MotorWerks Magazine V4 Issue 2

THE ULTIMATE READING EXPERIENCE! VOLUME 4 ISSUE 02 DEC 2014 Published by TreeFree Publishing A division of Webtronic Enterprises

Why did BMW Leave WTCC? TWINI finishes 25 Hours MTTS MEGA Issue!

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From the Editor’s Desk

THE ULTIM ATE READING EXPERIENC VOLUME 3 ISSUE

E!

01 APRIL 2013

Published A division by TreeFree Publishing of Webtron ic Enterpris es

James Rea’s

BIGGun

It has been one bust year here at MotorWerks Magazine. lots of travelling making new friends and unfortunately loosing old ones.

Early in 2014 we lost a great friend of the BMW CCA, Marcia McClure. I met her at BMW events at Mid-Ohio, she was a

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TECH - THE INITIAL COO PER RSR UPG GREAT GRA RADES ND-AM PIC TORIALS! FEATURED PHOTOGRAP HER - JOHN SCHROEDER MotorWerks

Magazine

- Online at www.motor

werksmag.c

om -

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MOTORWERKS MAGAZINE (MWM)

is ‘The Ultimate Reading Experience’ and is dedicated

friend of friends as they say. She had been struggling for

to all BMW and MINI enthusiasts covering their cars and lifestyles.

years with cancer but never let that affect how she loved

Volume 4 Issue 02 - DECEMBEL 2014

being at the track with like minded people. She helped out as much as she could considering she may have recently undergone treatment. She was FUN to be around and we miss thar great smile you can see below. R.I.P. Marcia!

Editor - Ian Rae E-Mail - ianrae@motorwerksmag.com Phone - (905) 467-5148

CONTRIBUTORS

Ian Rae, Norman Nelson, David Lewis, Halston Pitman, Chris Knox, Chris Green, John Venditti, Rich Simpson, Jake Galstad, Lyndon Handy, Adam Isman, Michael J. Deschamps, Ashleigh Morris

CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME

Photographic and Editorial contributions to MWM are welcomed.

Photgraphs must be sent in hi-res format and can be .JPEG or .TIFF. Editorial contributions to be in Word format. Contributors must make every effort to ensure there is no infringement of copyright belonging to any other person or persons. MWM is not responsible for any such misrepresented contributions. Contact the Editor by e-mail to discuss any editorial concepts.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ian Rae, Janis Rae, Melissa Smith, Halston Pitman, David lewis, John Scroeder, Michael J. Deschamps, Jake Galstad, Norman Nelson, Dito Milian, www.gotbluemilk.com Various BMW & MINI images courtesy BMW Group Press Club

Be part of MWM by sending in photos and data about your car. Wanting to make a point? Send a letter to the Editor and tell the World what you think! Go to our website, www. motorworksmag.com and click on Contact to view the contact info for Readers’ Rides and Letters to the Editor.

ADVERTISING

Advertising Manager - Janis Rae E-Mail - janrae@motorwerksmag.com

CREATIVE ADVISORS

.

Jim Weekes - J Graphics Scott Brown - Scott Brown Graphic Designs Mike Goodwin - MG Digital

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MOTORWERKS MAGAZINE (MWM) is published four times a

Enjoy

Editor, MotorWerks Magazine

year by TreeFree Publishing, a division of Webtronic Enterprises. Contents may not be reprinted without express written permission of the Editor.

The publishers do not accept any responsibility for the use of copyrighted material from unsolicited sources. The publishers also cannot be held responsible for any errors or ommisions in articles published by MWM. All brand names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners. The BMW and MINI names and logos are registered trademarks of BMW AG and their subsidaries. MWM is not directly affiliated with BMW, any of its distributors or dealers.

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Contents

FEATURES 24

Thru Kelli’s eyes

62

Is this why BMW left the WTCC

70

The Revolution is coming

78

And the winner is!

