game:

2010 – R56 MINI Cooper S

2013 – R60 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

Both have a rallycross edition to them, and another plus to the Crew 2 is that you modify your car to your liking with visuals to fully race car with engine mods etc.

Need For Speed: Heat – PlayStation 4, Xbox One & PC

NFS: Heat returns to it’s rooted with the latest iteration with racers and police but this interesting take on it all. By day is a certified league of professional racing to climb up the ladder and then switch over to the darkness of the night it’s illegal street racing and avoid the police. The police are on the hunt for street racers, so they won’t let you go easy and they will hunt you down whether your cruising around or in a race and the gloves will be off.

Heat’s key feature is modifying your car to your dreams right down to the colour to the actual exhaust note of the car which can be done in the game or through the mobile NFS Heat Studio app. Your car can also be modified to different disciplines ranging from road racing to drifting so you can have the edge over the competition both online and offline.

The games start with you the player arriving in Palm City for the Speedhunter Showdown, a citywide exhibition which draws in racers to compete in legally sanctioned races throughout the day, and illegal street races throughout the night. Lt. Frank Mercer, leader of the police department’s High-Speed Task Force, announces his intent to ruthlessly pursue and arrest all street racers in the city. Lucas Rivera, a local mechanic and retired street racer, sells the player their first car, helps the player enter their first Showdown race, and becomes their mechanic and mentor for much of the game. Lucas’s younger sister, Ana Rivera (Ana Marte), is a street racer whose crew recently disbanded after a task force raid nearly killed one of her friends.

MINI in the game:

2017 – F60 Mini Cooper S Countryman All4

Gran Turismo Sport – Playstation 4

The lastest run in the longest-running Playstation exclusive real driving simulator from Polyphony Digital on the PS4. This is not your arcade racer but more of sim so your inputs will need to be like how they would be in real life; otherwise, you will crash or spin out. Gran Turismo has always tried to blend the line between real life and the digital world, so there are real tracks, cars and competitions which have FIA approved around the world. The tweaks to your car are all about the suspension, aero, gearing setup etc like you would have in real life in order to gain that extra second on lap time.

Gran Turismo Sport has VR for a feature which is cool to look around cars and there is photo mode to get your clicks to make the best images around the various locations and scenes. Gran Turismo will receive one-off concept cars made by manufactures exclusively to the game which will not be found elsewhere like the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo.

GT Sport doesn’t have a story mode or anything is just go out there and race on real or original tracks and go compete online to win to be the best and actually become a real racing driver.

MINIs in the game:

MINI Clubman Vision Gran Turismo Concept

1965 – Mini-Cooper ‘S’

2005 – R53 Mini Cooper S

GRID – PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC & Stadia

This is another return to beloved franchise but more of reboot to bringing back white knuckle bumper to bumper racing. GRID was created by the Codemasters who made the TOCA, Colin Mcrae, DIRT & F1 s they know how to make a great car game.

GRID covers the following disciplines Touring, Stock, Tuner & Invitational which ranges the cars from Hot Hatches to F1 to bring out your inner Stig. The game has an arcade feel to as it allows some liberalities as there is a rewind feature which lets you go back to where you ran out of talent then move forward from correcting your mistake. There is a mix of racing from the day, night and different weather effects so there plenty of locations on the drive on through your career.

There is only visual customisation with liveries on the vehicles and setup of suspension etc to make the most of laps times.

MINIs in the game:

2012 – R56 Mini John Cooper Works

1965 – Mini-Cooper ‘S’

Driveclub – PS4

This one on the list is one of my personal favourite car games of all time. Driveclub gave you all the cars you could dream of and made you feel like you were driving them with the sounds and visuals. There is an arcade feel to the driving, but that was built in to give you some fun straight away so the words easy to learn and hard to master come to mind.

The car list is something to lust about as there is everything from Hot hatches to hypercars, but there are no mods just changing the colour or the liveries.

Driveclub makes up for the lack of changes with the weather effects in the game ranging from sunny days to snow. Along with the best locations in each corner of the world, so one race your racing through the Scotland highlands to Tokyo Turnpikes with a fantastic level of details with lighting, backdrops and the most realistic cars sounds ever with backfires, deeper noise echoing in turns with in-car views outlaying every single stitch in the Ferrari 458 speciale.

Another feature that was added later on was the DLC of having to drive on two wheels if that tickles your fancy with Drive Club Bikes along with the paid-for upgrade to play in VR for more sensory overload.

MINIs in the game:

2013 – R56 Mini GP2

Forza Motorsport 7 – Xbox One & PC

A Microsoft exclusive that runs with the leader of the pack Gran Turismo with giving you real racing to hoon your skills in the digital with fastest cars on the street to every series of racing on the track.

Forza Motorsport 7 features over 700 cars—including new Forza Edition cars, most of which have been brought over from Forza Horizon 3—and more than 200 different configurations to race on across 32 locations at launch, including all from Forza Motorsport 6; a fictional street circuit in Dubai is one of the new circuits and several tracks returning from Forza Motorsport 4 including Maple Valley Raceway, Mugello Circuit and Suzuka Circuit. Two features that are new to the Motorsport title include dynamic weather which changes over the course of the race and customisable drivers.

Don’t be brushed off by this sim racer as it can be tailored around skill level as you can a lot of driving aids on like it show the racing line as a minimum to auto braking for corners to help you learn cars and tracks the easy way.

Most of these games do have an online feature but Xbox wins hands down on the community given the number of laughs I have had in lobbies and racing on the track.

MINIs in the game:

1965 – Mini Cooper S

1965 – Mini Cooper S Forza Edition

2012 – R56 Mini John Cooper Works

2013 – R56 Mini John Cooper Works GP

2013 – R56 Mini John Cooper Works GP Forza Edition

2014 – R60 Mini Monster Energy All4 Racing X-Raid

Forza Horizon 4 – Xbox One & PC

Another open-world car game with an arcade feel, but this includes real cars with added FUN to the world as you go about racing for money, prizes and doing ridiculous with cars like racing a train or Vulcan bomber to a finish point. The aim here is to buy and drive your favourite car in open-world which changes through the seasons yes you hear me right seasons, so it changes throughout your time from summer to snow-filled winter. Every type of racing is here from circuit racing to drag racing on a frozen lake and that’s just the start with the DLC adding more depth and madness to the mix like LEGO world where you can drive lego versions of the Bugatti Chiron.

Whatever car you can imagine it’s in the game ranging from James Bond’s DB5 to V10 howl of the Lexus LFA. If any of those cars don’t tickle your fancy you can modify to your heart’s content by taking a Land Rover Defender and shove in big V8 race motor and change it to rear-wheel drive then modify the bodywork or paint to any colour want.

The game is continuously updated for free and with paid DLC of new cars or races so the fun will always continue until the next iteration comes out.

MINIs in the game:

1965 – MINI Cooper S Traveller

1965 – MINI Cooper S Traveller

1965 – LEGO Version MINI Cooper S

2009 – R56 MINI John Cooper Works

2012 – R56 MINI John Cooper Works GP

2014 – R60 MINI X-Raid All4 Racing Countryman

2018 – F57 MINI John Cooper Works Convertible

2018 – F60 MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4

2018 – MINI X-raid John Cooper Works Buggy

Dirt Rally 2.0 – PS4, Xbox One & PC

Codemasters worked their magic as they always do with car games as they made the legendary Colin Mcrae rally games.

Dirt Rally 2.0 is focused on rallying and rallycross across timed stage events on tarmac and off-road terrain in varying weather conditions. The locations for races are in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Spain and the United States, Finland, Germany, Greece, Monte Carlo, Sweden and Wales. There are remastered versions of the stages included in the original Dirt Rally.

The car roster covers 50 cars: World Rallycross Supercars, historic rally cars from the 1960s through the 1980s, Groups A, B and R rally cars, and modern rally cars from the 1990s to the late 2010s.

There is a new weather modelling system changes the level of grip, visibility and the surface of the stages degrades as more cars pass over a stage. The level of detail with damages not only be visual but also mechanical effect so have to fix a race without a wheel or broken gearbox.

MINIs in the game:

1965 – MINI Cooper S

2018 – XITE Racing F56 Mini Cooper SX1

Gear.Club Unlimited 2 – Nintendo Switch

The game is an arcade-style racer which uses the switch controllers to its advantage with the face buttons are used for braking and accelerating. The game has local split-screen with online multiplayer covering more than 250 different races across the four main environments and over 50 licensed cars.

The game includes a story mode as well as a Club feature they can be shared with friends and challenge rival clubs across the world. There is a garage feature so players can upgrade and customise any model of car from the paint and bodywork, or change the performance with engine tuning.

MINIs in the game:

2015 – F56 MINI John Cooper Works

CSR Racing 2 – Mobile (Andriod/iOS)

Custom street racing 2 is a free to play drag racing game on mobile devices. The game is split into five tiers, with each tier introducing progressively faster opposition and vehicles. To move on to a new tier, the player must race and beat the crew boss for the level. After beating the boss of each level, the player will be challenged to a high stakes rematch to which if you win again you win the boss’s car. However, if the player loses, they must give back the gold won from the previous boss race.

The car list ranges from hot hatches to hypercars for straight-line drag races as the racing is limited to 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile races. The game focuses on timing gear changes and use of the nitrous upgrade by tapping the screen, which allows a low barrier of entry to the game so anyone can play.

MINIs in the game:

2015 – F56 MINI Cooper S

That’s my list of car games to get you through the lockdown and I hope to meet some of you online and keep the MINI community going online. If there is any that you know, please chime in the comments or reach out to me on social media.

Gamer Tag Playstation: AM_AUTOS

Gamer Tag Xbox: AMAUTOS

If anyone needs me during this difficult time, please do not hesitate to reach over social media and over the time of the lockdown, I will be reaching out to the community to keep all of us moving forward.

Hope to see you at the next corner for the next MINI Adventure…

Ali

Founder of JCW Adventures

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The post Digital Racers: Best Car Games With MINIs appeared first on JCW Adventures.

The post Please Take The Next Left: Where has JCW ADVENTURES been? appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Every driver gets that itch every now and then. Its the NEED FOR SPEED. Petrol heads look for the empty road where driver and machine come together just like double clutch down to 2nd just to hear that engine rip.

A driver don’t pick the car, the car picks the driver. It’s a mystical bond between man and machine.

This thirst for speed would be settled on the Castle Come circuit.

Castle Combe Circuit opened just 18 months after Silverstone in the summer of 1950, making it one of the longest established circuits in the UK. Until 1999, the circuit followed its original layout, around the perimeter of the old air base. In that first year, a young Stirling Moss won a race and over the next few years, names like Mike Hawthorn, Colin Chapman, Les Leston, Roy Salvadori and John Surtees thrilled huge crowds.

By the 60’s, several planning constraints had seen the circuit become run down and although the old Brands Hatch company, Motor Circuit Developments tried hard to develop meetings in the early 70’s with Formula 5000 and other major events, planning problems prevented long-term development. However in 1976, the circuit lease was obtained by the current owners and the long road to developing the circuit as a modern national racing venue began. Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, and David Coulthard all won races in the 70’s and 80’s, and by the 90’s, the circuit hosted rounds of most of the national championships.