96

MINI Invasion

62

Is this why BMW left the WTCC

164

100 The Brits take Buffalo

78 HOT STUFF 32 66 94 140

4

Knox Up For The Challenge Badge Engineering with the Smokey’s Group Every picture tells a story Image Master

100

70

66

REGULAR COLUMNS

RACING

4 12 23 148 160 162 164

44 58 124 150

On The Grid Product News Ashleigh’s News Desk Cooper RSR - What’s New? Cooper RSR Installs Performance Directory Featured Photographer

One Year On - BMW and WTCC at Sonoma Power Maxed MINI Challenge Awards Canadian Time Attack Affordable Road Racing

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On The Grid Amesbury, MA. – October 20th, 2014 Turner Motorsport moves to Pirelli World Challenge Turner Motorsport looks to 2015 with the announcement of a two car program in the Pirelli World Challenge GT category. Turner will campaign two BMW Z4 GT3s for the full 10-race season kicking off in March at the Circuit of the Americas.

The finalized Pirelli World Challenge schedule for 2015, announced just last Friday includes premier North American race venues such as Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Barber Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Streets of Long Beach among others.

The decision comes shortly after Turner Motorsport captured their seventh professional sports car racing championship since 2003 in the inaugural season of the IMSA sanctioned Tudor United SportCar Championship. Using the success in the BMW Z4 from the 2014 season with four wins, six podiums and ten top-ten finishes, the team hopes to springboard into the PWC for 2015 carrying momentum.

“I am really looking forward to getting back into Pirelli World Challenge for 2015. For me, it’s where it all started. In 1998 I competed in my first professional race and in 2003 we won our first championship in World Challenge. This does not mean it’s the only racing we will do in 2015 but I am happy that we can confirm this program so early… I expect to announce the drivers in a few weeks with the cars shipping from Germany any day now,” explained Will Turner.

Pirelli World Challenge was established in 1990 and is one of the most successful sports car racing series in North America. The series has seen huge increases in 6

participation over the years with 50 car fields for most of the 2014 season. The series structure and rules are proven and stable, allowing FIA GT3 homologated cars to run as originally designed by manufacturers.

“I really like the fact that we can race the BMW Z4 GT3 as it was intended, with traction control, ABS and the proper aero for the car. Unlike the GTD rules in IMSA , PWC allows the car to run as it engineered by BMW Motorsport,” explained Will Turner.

Beginning in 1998, Turner Motorsport campaigned their iconic blue and yellow BMWs in World Challenge, winning the 2003 and 2004 World Challenge Touring Car Championships. From ‘98 to ‘04 Turner Motorsport captured ten race wins, forty top-five finishes and seven poles.

The sprint race format strays from the endurance format of the TUSCC that the team has become accustomed to since running their last full PWC season back in 2004. PWC race weekends include two 45-minute sprint races which allowing the team to run two entries with conceivably less operating cost.

Pirelli World Challenge has also developed a strong relationship with NBC Sports Network which has covered the series in past years, providing great coverage for the series and making it more attractive for partners and sponsors.

Munich (DE), 5th December 2014.

Emotional end to the BMW Motorsport season – BMW Sports Trophy awards recognise the year’s main protagonists.

BMW Motorsport hosted an entertaining programme on Friday as it looked back on a successful racing season at the traditional season review in Maisach (DE). The year’s main protagonists assembled at the BMW Driving Experience training site on the outskirts of Munich (DE)

to spend an exciting evening with the rest of the BMW Motorsport family – and to honour the drivers and teams that made history and made the headlines in 2014.

For the first time, BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt handed over more than just the trophies for the most successful privateer BMW drivers and teams this year. BMW Sports Trophy awards were also presented in many other categories.

“When drawing up the programme for our BMW Motorsport Season Review, we took inspiration from the kind of award ceremonies we are familiar with from the entertainment industry,” said Marquardt, who hosted the evening alongside TV presenter Maren Braun (DE). “We have always placed great emphasis on paying special attention to our privateer BMW Sports Trophy drivers and teams at this event, and on thanking them for their commitment. At the same time, it was obviously also nice to be able to look back at the success we enjoyed with our works programme.”

The trophies for the most successful driver and the most successful team in the 2014 BMW Sports Trophy went to Markus Palttala (FI) and the Adrenalin Motorsport team. Its team principal, Matthias Unger (DE), also celebrated a second award, which it received for winning

the new BMW M235i Racing Cup class. Adrenalin drivers Daniel Zils (DE), Norbert Fischer (DE) and Uwe Ebertz (DE) were the top drivers in this category.

DTM champion Marco Wittmann (DE), “Rookie of the Year” Maxime Martin (BE) and BMW Team RMG Team Principal Stefan Reinhold (DE) also received trophies from Marquardt for their title wins in the DTM. “This has been a fantastic end to a dream season,” said Wittmann after the award ceremony. “Some busy weeks are behind me; but I have thoroughly enjoyed every day as the DTM champion. Now we must focus on 2015. I can hardly wait until we get going again.”

Wittmann’s fellow DTM drivers Martin Tomczyk (DE) and Timo Glock (DE) also left the event with awards in their hands – for their spectacular synchronised drift, which they pulled off in the BMW M4 Coupé in Portimão (PT). Jens Klingmann (DE) received the trophy for the “Sporting Gesture of the Year”: the German driver immediately leapt out of his car and rushed to help other drivers out of their cockpits after a mass collision during the ADAC GT Masters race in Oschersleben (DE).

Jesse Krohn (FI) ended the inaugural season of the new BMW Motorsport Junior programme as the top driver. Marquardt had the honour of presenting

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two special BMW Sports Trophy awards as the BMW Motorsport Season Review reached its grand finale: Franz Engstler (DE), who bid farewell to the FIA World Touring Car Championship, received the BMW Sports Trophy Honorary Reward in recognition of his performances for BMW in this and many other series.

There were also standing ovations when BMW works driver Alessandro Zanardi (IT) entered the stage to receive the trophy for “Comeback of the Year”.

Zanardi returned to motorsport with BMW in the 2014 Blancpain Sprint Series and also caused quite a stir away from the track with more recordbreaking performances, such as taking part in his first triathlon in Hawaii (US). Zanardi said: “This is a truly special award for me. It just shows how much my friends at BMW Motorsport who have supported over the years believe in me. On the track my comeback season could have gone better. But that’s exactly why I will compete again in 2015.”

An overview of the winners of the 2014 BMW Sports Trophy awards.

BMW Sports Trophy Driver of the Year: Markus Palttala (FI) BMW Sports Trophy Team of the Year: Adrenalin Motorsport DTM Driver of the Year: Marco Wittmann (DE) DTM Team of the Year: BMW Team RMG DTM Rookie of the Year: Maxime Martin (BE)

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Best Team in the BMW M235i Racing Cup: Adrenalin Motorsport Best Driver in the BMW M235i Racing Cup: Daniel Zils (DE), Norbert Fischer (DE), Uwe Ebertz (DE) BMW Motorsport Junior of the Year: Jesse Krohn (F Drift of the

Year: Martin Tomczyk (DE), Timo Glock (DE) Sporting Gesture of the Year: Jens Klingmann (DE) BMW Sports Trophy Honorary Award: Franz Engstler (DE) Comeback of the Year: Alessandro Zanardi (IT)

Palttala was awarded the 2014 BMW Sports Trophy .

The 37 year old Finland native accepted a check in the amount of 30,000 euro Friday from the BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt at the annual award ceremony,

Joey Hand tweets end of BMW career Joey Hand was in Munich for the BMW Motorsport Season Review when this somewhat surprising tweet came out.

Joey Hand @JoeyHandRacing Thx for concerns, tough decision to leave BMW, been a great run with awesome teams but really excited about my new program and the future!

Hand has had a tough few years in the DTM series even with a BMW that has won the championship twice since BMW’s return to the series. We will miss him at the wheel of a BMW and wish him well as he joins Ganassi racing in the Tudor series.

Munich, Germany – December 5th, 2014 TURNER CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVERS WIN BMW SPORT TROPHY AWARDS

BMW names Turner Motorsport drivers as two of the world’s most successful privateer BMW race drivers of 2014. Besting more than 283 BMW racing drivers across the world Turner Motorsport driver Markus

held at the new BMW Driving Academy location in Maisach, Germany.

“To a certain degree, the BMW Sports Trophy epitomises the DNA of BMW in motorsport,” said Jens Marquardt, BMW Motorsport Director. “For over 50 years these competitions have allowed us to acknowledge the most successful privateer teams and drivers, who enjoy success around the world with BMW racing cars, thus making them excellent ambassadors for our brand.

In 2014, our team monitored and recorded the results of the BMW drivers and teams in a total of 60 racing series and events. This amounted to an incredible 6,000 individual results from 1,400 drivers. It is impressive how many drivers and teams around the world put their faith in BMW cars.”