Today, the circuit boasts modern facilities for competitors and spectators, and the resurfaced and now reshaped circuit providing what is generally recognised as providing the closest circuit racing in British motorsport.

For those who watch the DRIVE TV will notice Chris Harris is regularly hooning about here.

John aka Joda who works at Castle Combe track and Mercedes-Benz world needed some help getting some MINIs to the show so I was more than happy to help.

We follow each other on IG and he regularly post some awesome pics at work with all the tasty motors he drives on track and road.

Everyone had seen the pictures I posted up on my blog last year and the fun I had so a lot more members were willing to pedal to the metal this time. This would which add to the excitement on the day.

I helped organise the event but I was last to arrive at the meet point to a plethora of MINIs awaiting for some HOONING.

We all headed out together in convoy to Castle Combe circuit to what is a mainly classic Mini event as its organised by Mini World.

There was a new upgrade to the Fast Five

Phil had decided to leave THE BEST CLUBMAN Ever behind and step up his game

Mr Kitchen was always the odd ball out of the Fast Five but in a good way given his different tastes and preferences. Mid afternoon I received a text off Phil saying he is buying a new MINI!!! I was like WHATTTTTTTTT

It’s a JCW!!!!

Hatch or Roadster??

Coupe : D

Should I get Harmon Kardon?? Hells Yeah

Phil was interested in my stand point of Roadster as he looked for to my 1st car review – MINI Cooper S Roadster

I was glad he got JCW given the problems he had with tuning with Cooper S

I am sorry but the JCW is better than S in its power delivery and performs effortlessly compared to the S. The JCW has the stopping power to match and that Extra 20bhp makes a huge difference in light car.

Like I said Phil likes being that bit different so he went a NOT NORMAL colour choice this time around – Metallic Kite Blue

(Photo credit to Felt Tip Felon aka Lee with a UNIQUE Clubbie – Feature coming soon)

The banter had already begun as we parked up on our stand as everyone was gunning for GP Garry plus Mr King had bone or two to pick with him with their long-standing grudge after MINI UNITED 2012 Go Karting racing antics. No hair nets getting in the way this time LOL

I had promised Jay that he could ride shotgun with me when I went around the track to show him what the JCW was made of and for him to step up his game to get one.

We all headed to sign on for some track time to get our safety briefing and helmets

On the way back I noticed these three familiar Minis from a BIG film which involved a trip to Italy for some gold bullion

Hang on guys I got an Idea…

There was no messing around this time as we all dawned our helmets and I suction mounted the Go Pro to bonnet

My Co Pilot was ready to

GP Garry was already

The Bandit aka Mr King was right behind him

Christina aka Wifey No. 1 was ready

MINI Toque member Overboost was primed and ready

Here is the complete line for the MINI heading on the track

Time for a quick selfie before I headed out #NoFilter

The Sussex road and race crew we were up front leading the pack

I rolled out expecting the 1st lap to be a sightseeing/warm up lap but the pack up front thought otherwise as I sat behind track keeping to track etiquette of not overtaking on the corners and sat back for the back straight to let the JCW loose.

I tucked in behind Overboost on camp corner before the back straight to slipstream him as knocked it down to 3rd and winded out the revs to redline to 4th.

With 4th gear dispatched I roared past him and eyed the familiar rear lights of Christine’s JCW who slowed down to let me pass as she knew I wouldn’t be messing around.

Now I had some time to make up some for lost ground behind traffic and my warm up lap. So it was time to keep it nice and neat and keep to the racing line as it was more a race with the clock and skill to catch up Garry & Mr King.

I headed around with full concentration and only asking Jay if he was alright when it reined in the JCW on the brembo brakes on the back straight to see if he was ok with the speeds I was going at.

All was well as I went around when I spotted an R53 Cooper S in my rearview trying to pass and with this being an open track day there was no passing on a corner. I found this numpty mounting the kerb trying to overtake me on last corner before the back straight.

He went to overtake then found out the JCW is no match on the back straight leaving him behind. I braked after doing 110mph on first corner and following the racing line to find this time this bonehead next to my door mid corner.

What happened to track day etiquette??? It was made crystal clear in the briefing not to overtake on the corners on multiple occasions

So I back of the accelerator and let them him pass because the last thing I wanted was accident on track with a passenger onboard. I slowed down and short shifted to leave a gap before building the speed up again.

It was back to chasing down the lads upfront.I don’t know what happened to this Red Cooper on track as the owner either lost their sense of redirection or get scared of my arrival of the JCW in their rear view as they drove into the run off section of the track.

Was James May driving???

Having passed the Cooper next up was another MINI Mate Dawn in her JCW called ‘Sapphire’ which is gracing the front cover of Modern MINI Magazine now!!!

She is another owner who loves her JCW  to bits and coming from an R53 Cooper S she has been the MINI family and community alot longer than me.

However she was passed on the back straight with me taking the JCW to 120mph before braking for the 1st corner. But sadly time is cruel mistress as after completing this lap and seeing Phil & Garry in my sights the chequered flag was waved signalling an end to the session for a cool down lap.

I had a little natter with Jay on the cool down lap asking if was scared at any point as he held on to the overhead handle most of the time around. Well at least he knows now that I can DRIVE and that he needs to hurry up and buy a JCW!

I noticed I was alot quicker this time around and given I got more speed on the back straight and what I was taught at Goodwood sank in from the instructor. But there is still room for improvement in technique.

Well if any of my readers want to jump in the JCW for a quick spin I am always more than happy to oblige so don’t be shy

Next up was walk around the club stands to see what tastes were about

All of these are photos below are from my very close friend of mine who I love to bits. Sammieeeeeeee has been awesome friend to me and has taken the BEST photos of my JCW to date. She has that MINIac enthusiasm like I do when some utter the word MINI. But for the love me I don’t know how she wears those shorts all year round???

Here is a link to the facebook page and website for her MINI photography called MINI Madness

So please go over send her some MINI Love

MINI Madness – FB Page

MINI Madness – Website

I will be doing a full post on her very soon…

Enough talking here there are MINIs

I had promised earlier in the day Phil my carbon fibre rear diffuser off my JCW for his coupe so I handed it over. He asked if I would install the carbon fibre door handle overlays which I was more than happy to do. To be honest the fit and finish was fantastic on them given he only spent around £60 for the pair which left me thinking at some point I will have to get some on my JCW at some point.

Phil has been loving his JCW Coupe so far as it gets way better fuel with pops and bangs on demand. I asked him how it felt to make the move over from the S to the JCW. He reaffirmed the JCW just has that more effortless power delivery to it and more eager to get up and go.

I unwittingly have his Coupe a name when I called it the ‘Blue Turtle’ because of its roof, so now the JCW Coupe is called Leonardo after the blue mutant ninja turtle.

All of the fast five all have JCWs now so no hanging around even more now ; )

Eagle eyed readers will be wondering about Mrs King aka wifey no.2 R53 Cooper S? Lets say she made the upgrade to an R56 JCW to (more information to follower later with lots of piccies)

All that was left now to do was watch the professional take the classics Minis around and make it look easy as they were full throttle all the way around.

The angles they were coming into cause trail braking was insane as it did result in a few spin offs which is all part of the fun.

This brought the day to a close with a parade laps to finish off this track action filled day and it being the UK it had to rain. But this didn’t dampen our spirits as the classic & modern MINIs all rolled out together : D

After the track day I was left with a dilemma as I wasn’t happy with the JCW suspension and brake feel. So I had a quiet word with my wallet and we came to agreement to give Lohen at visit for enhancements and coilovers.

Next Blog Post: MINI Factory Tour – The Last R56

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The post Castle Combe Circuit: Track Shenanigans appeared first on JCW Adventures.

This year’s show would be an interesting, as Surrey New MINI would be coming in force along with my JCW. I had developed a reputation with other MINI owners wanting to meet the dynamic duo. There were a few owners wanting to meet myself I couldn’t wait to line myself up with them and wax lyrically about MINI & modding.

Just before the event I got my oil & filter changed as I had hit the 10,000 miles mark to which I always change my oil. So please if you own a turbocharged or supercharged MINI make sure you check your oil levels and change your oil regularly around or before 10,000 miles or at least yearly if you do low mileage. It’s a simple way of keeping your MINI running smooth and efficiently.

Here is what an oil filter looks like after 10,000 miles

Like I said SNM will be came in force we meant it!!! 35 glorious singing and dancing MINIs with equally looney owners. I think Lohen, 1320 MINI and other MINI specialist had their work cut out the week before the show as everyone was keeping hush hush about their modifications or going completely silent on the boards.

There were a few SNM & MINI Torque members wanting to take me on so friendship might go out the window as pride, manhood and endless bragging right would be on the line.

So line them up so I can knock them down…

Like last year I headed up on the day to the meet point and as usual I was one of the first ones there so I nipped in McDonald for some breakfast nom nom nom.

As the SNM gang were all accounted for we headed out in convoy and ended up hogging up all the roads on the way to Santa pod. A short 15 minute drive we arrived and parked up at our huge club stand with other members putting up the gazebo and SNM Flags.

Once this was done I gave Monie Monies a call to catch up with her and meet up with the Full on MINIs crew for the first time. For a small stand their MINIs do stand out with Andy’s Cooper S aka The BATTLE TANK with his low and wide stanced TopSun body kit which has the artillery to match under that bonnet.

I had read up on this all dancing and bouncing MINI in Modern MINI Magazine as I spotted it at Castle Combe a year ago but never spotted the little purple minion owner. I had a look around this maritime MINI and noticed all the little touches Holly had made from the amusing stickers, wide body kit, sticker bombed trim, air suspension and twin coloured deep dish rims. A unique car needs an equally unique owner…

Monie had brought Mimi with her which had recently been spruced up for the show and it was good catch with the caramel crew. I promised to take monie down the strip and as always I am man of honour so I fired up the JCW for its first run down the strip to put in some practice.

Monie would get her ride along later but new SNM member Carina wanted to see what the fuss was about and learn how to launch off the line. I bumped into a few MINI Torque member most of whom I met at the Midlands meet lining up to race.

I was interested in seeing John’s Hartge R53 Cooper S down the strip as the supercharged MINIs were quicker off the line as I ran against them last year but as soon as the turbocharged hit mid way through 2nd the turbo has created its whirlpool of BOOOSTTTTTTTT and the torque limiter is off allowing the 2nd Gen MINIs to take off.

Supercharger noise is cool but…

Go Pro strapped on the window we rolled down to staging line…

As I watched John hurtle down the strip I eyed the 1/4 mile strip visualising the run from lights flashing down to green to the ultimate pin down of the throttle to eeek out the last few revs to the redline to be crowned a winner or loser.

I pulled into the burn out pad and dumped the clutch with full throttle lighting up the tyres with the onslaught of JCW exhaust howling for the crowd watching me.

The official inched me forward to the line to stage as looked over to Carina and said ‘You ready for this?? Make sure you listen to what I am saying and doing’ She replied ‘Hell yeah’. I got all nervous and the lights seem to take an eternity to change as I heard the muffled sounds of radio chatter as I built the revs up to prepare the launch whilst talking to Carina through all steps of switching off the electronic nannies to holding in the revs.

The lights flicked into actions as the light up and the magically green light appeared I released the JCW’s rampant ponies to what felt like driving on grass then on to tarmac the as Continental sport contacts 5s gripped and hurled us forward with the howl JCW exhaust expelling ozone layer destroying gases into the air. Whilst the crowd watching me were on slaughtered with a satisfying deep burble base line of combustion noises from my engine and exhaust.

I took every shift to the redline which was met with the furiousity of my quick shifting of the carbon and alcantara JCW gear knob as the wave of turbocharged power dispatched the revs with ever climbing speed as we soared past the time Santa Pod time gate. It was all over in a flash with me forgetting Carina was beside me thinking how am I gonna match that.

I backed off the accelerated just as the rear end of the JCW passed through the sign and called upon the 4 pot Brembos to slow us down to ease our way into the exit and cruised to cool down the JCW down for its next run.

I brought the JCW around for another round of 1/4 mile madness and to go through again with Carina exactly how I launched off the line with more details surrounding the process of staging at line. She was worried about breaking her MINI and all said was do you race people at the lights?? ‘Errrhhh yes’ was her reply and I met this with this is the exact same thing but there is no police or speed limit ; )

This time around we had competition in the form of a classic Mini clubman which didn’t looked or sound stock with its low and wide stance. So it was game time to get this JCW off the line as quickly as possible and not to embarrass myself to Carina after teaching how to drag race.

I eyed my competition noticing the slicker tyres and the race suit with helmet he was wearing. OK Mr Racecar lets see what you got???

My Alter ego ‘Rally Ali’ had decided to come out to play with Mr Racecar. So visor down Mr Racecar as you will seeing my rear lights soon…

I didn’t bother with any flamboyance of lighting up my tyres on burn out pad but ushered the JCW to line and focused on the launch as it very much a battle with the clock and Mr Racecar. I glanced over as I staged and slotted the JCW in first whilst building up the revs so I can screech off into the distance.

That green flash of light came and released the clutch with the wrong amount of revs which left the sport contact 5s smoking away grip on the recent surfaced Santa pod strip. I rode through the smoke and low traction as revs rocketed to 6,000rpm and I slammed the gearbox into 2nd with the sound of chirping from the tyres as the boost and torque limiters were lifted from the ECU allowing me to gain the ground I lost against my competition.

As turbo came into play the JCW wasn’t having this classic show it up neither was I as 208 bhp can’t be argued or reason with as the JCW strided forth cutting the air. The JCW splitter sliced the air with the GP2 front under tray sucking the front to the floor and GP2 rear diffuser completing the full flat under tray system creating the ground effect.

Today’s first victim was claimed by the Dark Knight but driver error could have made it a loss.

Like an addict I was back round to drop off Carina at the club stand so she could sign up to drag race down the strip. I gave monie a quick call to ask if she wanted to jump in as I would hit the strip again.

I picked her up near the grand stand and she slide into the JCW bucket recaros but the action was cut short as classic Mini drive shaft snapped and veered into the other lane just missing the MINI on the other side. Gratefully no one was hurt but like any motor sport we were reminded of how danger is always present.

I later read the owner saying ‘I remember going for 3rd gear – I would have been doing around 70mph, the gear stick came too far to the right which means it had lifted over the reverse lockout, in my fumbling effort to find neutral it hit reverse which snapped the left hand drive shaft. The right hand wheel which still had drive because of the LSD locked or turned backwards putting it into the clockwise spin’

We were cleared to head on after a short break but we were down to one lane which left room for practice but I wanted to race the 1st Gen GP. I guess I will have to wait until next year : (

I lined up the JCW for its next run and looked over to Monie who had her phone out to record it all with a grin on her face. As I launched off the line again not feeling the grip on surface but hoping for a good time as my next few race would be ones that count amongst friends.

My young grass hopper wanted to take me on down the strip so said ‘Line them up!!!’ but I did pre warn her that I would beat you. But like any master I had to show my student who was BOSS plus I couldn’t be shown by a GIRL. We headed up to stage for the lights as I glance over to Carina with confidence I slotted the JCW into first.

I held the revs for the launch waiting that sweet green light to signal the JCW to take its next victim of the day. Blink and you would have missed me as I got a perfect launch off the line whilst Carina fumbled her launch with slow reactions and all she could do is watch my tail lights as I hurtled towards the line at break neck speed.

I rolled back to my SNM club stand with my manhood intact awaiting Carina excuses for messing up her launch but my young grasshopper has much to learn but given its was her first time she did me proud later on with her few races.

I powered down the JCW to give her a rest and me to socialise & eat with my club friends.

I went to meet another member of MINI Torque and my IG follower Joseph with his Pepper white Cooper S auto with French blue touches

His Cooper S has been some inspiration for me for future mods on the suspension and induction route.

I caught up with double trouble GP owners GP Garry and Rogue Rob who were at the GP owners stand as Garry was talking about his recent track day at Brands Hatch. I sneakily stole away Liz for our lunch date and spoke about my future plans for the website, work, life and me aiming to be a motoring journalist.

All topped up I walked around with Liz checking out a few of tasty MINIs at the show and shine stand

Cobra seats had brought along their show car

Personally I think this is the best Classic Mini I have ever seen with its rat rod look

I want to shake the person’s hand who had the inspiration to do this. You are a LEGEND!!!

After this MINI Madness I caught up with another lunatic who might be even more of MINIac then me. Yes ino its hard to believe but she does put up a fair fight. I am talking about Holly with her air bagged cooper but I can’t win the front of being the most passionate owner ever given she has the MINI logo tatt’d on her arm

ps for the record Its the only time she will beat me

She showed me how the air bag system work and why she went down this modifying route of low and slow. Like me she wanted to be different from everyone else and set some trends but she did point out it is a Marmite car that people love or hate.

Personally I am a fan of it with custom touches and the funny as stickers that still gets me is the ‘short arse on board’ and ‘I am not SMALL I’m FUN SIZE’. I see Holly can match my wit as well and its finally good to meet a MINI owner who travels as much as I do to events and is the same age as me.

Had to show her the JCW aka The Misses and ran her through the mods and the adventures I had been on but I didn’t have to point out the small mods as she was pointing them out as I unlocked the JCW and opened the door wide open.

Holly went away for a while but we she was up for going down the strip in my JCW.

I was heading down the strip as I saw John with drop top JCW who wanted to run against me down the strip to which I was game to.

It would be an interesting match up as the convertible is slightly heavy yet has the same power. As we were about to head to the starting line Christine waved me down to ask if she could jump and I obviously obliged. Once she was all buckled up we headed to the line…

Me not being a fan of drop tops I didn’t want to be beaten by one whilst everyone looked on from the stands with the phones and cameras. Little did I know a few SNM members and Mersey side MINI owners were looking on and capturing the moment.

I knew I had a fighting chance as my Conti sport contact 5s would give me the better traction off the line if I launch it right.

The little light trickled down to green and with a slight poor reaction I let the JCW off the leash with some wheel spin and hop. I rode through the tortured squealing of the tyres in 1st and when slotted her home for 2nd to what felt like a cut in boost.

My heart sank as the corner of my eye spotted the red JCW which I left at the line caught up to my B pillar nearing on my A pillar. As soon as my head turned to see the JCW my turbo hit its sweet spot of 3,000 RPM and over boosted like jet fighter with afterburners as I slow but firmly started to pull away again. Leaving John’s & his son just looking at me in disarray as we were so evenly match in first 500 metres.

I had the edge as scorched past the speed trap certifying our times for the all the onlookers with no idea what we ran or how close we were. I think that was the closest race I have ever ran but I did feel like I let the JCW down and I was still pondering why it cut boost.

After looking back at the footage it was hell of close race

I let off Christine at the club stand and picked up Holly along the way to strip again for last hurrah for the day as MINI Torque member Sachin wanted to run against me and had been giving me some stick about the wheel gap.

While waiting in the queue a catch up with Holly and learned more about her and her passion for MINI and quickly learned she got into the scene the same time as me and how far she has to travel to any event.

I prepd the Go Pro for the double trouble JCW reading themselves for the battle of the wheel gap and honour for JCW supremacy.

My competition was asking what was under my hood just we went up to line

Just a sports cat and strut brace whilst he was on KW V1 coilovers and running a decat which would give him an edge on the power front and traction front.

I shut the windows so I could zone out and focus on calming my nerves and ran my brain through the process of doing a perfect launch. Holly could see me being all nervous and said you physic yourself up?

I jokily said Tyrese’s line from 2 Fast 2 Furious ‘I got to smoke him’  then I said I will do the drive and stare on you as well…

My nerves built up as I eyed up competition as slotted home 1st and staged the JCW for the battle ahead. I was determined to win for the Mile High Wheel Gap Crew as given I had been given name of wheel gap warrior from Adam aka Evil from MINI Torque.

All I wanted was this victory and no one would take this from me. I built up the revs and waited the lime green light. The lights flashed all the way down to Green and dumped the clutch and wheels chirped on the sticky tarmac scrambling for traction.

My sport contact 5s regained their grip before Toyo proxies on my rival as both shot forth from the line. The sheer volume of noise bellowing from a sport cat and decat 3′ pipes of the JCWs reverberated Santa Pod raceway as we gunned it to the finish line marker.

I grabbed 2nd just before I hit the rev limiter

3rd gear came quickly in concession with me hypnotised to my rev counter to get every last rev before the redline.

Middle way through 3rd Holly said ‘You got him’ as my JCW began to inch past the red top JCW symbolising my inevitable win and crushing defeat as he helplessly watched as my tail lights becoming his runner prize for taking me on.

The win was sealed with satisfying egotistic gear clenching fourth gear as we glided to victory across the Santa Pod sign.

This was the last run of the day and it was a hell of day as I never lost any of my race and put in some good times. My last run of the day was my quickest strangely!!! I guess I work better under pressure.

This show felt alot better than last years given the number of people I knew this time around as well as putting name/MINIs to faces. I will be returning to next years show supporting some more mods….

Given the recent passing of Paul Walker alongside his friend Roger Rodas I feel obliged to talk about it given this post is all about drag racing, 1/4 miles and car culture. When Fast and Furious came out I was only 12 and the UK car modifying scene was small and in its infancy with its ricer/chavastic looks of Civics and Vauxhalls with ridiculous spoilers, bodykits and speakers. It wasn’t really much about doing the interior, handling or performance but all for ‘looks’.

I watched the 1st fast and furious film at my cousin house in London with awe of the neon lighting as this young kid tried to take on Dom to run in his pack. My cousin had a Honda Civic with this god knows what wide bodykit, Huge rear wing, decals, full tints all around, neon lights and alpine sound system. I thought it was amazing at the time as the exhaust was obnoxious loud twin tailpipes which could fit a small child in them. I knew from then when I could learn how to drive I would modify my car with bodykits and neon lights and I dreamt of having my own crew to ride along with. Alot has changed…

But I do have crew now but they are my MINI family who I call the ‘Fast Five’ who I shared the time of my life with. We have got faster as time pasted with everyone owning a JCW within our pack as Phil made the leap to his JCW Coupe, Christine with her JCW, Mr & Mrs King both buying a 1st Gen JCW and 2nd Gen JCW and Garry with his GP2.