“It is an amazing honor to win the BMW Sport Trophy. This is definitely one of the highlights of my racing career thus far and it has been extra special to do it with Turner Motorsport. With the Championship Win fresh in our minds, 2014 has really been an amazing season,” commented Markus Palttala, who just completed his German DTM testing in Spain earlier this

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week.

Turner driver Dane Cameron, crowned GTD driver Champion in the 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship was also honored at the BMW Sport Trophy Ceremony as one of the world’s most successful privateer BMW race drivers. Cameron was awarded 20,000 euro for second place in the 2014 BMW Sport Trophy point’s standings.

“Driving a BMW for Turner Motorsport this season has truly been a year to remember. Between our wins at Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Road America and VIR as well as several podiums and of course the Championship there is not much out there that could top it. Now finishing second in the BMW Sport Trophy it is that much more special,” commented Dane Cameron.

Palttala and Cameron captured the Team Championship in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship GTD class with four wins, six podiums and 10 top-ten finishes in the No. 94 BMW Z4 GTD. A fourth place finish in the 10 hour Petit Le Mans allowed

the duo to clinch the Championship for BMW and Turner Motorsport in the team’s 302 professional race with BMW and final race of the 2014 season.

Just three years ago, Turner driver Paul Dalla Lana was awarded the 2011 BMW Sports Trophy in the 50th awards ceremony for his incredible performances in both the Continental Tire GS class and Rolex Series GT class.

Prior to 2011, team owner Will Turner earned third place in the 2006 BMW Sport Trophy rankings, marking a major highlight in Turner’s racing career.

“First I want to congratulate both Dane and Markus for their performances this past season, they were honestly the “dream team” together in the BMW Z4 GTD. It is great to see that BMW recognizes both of our drivers for all the hard work and dedication they put in this year. The awards ceremony and party is always an excellent experience and I am happy we can be here again,” said Will Turner.

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Rochester, NY RUMOR HAS IT

Rochester based Ken D’Arcy who made his professional racing debut at Watkins Glen in 2014 with the ex Automatic Racing M3 in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will again be seen at some Conti events. As the stories go, D’Arcy will have a new codriver for the series and the car will be run by newly created The Little Speed Shop Motorsports team. more details will be available soon as we are having a meeting with D’Arcy over the holiday period.

Roxton Pond, QC FINALLY, SALLENBACH TAKES THE CTCC TITLE

2014 was another good year for our friends at Octane Motorsports with longtime driver finally getting the Canadian Touring Car Championship Touring class title he so richly deserved.

Previous years had seen Sallenbach get ever so close to the championship only to lose it due to various situations beyond his control.

Originally planning to run the new R58 MINI Coupe Sallenbach told us about his season. “I was so disapointed, and started the season in the good old R53, which I still love. At each of the six first double headers, we won one race and were second three times, one third, one fourth, by not taking to many risks, and only one DNF at ICAR (Throttlebody in 1st lap) So we started to think it would be possible to win the Championship after four 12

weekends. The highlight was again GP3R, by not going out for practice (it was rainy and I had no interest in taking risks ). I put the car on pole after only four laps and parked the car to save it. Then during the night race a broken belt tensioner at the end of race looked like a DNF but we saved tthird place thanks the pacecar.

A second pole for race two delivered another a win and the championship was secured at this point. We were so happy, Marc-Andre my crew-chief and the entire team.

This allowed us to bring the Coupe out for Mosport, but again issues intervened that we were unable to point out, was it electrical? safe mode?...we finished 4th and 6th. not getting the right answers, meant we had to go to the Fall Classic at Mt. Tremblant where we solved our problems on Friday night and the car was just awesome on Saturday and Sunday.

Now we know which details to work on this winter and are confident for 2015, and would like it to be low key without the pressure, just like this year. Myself and the team have worked harder and not won the championship.

I’m also proud to win the Championship a couple of months before turning sixty.

I am still ready to go to fight with younger drivers, they will see there is still life in the old dog yet.

I could not have done this without an amazing team behind me, Alain Lauziere and the Octane Motorsport team and our great sponsors deserve this championship for giving me the tools to do it. Roll on 2015!”