Paul Walker and the whole fast and furious scene left a big mark on me and I will truly miss Paul Walker as fan and Idol. It was tragedy to see him go out like this and I woke up to seeing the wrecked Carrera GT on my instagram and I didn’t want to believe that he was gone.

He was a real car guy’s guy as he raced outside of films with various race series and had an awesome car collection including stripped out track focused M3. He was even an honorary guest to Mine’s motor sports in Japan.

My JCW narrowly missed out featuring in Fast & Furious 6 after I put it forward for the film as filming was being done in the UK.

I jokedly said to Joseph at MITP that he was Dom from fast and furious given his build and I would be Paul Walker.

But all I want to say is thank you Paul for making me smile, laugh, cry and dreaming big of owning a GTR.

I hope you didn’t suffer and I hope your family and friends can cope with your passing knowing you tried to make the world a better place with your charity and that millions of people all over the world idolised you and loved you.

Here is a link to his charity – Reach Out Worldwide

I guess heaven needed another angel…

Rest In Peace

Next Blog Post: My MINI Story

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The post MITP 2013: 1/4 Mile Heaven appeared first on JCW Adventures.

The centre stage was set already for these top marques to strut their stuff on the certain to get a look from lucky 5% of the world’s population who can afford them whilst the rest if us mere mortals sat there like patting dogs.

2009 was my 1st visit to the show in my JCW after it had been run in but this time I round my JCW has had alot of MINI adventures and is well know and adored by MINI owners across the globe.

I always get told by my work colleagues or people who know me that MINI should make their brand ambassador as fully distilled in lifestyle that is MINI. I am not gonna lie the JCW is always a talking point and some how I always wriggle in my MINI to any topic so I am really a self-confessed MINIac.

99.9% of any of my social media posts are about my MINI so it wasn’t hard for MINI UK to pick up my obsession so much so I was invited to attend the Festival of speed as a VIP guest and bring a few people with me.

I keep in regular contact with Christine all the time as we a good catch up and giggles on the weekend. I told her I managed to blag some more tickets for Goodwood and whether she would like to come with along with my younger sister and little brother.

She accepted and the stage was set for her to go her first festival of speed. We met up at a service station near by Goodwood estate so we drive in together in convoy. As we drove up together we met to what seemed like the sultan of Brunei’s car collection had come out to see who their new friends would be.

There were a lot of Porsches as we drove and parked up into our VIP parking. Here is a fun fact for you all – 80% of all Porsche 911s ever made are still on the road.

As I previously said the number of exotics, super cars and legends of the automotive world was staggering number but wait a second we were still in the park.

As we passed all the tasty exotics we were met with race cars legends ranging from rally cars to Le mans racers with the infamous Martini livery.

Bentley was showing off its return to Le mans bringing its two race cars which ran in the race in June (They weren’t washed).

Too be honest I think they were trying to show off as they brought their recently unveiled GT3 race car.

Porsche wasn’t too far behind all staged up with its race winning cars. Don’t quote me on this one but Porsche has won the most races overall in motor sport.

Then I spotted the uber rare M1 racecar which really got to perform on the track as race series it was built for stopped so BMW was left with a big bill. It was a troubled birth to begin with as Lamborghini was commissioned to build the cars for racing but conflict arose so BMW made the cars themselves. This BMW rarest car as road going cars were made due to homologations to which 209 were built.

Remember I told you all about Bert???

Yes Bertie that small little Mini cooper sport well it might be small but its mighty. Ian his owner decided to put his Mini in competition to win centre stage at the Goodwood festival of speed on the MINI stand.

Your never gonna guess what happened?

That little guy, no not Ian! Little Bertie won the competition and the minions from MINI gave him the call to tell him they would coming soon to pick him up.

Ian was given a loan car for the duration that Bert would be away which was amusing given Ian recently picked up his 5th MINI – Cooper S

You can clearly see he was jealous of my JCW colour and decided to copy me but give his own twist on the interior with toffee lounge leather. He has given his new MINI the name of chewie because it reminds him of chewbecca from star wars (He has a little plush toy to match which sits in his cup holder).

Bert was picked up bundled into a trailer for transportation to be detailed for his BIG day out on the MINI stand for the Goodwood festival of speed. Ian was given VIP hospitably by MINI UK whilst Bertie was under their car with photo shoots and very famous racing driver Paddy Hopkirk coming down to say Hi.

What do you mean this isn’t the 3rd Gen MINI??

I wasn’t gonna let Ian have all the fun!!! As we all know why you buy a MINI is to have fun behind the wheel. So we parked our bums in some of the MINIs line up of model with me looking at the JCW paceman thinking it need more power while my sister was dreaming of drop top posing in the Kite blue coupe. Little Adam was more bothered about jumping on the MINI bumper cars!!!

Yes you heard me right MINI bumper cars. Plenty of go with no need for insurance but the potential of mess hair and shaken brain topped with a BIG Grin on your face.

Well I let the kids so first as I didn’t want to show them up with my epic driving skills as I am gentleman racer which has nothing to the lovely ladies working on the MINI stand *PROMISE*

Little Adam was enjoying himself with the wind in hair and road rage activated. I guess you have to start from somewhere.

We weren’t the only loonies who wanted to join in on the fun as the whole Wacky racers crew came down to settle the score once and for all.

It was across the way to the BMW stand where M was the word with the M5, M6 & M135i taking front stage with the all new 435i M Sport lurking upstairs in the owners lounge.

Next is the upcoming sensation of 2014 the Alfa Romeo 4C with its light weight carbon fibre tub with 240 BHP rear wheel shenanigans which will see the brand win back heart of enthusiasts worldwide.

Remember you not a real car person until you own a Alfa….

There are a few brands which I hold dear to the petrol filled heart – MINI, BMW, Lotus, Porsche, Mercedes, Lamborghini and Pagani. So you guys and girls can now imagine what my ultimate seven-day car garage would look like.

I love the lunacy of the AMG marque as its like going out on a date with axe murderer in pinstriped suit. You know it looks dapper and will show you a good time whilst its drunk but it has all the power in the relationship, however don’t fall asleep before it does as you might not wake up.

Which neatly brings me on to the V8 C63 AMG which will be last hurrah for the V8 as the V6 twin turbo arrives in the next C Class AMG

I wouldn’t mind have a 507 Edition C63 AMG

Black Series, enough said…

You have all heard, watch and read about the Mercedes new offering in the hot hatch market with the CLA & A Class AMG.

I am not sold on the CLA visual appeal as it looks the designer finished his final look and some backed into the clay model. On the other hand the A class is the looker of the bunch and interior is beautifully finish with nice touches here and there but whatever you do not buy it in south sea metallic blue.

Its staggering how AMG’s first attempt at hot hatch market with 2 litre turbocharged engine that produces 360bhp and dispatches 0 to 60 in 4.6 seconds making it the quickest hot hatch you can buy.

You have seen it on Top Gear when Jezza took out this electric beast around the track with 4WD, 740bhp & 738lb ft – 0-62 mph in 3.9 secs , 155 mph, 155-mile range, 3 hr fast charge and 2110kg. Weight for the price tag – starts at €416,500.

SLS AMG Electric drive

As we headed out the Mercedes booth the red arrows had begun their display over head in formation and showing why they are the best at what they do.

The Italians didn’t like to be out shined by anyone and the prancing horse was out in force with the V12 F12 Berlinetta with the ludicrous 730bhp going to the rear wheels only. THE BRAVE MAY ONLY APPLY…

Ferrari had brought their ‘Entry’ level super cars with them

The land of the rising sun was there with some OOOOOOHHHH DRRRRIIIIIIIFFFFFTOOOOOOOOO  ACTION with the Toyota GT86

If you ever wondered why I say AHHHHH DRIFFFFTTOOOOO –

Here is what is happening in my head when I say it

Here in Great Britain we have our gentlemen racer and when we do drive ONE must take their time and enjoy the opulence. Once conditions are clear one puts down their right foot like a sir in the RR…

Wraith is the most powerful Rolls-Royce in history. Behind the deep-set Pantheon grille sits a potent 6.6 litre, twin turbo-charged V12 engine. Delivering 624 bhp with 800 Nm of torque, it powers from 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds. Even with this formidable power, Wraith is every inch a refined Rolls-Royce with electronically controlled air suspension that creates the signature ‘magic carpet ride’.

If that much power wasn’t enough the land speed legends were soaking up the rays in the sun

The festival of speed is called this for no reason as there is little squiggle of tarmac called the Goodwood hill climb were the money is object supercars and exotic battle it out for the coveted King of the hill.

The first hyper car I was the Koenigsegg Agera whilst humming away at its idle with an AUDI R8 GT behind it taking in the exhaust fumes of Sweden’s finest.

The line up front was too bad either F12 on pole, Careera 4s and waving the British flag the Noble M600

The Mclaren boys were up next with MP4-12C, MP4-12C GT and the successor to the McLaren F1 the P1 was there to flex its power & F1 tech.

We moved from the new boys to the old but still gold warriors of the tarmac

It wouldn’t be true car show without a Bugatti

The V12 7 litre Jaguar XJR-9 Group C and XJ13

Ferrari 512 and 25O GTO

An early 911 in race spec

For my MERICA the Camaro

I had never heard or seen this BMW before but it hell is it a looker -1958 BMW 507

It was only fitting if there was an Mclaren F1 if its offspring were here

Salmon pink Bugatti Veyron – not sure what to think of it

Uber rare and under appreciated Porsche GT1

Still my all time fav the Ferrari F40

Mercedes 540K spezial roadster

Lamborghini countach  (The word Countach is italian slang word to describe a hot chick)

This was Porsche’s show so this year its was their sculpture dawning right into front of the goodwood house

Take a good look at this line up as this is all the models Lamborghini has ever made

As you all know we don’t truly group as all that happens is that our toys just get more expensive. What happens when I say this …and now here they are!!!! The most daredevil group of daffy drivers to ever whirl their wheels in the WACKY RACES. Competing for the title of worlds wackiest racer. The cars are approaching the starting line. 

Back to BIG BOY toys with the track star that is the 993 GT2

930 turbo flatnose called Flachbau in German, straight from the factory was offered as the ultimate 930 Turbo, the this model had an upgraded body and a 330 bhp engine. Costing nearly double the standard model, the Flachbau was rarely ordered. Before 1986, Porsche had offered the Flachbau body option out of its customer service department known as Sonderwunschen.

Despite the panels being slightly heavier, they were modeled after the 935 race car for top speed. The conversion required extended rocker panels, wider rear flares with scooped vents and flip-up headlights up front with functional louvres allowing a top speed of 171mph.

The Revtastic V10 Lexus LFA in the perfect colour – pearl blue

Nismo felted 370z

Track focued Jaguar XKR-S GT – that rear wing is not very jag like

Running Jaguar concept called Project 7

Aston Martin’s present to itself the CC100 speedster (Only two existence – 1 for Aston and one for deep pocketed customer)

Zeee Germans weren’t too far behind with their black magic SLS AMG Black series

Morgan Aeromax which was supposed to be a one-off but 100 were built given customer reaction (Hamster from Top Gear brought one – think it got written off in a 3 car pile)

Epic Clapton’s one-off Ferrari specially built homage to the 512 BB to which he has owned 3 but that’s not the only 3 to the story as it has been reportedly costed £3 million.

F12 berlinetta & 458 Italia spider

Another Italian stallion the Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale

Ruf GT5

The under appreciated Spyker C8 Aileron

Koenigsegg Agera

Close one of the M4-12C GT

Pagani Huayra

Peugeot Onyx concept

McLaren had its own stand with its road & race cars

Long tail Mclaren F1 in Gulf livery

Mclaren F1 LM

Mclaren P1

Formula 1 Mclaren

Porsche had its usual stand and grass area for the off road experience. The stand had all the Porsche through the ages.

That wraps up the day I spent at Goodwood with my veins filled up 99 octane fuel, my lungs filled with exhaust fumes and ears vibrating to the sounds of revving engines.Till next year Goodwood…

Next Blog Post: MITP 2013 – 1/4 Mile Heaven

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The post Goodwood: Festival Of Speed 2013 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

I would be attending this event not with Surrey New MINI but with Mersey MINI Club (MMC) which is run by Rob McGivern and a group of friends that met through the MINI scene. I had met up with the MMC earlier in the year for their Dragon Run but the first time I met the key members was at MINI UNITED 2012. It’s funny how everything goes back to that week in France and all someone has to do is mention MINI UNITED and a massive grin comes on my face and the memories flood in.

This time I would be taking my little brother and my cousin aka The Doc (he is a real doctor) but like always its was an early start and it would the doc’s first car show and this would be my first time attending this show. We arrived at the meet point in good time and watched the MMC crew drive in with familiar faces arriving and parking up.

Neil with his oxygen blue JCW

Alan with his recent purchase of a Lightening Blue JCW but his previous MINI Cooper SD Hatch is on the cover of Modern MINI Magazine currently

Shiney Dave

Dave with his JCW Coupe

Miss Doorsoff with super soooovvvv and Richard with his Cooper D

Kevin with his recent but familiar purchase of a WC50 (Rob’s WC50)

John’s drop top JCW

Dave’s Cooper S

All accounted for we all headed out in convoy to Cholmondeley Castle to our allotted space for all our MINIs as we would attend as a MMC. All parked up we setup the club gazebo so we all could come back later and relax, chit-chat and watch the exotics come down the closed circuit track.

Me being a Porsche fan I went straight to them as this year celebrates 50 years of 911 and its funny how my dad birthday shares the same day as the 911 was first introduced. He owns a facelift 997 Carrera S with sports chrono pack and PDK which I test drove it before he brought as he wanted my opinion on how it drove. Lets say I didn’t hang about on the test drive and putting it through its paces on the back roads.

Having driven the 977 and new 991 both at speed and going about in traffic I can say without doubt the Porsche feel hasn’t disappeared with the direct fuel injection and electric steering. I was shocked how Porsche took it to the next level with the all new model as it a better car to live with but when you got it was even better with better damping, chassis, control and the NOISE!!! Ahhhh its like having hornets strapped with fire crackers coming out of the exhaust as it pops and crackles like mad in sports mode. The love the new looks with those sexy rear LED lights with the plusher interior and the new modern steering with its paddles.

There was 991 Carrera with powerkit on show next to the 1984 911 SC RS

Tucked away in a corner under shade there was an awesome 991 Carrera 4 with Martini racing livery

The all new Cayman was there too along with the all new Boxster

There was a Porsche Cayenne which the Doc feel in love with to which sort of understood as he very much the family man but isn’t bothered by outright performance but enjoys his luxury and class. I have to say the example on show did match his persona but with a sticker price of around £80,000 he best start saving for the car and buying a parking space in London.

Next collection of cars suited me well given my nickname is Rally Ali as I enjoy watching rallying as I do love a good power slide. First up was the Prodrive JCW Countryman which was carbon fibre glad with its air intake, door panels, dashboard, rear wing and diffuser.

Next was an all time legend’s car with its famous blue paint and gold wheels. Yes its Colin McRae’s Subaru Impreza 555 who I feel brought rallying to the masses with flamboyant style, infamous saying of ‘If in doubt, flat out’ and long running series of PlayStation games of Colin McRae rally games.

The new fiesta RS rally car looked immense with its flared arches and body work

There was a nice collection of ford’s rallying history lined up from its two-wheel escorts to its modern four-wheel drive focus

Some more Ford legends together – Sierra RS & RS200

There some famous faces from the loony tune ages of Group B rally car

I say this was the loony tune ages of rallying as the cars as this was the era where the quickest, most power fullest cutting edge car were being built but sadly with all this power war amongst the competitors it caused a black cloud over the sports as major accidents, fatalities and danger forced the FIA to close the group in 1986.

Another manufacture was celebrating its anniversary with Aston Martin reaching the milestone of a 100 years.

The new Aston Martin Vanquish with it’s all carbon body panels was released to coincide with the centenary anniversary.

The raging bull that is Lamborghini is also celebrating its anniversary with 50 years of the rampant raging bull certifying its place in the super car world with the Miura.

The Lamborghini  was born after Ferruccio Lamborghini wasn’t happy with his Ferrari after its clutch broke so he went to Ferrari and asked for a better replacement. Enzo Ferrari responded saying that ‘he was just a tractor maker, and could not know anything about sport cars’. So furious with his reply he decided to teach Enzo a lesson a formed his own automotive business. You have to love the Italian passion.

We moved on to the BMW stand with a nice selection of M Cars and DTM race car

Bentley was present with its own plinth of stand with the new Continental GT and GT3 race car

Next up we headed to the paddock area where all the cars that would running down the closed circuit course where they would idling before they were summoned by waiting crowds. There was a nice mixture of race cars, exotics, supercars, rally cars, GT3 race cars, nasa cars, single seaters, track only cars, 90s race cars, le mans racers, old F1 cars and you name it was there so your lust for the smell of petrol and burning rubber would be over fuelled.

Unlike Goodwood you can really get up close with the race drivers and cars with the drivers more the willing to have a chat and let you have a real noise around the motors inside and under the bonnet. This is how it should be are petrol heads at heart and we where here that day to celebrate the combustion engine and the power it gives us with our right foot.

Even though this an automotive show there were two spitfires flying over heading with a bomber circling the grounds over head whilst this was going on there jet skis and power boats on the lakes of the ground zipping past with a live demonstration of a coast guard air rescue.

Another thing I like about the show was the food with the fine selection for the choice to eat for lunch ranging from stone baked pizzas to paella and to quench your thirst there was a selection of fresh juices/smoothies and normal beverages. If that was not even to satisfy your foodie appetite then there were an array of boutique food shop companies allowing you to sample and buy some of their produce.

A perfect example was the Cheshire Cheese Company – I love a bit of cheese but this stuff is of another world with the texture and the right blend of favours that arise as your mind savour the taste  – http://www.cheshirecheesecompany.co.uk/

Sadly after stocking on some fine produces someone must have given the 5-0, the rozzers, the boys in blue, the po po, the coppers, the feds a tip of call I was at this show as they came in force. I am only joking they were here to entertain the kids and build better speed awareness for drivers but personally I think they wanted to show off their motors.

They gave a quick tour of all the vehicles and what all the button did and allowed us to put on the sirens and talk over the in-car megaphone. My younger brother was happy to see them but I gave the slip by giving of my many alias under questioning

Well if you can’t beat them join them…

I think little Adam got carried away with the extra power and decided to boss me around whilst he had riot gear on.

After going through their data base they saw through my fake alias and had enough of lies whilst I always give them the slip on the road with the JCW. The handcuffs came out and they bundled me up in the back of the van and threw away the key.

For those who know me they know I am very good with my words and have been given the nickname of ‘The Blagger’ so after a few words and my legal right of a phone call I was let out with all charges dropped and with a free get out jail card as well. I guess crime pays…

As the day came to a close we went back to the club stand and watched the race cars go past and made idle chit-chat. As I sat there watching the cars go by, Liz came over and gave me the invitation to her wedding which was a great honour and would be my first white wedding but it wouldn’t be no ordinary wedding as this was a rocking wedding. I can’t wait for the wedding and I can only wish them both happiness and even more MINI adventures ahead for them

It was another perfect day in the beautiful British summer weather with great company and the worst part has always been going back home. I cant wait to go to the next year’s show and thank you Mersey MINI Club for putting up with me as always

Next Blog Post: Goodwood – Festival Of Speed 2013

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The post Cholmondeley: Pageant Of Power appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Here are some fun facts:

2009: the event broke the world record for the longest convoy of Minis with a Guinness verified total of 1450 cars.

2010: The event celebrated its 25th anniversary

The Event is believed to be the largest one make car show in the world attracting over 2,500 Minis both classic and modern

Now back to business, having just finished my own organised MINI Run the MIR Run the following Sunday I would be joining the Largest MINI event on the calendar. I have personally always wanted to do this run and I wouldn’t be in bad company with my 2nd family Surrey New MINI.

Just before the event or any MINI Madness I gave my JCW the weekly check over. Having finished the MIR Run I was shocked to see the level of oil left so I topped the oil level with Castrol’s finest 0-30w oil.

MINI Shrewsbury offered to fit my GP2 front under tray for free but might want to ask why I was getting the front under-tray??

I had been doing personally doing alot of reading and research into the GP2 before its release then following up all the information from owners and when I drove one after my local dealership phoned me to ask if I wanted a test drive. One thing I noted was how planted it felt and I went about seeing how it did it but for argument’s sake least but the coilovers to the side and look at the aero on the GP2. MINI clearly state the GP2 reduced lift at the rear axle by 90 per cent because of the aero package (roof spoiler, rear diffuser and underside panelling).

Alot of people have wondered why MINI didn’t inter cooler even this a track orientated vehicle but the front under tray is a clever bit of kit as it as aerodynamic shield underneath reducing drag by the slits which let out hot air out of the engine bay while the NACA ducts suck in cold air creating a vacuum thus cooling the engine further with the benefit of the front end being sucked to the floor at the same time (ground effect).

Not bad for a £58 part?? Given a bigger inter cooler costs £500

My tyres were on their way out and so I brought some Continental Sport Contact 5s after my exploits in Germany testing them on Continentals test facilities. Once I got them fitted I was astonished by the extra grip in the wet and dry and the fact I could take corners much faster with them allowing me to fully put down the power at any given moment.

JCW all prepared for the journey it was time get down to cleaning her, out came the snowfoam and pressure washer all top off with a layer of Reload.

I set off on my 2 and half hour journey to Croydon, London to my hotel and to meet up with Surrey New MINI (SNM). It was grinning whilst I set off to do the L2B run knowing my JCW is being part of the biggest and longest running MINI event over the world. I sat back in my JCW Recaros with Harmon Kardon system playing out the white roof radio podcast. It was genuinely nice driving down this time as traffic was low and the weather was perfect  #RayBansMoments

I planned on meeting up with Christine at a service station so we could convoy down to the hotel together and also we could have our usual giggles over the walkie talkies. We parked up at the hallmark hotel which was opposite our meet point in the morning. I put my cameras on charger and headed down to meet up the SNM gang over the road in Pizza Hut.

There was some new faces at the table with Harry aka Nortonski. He is another young JCW owner in the club who genuinely thought was some old guy given he talked to me on the forums.

With any SNM gathering there is plenty laughs, giggles and stories to listen for us all but god was the service was beyond a joke in this pizza hut with them giving us the wrong orders on the starters, running of food we ordered, 45 minute wait, drinks, main course and final nail in the coffin the incorrect bill.

All feed we retired to our hotel rooms for some Zzzzz as it would be an early start to go pick up our L2B run items from Crystal Palace. I loved the fact my room overlooked my JCW and before I knew it the day came with an early start at 5 in the morning to get ready.

I am not drunk but I parked like this to avoid getting door dings and then a van comes along and parks next to you *face palm*

The usual suspects were ready and waiting – Neil, Sarah, Dan and Christine with the rest of the team. We decided to take a few MINIs down to collect L2B Goody bag whilst the others got breakfast or enjoyed the extra lie in. I had to keep an eye on Dan and his craftiness as he has been after some official MINI sun blinds.

We headed out in convoy down the streets of Croydon to Crystal Palace for the starting point of the L2B RUN to where I would meet two of my Instagram followers Mike aka Twelve_75 and Charlotte who both own classics.

I picked up my run pack which includes a Run Plaque, Run Sticker, Run T-Shirt and Official Program. I have been waiting sooo long to get that plaque as its something I wanted my JCW to wear with pride and I brought some flags to have for momentum sake.

Mike came down to meet and introduced him to some of SNM and pointed down to our MINIs all parked up all in a line. Mike was a nice guy with a near on perfect example of a classic mini and you could see still he had passion for minis all this time which made me happy knowing it doesn’t fade away.

We swapped some stories for a while and then pointed out where Charlotte and her mini was. I couldn’t wait to see Charlotte’s mini as it was fully decked out in the golf livery and even the interior was in the infamous light blue and orange colour scheme as well, not bad for a first car!!!

I spoke with Charlotte for a while and she was telling me about her mini and the other IG followers she met and how this was her first mini.

We head back out to my clubs meet point for breakfast and catch up with everyone who would be joining our convoy for the run. We were twenty plus MINIs strong and I was greeted by the elegant Carina who had never met before whilst I enjoying my breakfast. The first words she said to me were ‘ I have been told your quite the MINI fanatic?’ I laughed and replied ‘I am more of a MINI Lunatic to be fair’

I showed Carina around the JCW and told her all the stuff that had been done to it and took for a quick spin around the park lot as we waited to see how my JCW sounded and to enjoy the bucket Recaro seats.

She then proceeded to show me her Cooper S with the JCW power kit aka ‘Alfie’ and it was nice meeting some my age who shares the same passion and does all the nick picky things like I do e.g. parking away from any other car, having rules for passenger in your MINI and that your MINI is more than a machine but an extension of you and your personality.

We saw the L2B convoy rolling by so we decided to add our new MINIs to ranks of classics. The roads of Crystal palace and Croydon were skittles which all the minis taking up all roads as far as you could see and your rear view didn’t look shabby either. Once we hit the motorway we left the classics behind and connected back to one another with the radios crackling with chatter of our mini owners on the same channel.

I saw the signs for Brighton and a smug grin came on to my face as it still didn’t dawn upon me that I am doing this event given the amount of times I haven’t thought about it or heard about it. Being a car enthusiasts ever since I could remember and as a child I carried around this booklet of cars and when I spotted them I would tick them off and rattle off specifications and technical details if anyone spoke about any car. I guess we don’t really change much…

We stopped at a service station to get everyone back together again given the traffic that ensued which gave us chance to admire the classics and new MINIs together. I don’t think there has been a time when we arrived to any car park without causing everyone to stop and stare.

There were some tasty classic all lined up at the service station.

We hit the road again and followed the signs to Brighton well I mean signs but it was more like follow in the mini ahead lol

It was the most amazing sight that I could see MINIs as far as the eye could see over the horizon

I love how someone who made the signs for L2B run has a sense of humour

I met a familiar face behind in Cooper S Roadster it was Ashley from the MINI Store that I visited last year during the Olympics.

We were finally there in Brighton and were heading down Madeira drive and it was like Moses has parted the sea with minis and MINIs all lined up the seafront.

We parked up and watched the continuous follow of classic and New MINIs drive by us. It was just pure car porn as we walked all the seafront of Brighton.

There was awesome stand of TV show themed minis

 We later hit the show and shine stand

I have always wondered with show and shine show that the majority of these cars are not driven which defeats the point of our a CAR its meant to be DRIVEN!!! Thank god that L2B says that you have to do the run and you’re not allowed to transport it there and that’s how it should be.

I am going shut up for a while and show you all the pictures from the event

Talking about photos one of SNM member is a keen photographer when I say keen photographer, I am probably under rating her alot as she is truly talented and absolute enjoy to be around. I am talking about the Samieeeeeee who has her own website and Facebook page of all her work.

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MiniMadnesss

Website: http://www.minimadnesss.co.uk/

She is a proud owner of an R50 MINI One aka Stripes and classic mini aka Winnie P.

Can anyone guess what this mini is???

The 1962 Ogle SX1000 based on a Mini with the first cars were built by grafting glass fibre body to a customer supplied Mini. The conversion costed £550 plus the customer supplied base car. Later in 1962, complete cars became available with the 997 cc Cooper version costing £1176. Any of the Mini engines could be specified up to the Mini Cooper S unit which topped out at 110 mph (180 km/h). It is thought that 66 were made.

The day came to a close and it was an amazing time being apart of this historic event. I headed back to Birmingham with my JCW wearing the L2B plaque with a sense of pride. My JCW still wears that plaque but it sits on my back window so you can admire my derrière as I pass you ; )

This is dedicated to my best friend’s dad who passed away from Cancer on 02/09/13

RIP Mr Douglas

Next Blog Post: Beaulieu – National MINI Cooper Day

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The post London to Brighton Run 2013 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

Whilst they were out hooning on the rear wheel drive BMWs my half of the group was learning about how continental develops a tyre from the compound to the thread pattern and all the research and development that goes into the process.

I asked the question – What if I or tyre company copied your thread pattern would it perform the same or better?

Reply – Even if you copied the exact thread pattern, the compound of our tyres is very different and that’s where our extensive R&D developments goes into

I have always been a preacher about buying good tyres and brakes as these are the only things that keep you on the road. People forget that contact patch between you and the road is only the size of your palm. It was our time for some rear wheel drive shenanigans in the white BMW 1 series and they were fitted with cheap import tyres. I mounted my Go Pro 3 to the back window to showcase my driffftttoooo ability whilst on the wet handling track. I jumped into the driver’s seat unaccompanied and put the paddle shift gearbox and car into sport mode.

We followed a pace car upfront with radios on board which talked us through the lap and how to push the tyres to the limit to feel the difference. To be honest I was being a right yob with me hanging the back out on every corner for a continuous drift.

It was laughable how easy it was to induce over-steer all the time with the cheap import tyre being very loose in the wet handling track and gave no confidence what’s so ever when you pushed the car. When you reached the limit of grip you were met with snap on over-steer which is fun on track but deadly on public road.

All these characteristics are stupidly fun on a closed track which makes you wonder why doesn’t someone offer a track day like this?? Joking aside these handling threats of the tyre would deadly on the open road. Still grinning from ear to ear fun, I suction mounted the Go Pro to the grey BMW fitted with ContiPremium Contact 5s to see how Continental’s tyres could fare better even with the worsening wet track. Into the first corner the difference was evident with the BMW front end would not wash into under-steer and the rear end refused to swing out as I mashed the loud pedal middle corner.

I was being a right lunatic to get the BMW to over-steer as I had to go specifically out of my way to do it. The difference with the Conti tyre was it told you exactly before it let go whilst being controllable.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/wreXP1uB9WY]

It was a no contest between which tyre you would buy.

Tread carefully was the next station which was designed to show you how much a difference tread difference can make

We would drive 3 VW Golfs with different levels of thread – 8, 3 and 1.6 mm at different speed starting at 60 kph (37 mph) then 70 kph (43 mph) and finally 80 kph (50mph) to see the difference. My Group elected to learn the theory behind changing your tyres at 3 mm opposed towards the legal limit of 1.6 mm. 1.6mm is the legal limit for tread depth on tyres. But tests show that at this tread depth, tyres are only performing at 55% efficiency, meaning stopping distances are greatly increased in wet conditions.

We learnt about how the efficiency of the tyres decrease when the thread reduces and about the structure of the compound, side walls and thread pattern make a difference. With the theory dusted off we head towards the car to which there were two people per vehicle because it made easier to switch seats.

I was joined by the motoring journalist queen aka Geraldine Herbert the founder of wheelsforwomen.ie  who has written for newspapers, magazines and websites including the Sunday Independent. It was an honour having her on-board and we had some good discussions about the event and wider car industry. My driving skills had to be at their A game with her on board so no pressure at all. We entered the first car which had 3 mm thread and went around the oval track building our speed up to 60 kph and keeping it steady at that speed whilst we drove through about a 2 metre long patch of standing water. At 50 kph there was a slight slow down in the vehicle but nothing that really phased the tyre.

Next we built up 60 kph and felt the car slow as you noticed the tyre was trying to move the water but with a slight struggle. Once again we ramped up the speed and noticed the car twitched by it moving it to the right which was nothing uncontrollable. It sort of felt like torque steer with reduction of speed of about 5 kph. The Golf fitted with 8 mm tyres was up next so everything was going be fine due to the thread depth and it was true. The car never struggled with the standing water at the different speed and the only teeny tiny difference that was felt at 80 kph even then we were pointed straight ahead.

Next up where the 1.6mm tyres and me and Geraldine gave each other that look, were we we going slide into the barrier plus she elected me to do it first such a Lady. Sadly at this time we were being rushed as our allocated time at this station was coming to a close.

Therefore we dashed into the other Golf and began our first run at 60kph and as soon as we went through the stand water the car aquaplane. It felt like the car was being pushed sideways I was temporary stunned by how the car acted but my reflexes kicked in with me adding opposite lock to steer the car through the cones. We looked at each after it happened and we were like ‘WOW, are you OK?’ Then the radio crackled again saying we need to speed things up so we were moving up the speed to 80kph.

You should have seen my face, WHAT!! An extra 20kph (17mph) we are going hit the barrier at this speed or I am going spin it front of all these motoring journalists. Great I am gone tonight’s topic of laughter at the bar.

We went back around again and I held the speed steady at 80kph and in the corner of my eye I saw Geraldine clutch the door pull so I told her ‘I got this and you got your seat belt on right?’.

Around the bend we went on to the stand water and everything went into slow motion with the car being violently throw to the right like we had just been T Boned by another car.

My fingers buried into the contours of the steering wheel as reacted to the aquaplaning and I meet it with an equal force to correct the car to stop it under steering into the barrier. I caught the car and the grip returned the dry asphalt so I powered it out the cones in front of me. I looked over and said ‘I genuinely thought we were going hit that barrier as didn’t think the front tyres would regain grip’. We were in slight state of shock with the adrenaline still pumping for a while after that encounter. The message was clear from this test – change your tyres before or on 3mm thread is only left

We have been drilled in by the theory test and motoring laws saying 1.6 mm is legal limit. Therefore we have been miss education to change the tyres when its close to legal limit which is completely wrong thing to do. Next up is all the track time madness I have spoken and promised everyone by telling them to wait for Part 2.

We arrived at the next station called ‘Driving Performance For You’ where there was a line up of some tasty cars – 2 x Audi RS3, A Class AMG, BMW 335i, Porsche Panamera GTS and a Porsche GT3 RS.

I looked at these tasty motors and thought – ‘Oh yes time for some track action and they are not my tyres’. Someone had to come over to shuffle us into the white tent for the briefing about the performance tyres made by Continental. We were shown the Sport Contact 5s, Sports Contact 5P and Conti Force Conacts with the 5s being for a fast car/road tyre and the 5P being more of a lower profile track orientated tyre which can be used on daily driver but wont grip as much in the wet as the 5s given the thread pattern and compound.

The Force Contacts are a track bias tyre will with them being lower profile and the compound being suited to a dry track but they were still street legal if you wish to drive around on them a daily basis. It was ironic as this was the dry handling track but it was wet and still pouring down. So I wasn’t sure how to handle the cars on a wet track with ridiculous amounts horsepower on a track I didn’t know.

First up was the Audi RS3 and strangely Geraldine came with again after the ride in the Golf, I guess my recovery of the aquaplaning impressed her.

I mounted the Go Pro to the back window and enter the larger leather bucket Seats of the RS3 which were very comfortable. I fiddled with the seat and adjusted the autobox to sport and put the car into sport mode and eyed up the line the track and listened to the instructions coming from the walkie-talkie.

This was my 1st time in the RS model and everyone raves on about them but I honestly don’t like Audi’s at all! I actually loathe them with them all looking the same with them just being a longer and shorter of themselves with their boring driving feel and input. I wanted to keep objective so I set aside the my dislike and I hunkered down in the RS seats and gave the throttle a few blips to hear the exhaust note which was nice. Off we went following the lead car a black BMW 335i and mashed the gas pedal as soon as we left the lay-by area with the four-wheel drive hooking up and all 335 ponies from the forced induction 2.5 litre TFSI engine propelling us forward with a jot to push us back in our seats.

I went into the first bend all cautious as I wasn’t sure about the how the car would handle in the wet but I soon realised that you didn’t have to do anything but press the loud pedal as the car did everything and all that was left was for you point the thing in the right direction.

The Audi was quick with it reaching 140kph on the back straight but my god was it boring it drive with no feedback to the wheel at all. I could have driven it one hand and texted my mates to telling them what I was doing and take a few snaps whilst I was there. I left the AUDI unimpressed by its driving feel and here is my summary of the car – If you want a point to point fast car the RS3 is perfect, actually it should be THE getaway car of choice if you want to rob a bank. If your after driving involvement, road feel and laughs then don’t buy it, sure it fast but it’s so uninvolving I would rather go shopping for door mats. Into the much incapacitated A Class AMG which had nice subtle menacing look from the outside and was very tasty inside. SLS AMG air vents and carbon fibre look dashboard with some nice subtle red accents around the cabin. So far good, I looked to the console to turn everything on to get it to sport mode which took a little longer than I like but minor grumble given the performance on tap.

Now I would have another 4 wheel drive vehicle but with 2 litre four banger developing a laugh out loud 355 BHP. Again this would be my first time driving the hot version of normal Mercedes as I had only driven the C Class CDI C220 a while back.

I have always wanted to drive an AMG given how loony the division is with copious amount of power they extract from engines and the noise they make which sound like the heavens have opened up and THOR has arrived. Again I blipped the throttle to her what she sound like but it was slightly muted but I wasn’t sure about the reason given how new the car was but meh.

Off we went around the track again with me being directly behind the lead car so I could push on more as we would setting the pace of the other cars behind us. Straight way I felt the AMG feel more eager to rev and pull harder in the corner but I didn’t like the driving feedback but it was significantly better than the RS3.

I had a lot more fun the AMG with the feedback and it was more playful with it reaching 147kph on the straight way which made me wonder what it would be like in the dry.

I left the AMG impressed as this was their first proper attempt at hot hatch and I would definitely recommended one over the RS3 as its faster and roughly the same price – WIN WIN!! Next up was the blacked out BMW 335i which looked menacing as hell and me being brought up in BMW and owning a 323i for a while I looked forward to testing performance variant of the 3 series. Into the 335i I went with a big grin as I knew some sideways drift action would have happening with the rear wheel drive power.

It’s very dangerous coming out four-wheel drive vehicles as you got used to giving the car full throttle mid corner. This pre mindset was evident in the first corner where I pressed the loud pedal mid corner resulting in the back-end of the BMW going into 60 degree slide then finally me realise and catching the slide with opposite lock and powering out of the corner.

I looked over to Geraldine and said ‘Do not worry I will make sure we will stay on track as I know you have two kids but I will be pushing it hard’. I proceed to get use to the 335i making sure I was getting the most out of the turbocharged 3 litre in-line six developing 300bhp and 300lb ft of torque to tail happy rear wheels. It was quite tricky getting used it due to the conditions of the track and the seat time I would have.

This is what made it way more fun than the Merc or Audi as you the driver had to work learn the cars behaviour and find the levels of grip instead of the electronic nannies and clever four-wheel drive vectoring power behind the senses.

The BMW was the quickest on the back straight with an indicated 160kph but the brake pedal feel was worrying as the consecutive pounding was showing in my time around in the track. Minor grumble as this isn’t a fully fledged skunk works of the M division unlike the RS & AMG as I am sure the forthcoming M3 would have power slided to victory.

Time was now running short and I had to make a tough decision drive the Panamera GTS with Ferocious V8 putting out 430BHP or jump into the Porsche GT3 RS for some hot laps.

By the time I had decided to take the GTS some had nicked it from me so GT3 RS was awaiting me to dawn a racing helmet and to climb through the full roll cage to hunker down into the racing bucket seats. I gave the thumbs ups to the driver who actually worked for Continental on tyre development. Off we went and hell he could drive with his braking and feeding the power in and never letting the power being wasted even in the wet. Not once did miss a clipping point or apex and he drove the GT3 RS like the track was dry. The GT3 RS was fitted with Conti Force Contacts.

I was told later he is very fuss about driving as drove the track first early in the morning and adjusted his tyre pressures then went back out again. When it rained during the day he took it out again to find the better line in the wet and adjusted the pressures again. I got told by the guys that Mercedes C63 AMG would have been out today buy didn’t due to the rain as it would be too lairy, plus the other day one person decided to leave the track in one and go off-road. Typical I have always wanted to drive one as well.

The next experience was up next called ‘Chill Out’ but I didn’t think we would be literary chilling out as we were taken into the where the winter tyres were tested. It was freezing in the testing area and we were told now how a winter tyre were made.

The silica is key to grip in temperatures below 7 degrees due to the properties of it being a soft compound and the tyres have snipes/groves to increase traction on snow or ice. Continental had a novel way of showing you the difference between a normal tyre and winter tyre with slippers.

Yes slippers!!! They had made slippers out of a tyre which looked amazing when you flipped them over – 1 slipper was a normal tyre and the other made of a winter tyre We all rolled out to get our slippers on to the long sheet of ice and you felt straight away when you stepped on the ice with one leg sliding forward to rip your trouser and your other leg staying put like it was glued to the floor.

My left leg had a mind of its own on the ice and it was good thing I wore slightly baggy chinos at the time.

The day was coming to close at 5 and we were all called back to the press room where last parts of the brand experience would happen. We would sit down and listen about Continentals history and developments/partnerships through a presentations.

We learnt how Adidas approached Continental for their expertise to develop a outsole with a strong grip ideal for trail and outdoor sports shoes. The first range of trainers with Continental technology was the Adidas SuperNova Riot 3, featuring Continental’s Traction Compound Technology – which allows confident grip on all surfaces and conditions. Continental has strong brand relations within football industry with sponsoring the UEFA Euro 2012, FIFA World cups and Champions league.

Now most recently with St. George’s Park, the national football centre in Burton-upon-Trent. The new partnership will see Continental Tyres become an ‘Official Supporting Partner’ of St. George’s Park.

With a focus on preparation for driving performance, the Continental presence at the National Football Centre will include a 60-metre indoor ‘high performance’ running track, a goalkeeping ‘stopping zone’ and a bespoke ContiWarmUp area to enable all players to prepare before a game or training session. I have personally visted the grounds and I was genuinely astonished how gigantic they place. You have to drive down a short road network and then it all opens out to Hilton Hotel and the training grounds with 5 areas of parking. Continental has been a partner in excellence with Mercedes-Benz World Brooklands by supplying them with tyres for both on and off-road driving experiences. The Brooklands site offers an interactive world full of the passion, heritage, values and innovation of the Mercedes-Benz brand. These include a wet circle and a 10-acre off-road course, a high-speed handling circuit and acceleration and braking strips.

I missed the chance at going to an event there as I have friend who is driving instructor who works at the Brooklands site. He messages me every now and then with pictures of what he will be driving today!!! I got jealous when he said I have driven the Black series AMG C Class and we have the SLS AMG Black series coming soon to which I will be putting it through it paces! : O

The final presentation of the day was about all the compounds that go into a tyre and how some are natural, synthetics, oils, rubber and how various elements are added to give the tyre compound different properties.

A tyre is a complex high-tech product made up of up to 15 different compounds.  Each compound contains 20 ingredients and up to 30 different components. The tyre is not just made up of rubber compounds; engineers also employ reinforcing materials such as nylon, polyester, rayon and steel to perform varying functions depending on where they are used. For example, nylon and steel cords are used under the tread to restrict tyre distortion and minimise heat build-up in the tyre, whereas rayon or polyester is used in the plies to withstand the inflation pressure of the tyre.

The brand experience was over so we headed back into the coach and head back to the hotel to freshen up for all us to head back out to have dinner together. We went to a local restaurant in Hanover which was couple of kms away which was nice and where I spoke with other motoring journalist about the experience we had during the day and the other events they had been to. It was a pleasant way to end the antics over the 3 days. Thank you Continental for inviting me and I had good laugh on the experience and went away with in-depth knowledge about tyres and stories to tell for years to come. But don’t worry Germany I will be coming back soon….

Next Blog Post: Cooper S Roadster Review 

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The post Continental Brand Experience: The Contidrom Part 2 appeared first on JCW Adventures.

I had written to Continental on the off-chance I would be able to see their facilities and they obliged by inviting me down to their Brand Experience and they would be paying for everything with flights, hotel etc.

I received their email back within 24 hours saying I was going which was fantastic given I would turn 24 and then 2 weeks later be heading to Germany : D

One week before leaving I would make a small trip down to Northampton to meet another MINI Looney – Simone aka Work experience girl and her unique R50 Cooper ‘Mimi’

I had only seen her MINI on instagram and it has always been amazing to meet my followers who are now like family to me.

Why is her MINI so unique given its Orciari Bodykit which I had never heard of or seen in my life

It’s now sitting on Coilovers suspension with Porsche D90s rims going on very soon

I have been into the ‘Low N Slow’ or ‘Hella Flush’ look as it’s not performance orientated but after sitting in her ‘Mimi’ I was shocked how good it rode. Thats the day my coilover fund began for GP suspension/B14 Bilstein as I wouldn’t mind my JCW sitting 15mm lower for better handling and ride.

I made a bet with Monie that if she got a certain job I would allow her to drive my JCW. Guess what she got that job : /

I hand her the keys after she beat up me and she loved every second driving my JCW at some speed around an industrial estate.

Had such a laugh up in Northampton with her & Matt who made me feel so welcome and it felt like we are like old mates catching up

It still amazes how my MINI has introduced me to the most amazing people ever!!!

Before I headed out I dropped my JCW off to Midlands Car Care to be detailed whilst away as too many cheap hand car & dealer washes had dulled the shine on the metallic eclipse grey paint.

I had seen Russ’ work first had whilst visiting him before to get quotations and recommendations on the work i should i get down. When I was down the local Phantom Drophead Coupe was there and it seems like every Ford Focus RS ever made gets detailed there

My JCW would be getting a full paint correction, dent/chip removal and C Quartz protection. I looked forwarded to the results when I came back and forecast was good on the day I came back – Sunny 16 degrees which is classified as take your top off in the UK

I got dropped off by one of  Russ’ detailers in an Audi A3 which is sooo low we scrapped a few times on the drive back to my house.

I started on packaging everything and making sure everything was charged for trip as I wanted to capture all the moments and report back everything back to my readers. All done off I went to sleep

The day dawned and I had to catch this long tubey metal thing called a Train to London Heathrow. Wheeling my suitcase I took to MINI UNITED 2012 with my MINI Dog Tag on it I waited for the train to arrive so the journey could begin. It actually arrived on time and I settled into my seat and popped on my headphones to zone out House of Balloons by The Weeknd.

With the train stopping at Paddington station and then I jumped through the underground system to get to Heathrow connect line. I was hungry at this time and fancied some nom nom so off I head to search for a restaurant in London Heathrow – decided on this Italian cafe and ordered a tuna wrap with fries and some pepsi.

With checking time nearing I head back to check myself in and to see who I would be going with on the plane.

I met up with a few traders and motoring journalists in the departure lounge and introduced myself. There was a few from Ireland but this one guy called Sean was hilarious with him cracking jokes all the time and selling stuff as he seemed to know a guy for everything.

We boarded on the Airbus A320 and waved the UK goodbye for motoring testing shenanigans

A few hours later we landed in Germany and went through customs and collected our bags to be greeted by Mark aka Continental Man to usher us on to the coach to depart to our hotel.

Whilst on the coach it was interesting viewing look at Germany architecture with everything clearly being built to last with stone building and open green spaces around homes. Everywhere I look there were German vehicles with VW, Audis, BMW everywhere and odd Europe car. Their dealerships were MASSIVE I guess stock or choice isn’t a problem there.

Our coach pulled up Courtyard Marriott Maschese Hotel which would be home for our short stay in Germany. We collected our bags and we were guided to into the conference room to be briefed about our stay and given our keys to our rooms.

Once briefed it was time for some nom nom and I picked grilled salmon, steamed vegetables and slice of whole grain bread from the buffet and enjoyed the view whilst the sunset on the day in Hanover.

At this time I bumped into another one of my Instragram follower Martyn Collins who is actually a Motoring Journalist and owner of the original GP. We had some interesting conversations over dinner and all the events he had been to and then a whole load of MINI talk.

Later I retired to my room to dump my bags up in my room and put my cameras on charge for tomorrows Hooniganism. I head back to meet up with everyone at the open bar we had to talk and learn about motoring journalism. We had some great debates about the industry, how cars have changed over the ages and various press/launch events. Also for me to talk about my JCW and the shenanigans and events I get up to.

Whilst at our table and enjoying our drinks and laughing away, the lovely Lorna came up to me to ask if she could borrow my Infamous hat for some piccies. I obliged as I laughed but didn’t want to be in any pics given my hat hair. We talked for a while about what we would get up to in the morning on the Contidrom visit and she made it sound epic with the tasty motors we would driving.

It was prompt start in the morning with me heading down at 8:30 am for breakfast and then to collect my Continental lanyard with itinerary on back along with a press pack memory stick.

On to the coach to head Continental’s Test facilities called the Contidrom. We then taking into the briefing room to have some light breakfast snacks and juices. We were given overview of brands history and developments through their 140 years in business. We were spilt up in groups and I was in the Red group.

Immaculate VW Camper Van

Here are some Facts for you

Continental is more than just a tyre manufacturer

1.  Continental is one of the top 3 automotive suppliers in the world
2.  Continental is spilt into 5 divisions – Chassis & Safety, Interior, Power Train, Tyres and Contitech
3. Over 170,000 employees worldwide
4. 291 Locations in 46 Countries

We were bundled into blacked out VW Transporters to our first station which was ‘The Future in Motion’ I thought this would marketing spiel but then after a short ride I saw VW Passat CC, Porsche Panamera and Renault Fluence EV all lined up the grass with Toyota IQ sitting by the white tent.

There was no messing around and we headed into the normal look Passat with a vinyl saying ‘Simplify your drive’ but once inside the dash was a LCD screen with buttons on the right. The tech guy spoke about continental makes various vehicle parts ranging from dashboards to ECU calibrations.

The idea was to showcase how continentals systems could fundamentally changed the cars feel and drive ability. Hit the prancing horse for sport mode the ride instantly firmed up, the throttle and steering became sharp and it blipped down two gears. I was shocked as I drove as car felt completely different as the body roll reduced and I felt the road more plus it made some naughty noises on the up shifts and down shifts.

As you can guess the feather turned the car into wafting car with the suspension absorbing the bumps the DSG box finding the higher gear to make it silent in the cabin with the throttle and steering slacking but still responsive to inputs.

Last but not least was the Flower button which ECO mode which made it near on impossible to stamp on the gas pedal as felt like it pushing your leg back saying if you press down on me again I will set off the airbag in your face.

This time I was chauffeured like A BOSSSSSS in Panamera which was fitted with Continentals air suspension which could drop and raise the height of the car by 20mm at a stand still or on the move.  The difference was apparent from the back seat as we hit the oval track and when going over the varied road surface which included the lovely cobbled surface. Even its sport setting it wasn’t off-putting but you knew that it soaking the bumps well.

Next up was an education of the tyres & air pressures sensors on cars and most people don’t have clue what pressure their tyres should be and rarely check their pressures. Modern air pressures are lacking technology to be fair with them only ever telling you they are low when hit a certain threshold by then you wasted fuel and increased wear on a under-inflated tyre.

Continental developed at sensor which would inside the tyre which would rely information to an app or in-car systems to inform you of your tyre pressure and even send you a message if one tyre was loosing pressure. Another way of integrating it into the Toyota IQ would to have car flash or horn when the correct tyre pressure was reached when you fill your tyres with air. I would personally welcome this tech as I have come back to my MINI to find I had a slow puncture but having this system I could have been pre-warned about checking my tyre and even ask for mobile tyre fitter to come to my work to check or replace my tyre.

Now for a step into the Future with the Renault’s EV

A problem that has plagued all EVs is it range and finding a source to charge up. The idea of conti’s system was to increase the range of the car by shutting down systems within the vehicle on low power and the sat nav to take you charge or even the car to inform you inside or by a message the car is low on juice. The proposal wasn’t world change technology but a common sense approach of how to get driver home or safely to a charge without it dying out on you – As always the greatest ideas are simplest ideas.

Back into the transporters we went for the next stage called ‘Mixed Up’ where I would be in my element with MINIs on a wet handling pad.

I went to the right side of the door of the MINI to find no steering wheel, so I went to the other side of the MINI Cooper D. All 3 of the MINIs looked the same but when you saw the lower graphics down the side everything made sense -The idea was to showcase not mix tyres or makes.

Mixed Tyres – Continentals upfront and cheap imports on the back

The first MINI had Continentals with an Asian import tyre on the back. There was a radio inside the car and guy on the other end guiding you in what to do. It felt weird changing gear with my right hand but I wouldn’t need to change-up or down on the wet handling track. I built up my speed on the oval pad and the back-end slid out around 30 kph as I turned for some sideways Hoonage.

As much as I was giggling and holding the slide this would be dangerous on the public roads as they are not always smooth and there obstacles and traffic so the room to correct or recover from a slide is down to a bit of luck and driving ability.

The second MINI had the cheap imports upfront with contis on the back but this time the handling was the direct opposite with the massive under steer occurring with the only way to correct it was too slow right down to get it turn properly. It’s interesting to see how on these two tests how the continental tyre is doing its up most to keep you on the road while the import tyre is trying to kill anyway it can.

The last two MINI was fitted with either 4mm or 8mm continentals upfront and 8 or 4mm on the back. All I wanted to was it to get it lift off over steer and god how I tried but it refused me to even with a Scandinavian flick but the ESP kicked when I did that. The contis just gripped and gripped the harder I pushed with me literally falling on of the seat before I could reach the limits of grip.

After all this madness we went cold down in the white tent and they informed about the limits of grip and how continental develops it tyres – how the tread pattern and compounds make a difference. The clear advice from this test was not to buy cheap tyres and if you need to change only two tyres on your car make sure you put the new tyres on the back because in the event of you losing control of the vehicle you will be correct it more easily and your less likely to aquaplane.

If you compare 4mm continental tyre to 8mm import tyre on this test it clearly show how it still trying to keep you on the road while the import tyre is not even working when it’s at optimum thread. Therefore for the sake of £20-30 more per corner having better tyre is always best as it only thing that keeps you on the road.

Continentals crown jewel was up next, the award-winning AIBA (Automated Indoor Braking Analyser) which is the world’s first fully automated weather independent tyres testing facility. This was the only place where camera were not allowed given the technology in this room and we were the only people outside of continental who had ever been access to AIBA.

AIBA is housed in a hall which is 300 metres long and up to 30 metres wide. It allows fully automated unmanned testing all year around irrespective of weather with testing being able to done both in wet and dry road surfaces. The facility has the capacity to carry out 100,000 individual braking procedures on wet or dry interchangeable road surfaces at different temperatures hot or cold without human error for optimum precision.

I was astonished by how they could interchange the road surfaces at push of a button to a different road surfaces such as a poorly surfaced road or smooth autobahn service. If thought that was mind-blowing they accelerated the vehicles on high-tech roller coasters which can linearly accelerate anything from VW Golf to 3 tonne Truck from 0-100 Km/h (62mph) in 4 seconds.

I got a real insight into Continental during the first half of the day. This behind the scene look showed me how day in and day out continental tyres are doing everything to keep you on the road.

There is still more to come in the part 2 of my visit to the Contidrom and there is more things to come like High speed testing and shenanigans on track

Next Blog Post: Continental Brand Experience: The Contidrom Part 2

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