Feel the Difference High Performance Urethane Bushings Available for:

VW - Audi - BMW - Subaru - Mitsubishi Lotus - MINI - Mazda - S2000 and more...

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As of a converstion we had with Michel on December 19th the plan is for him to defend his Canadian Touring Car Championship title in the R58 Coupe with the R53 acting as a backup.

Thanks to John R. Walker for coming to the rescue with the Coupe photo.

Good luck from everyone here at MotorWerks

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Product News Santa is coming, what is he bringing?

With Christmas coming soon how about we look at a few things that would be great gifts for racers.

SIMPSON HELMET DRYER This one I can vouch for myself. I used it in the heat of the summer and instead of putting back on a wet smelly helmet it feels as if you are putting on a new helmet every time. It is easy to use, set the helmet over the vent and set the timer and walk away. Our friends at Team DI have The unit comes with a tilt adjustable mount, a LowBoy them on for $109.95 USD. fixed mount, tripod 1/4-20 SnapTray, Flat VHB SnapTray, www.teamdi.com Curved VHB SnapTray, a SnapTray 3M® VHB, 4GB UHS microSDHC Card, Mini USB Cable, a Nylon Ballistic Case, a Silk Camera Bag, Windbreaker Decal Kit, two Replay XD Decals and a User Guide. Price is $299 USD You can check them out on www.replayxd.com

REPLAY XD PRIME X I’ve been a fan of the RePlay XD cameras since they arrived on the scene. I am a strong believer in the Built for Racers by a Racer philosophy and John Spar knows what is needed to get quality race footage. The Prime X brings WiFi to the RePlay XD line-up for the first time as well as a state of the art Hyperion CinePrime X lens.

Battery life is extended now to 3.5 hours on a single charge. It also has the ability to charge twice as quick as previous models.

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SPEED SECRETS WEEKLY Ross Bentley was a good racer and has become an even better driver coach. His Speed Secrets books are available from his website and are great stocking stuffers for Xmas but it is his Speed Secrets Weekly that I think is the best bargain he has going.

Speed Secrets Weekly delivers information in a simple-touse, entertaining way. All business with no fun is no way to learn. That’s been a key to Ross Bentley’s success in delivering driver and instructor training for decades. It’s why his Speed Secrets books are the best selling series of driving books of all time; it’s why he is so in-demand as a both a coach and presenter (seminars, workshops, keynote talks). And it’s one of the main reasons Speed Secrets Weekly subscribers just can’t wait for each issue to arrive on Tuesday mornings.

Best of all you can’t beat the price! All 52 issues for only $12.00 USD a year ($0.23/issue) Details at http://speedsecretsweekly.com

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For immediate release, Dayton, OH, 1 Nov, 2014

New Wheels From Forgeline The annual SEMA (Speciality Equipment Manufacturing Association) Show ran from November 3-7 in Las Vegas. The world leader in custom made-to-order forged competition wheels, Forgeline Motorsports used this years show to unveil six new wheels. Three of the designs are included in the brand-new Heritage series that Forgeline brings to the market in 2015. Two of the wheels, the RS3 and LS3 pay homage to some of Forgeline’s initial designs but reborn as three-piece wheels with updated engineering and manufacturing technology. A fourth three-piece wheel is the new GT 3C Concave. The GT 3C combines race-bred styling of the GTD 1 monoblock race wheel with fitment flexibility and deep-dish appearance on a three piece modular wheel.

Forgeline has also adds two new wheels to the their onepiece forged Monoblock series. The AR1 is an exciting evolution in Forgeline Monoblock styling. It features a very angular split spoke, extra deep concave and radically angled outer edge. The GA1R Open Lug Cap Edition is very similar to Forgeline’s race proven GA1R Open Lug with all it’s lightweight features but includes a center cap, making it perfect as a fully styled road wheel for prestige vehicles.

Forgeline Motorsports is very proud to unveil these wheels at the 2014 SEMA show and remains committed to creating fresh designs, leveraging new technology and responding quickly to dynamic market opportunities.

Forgeline AR1

Forgeline RS3

Forgeline Motorsports manufactures the world’s finest custom forged aluminum street and racing performance wheels for the most discerning enthusiasts and the most demanding applications. The wheels are built right here in the USA.

For more information visit our website at www.forgeline. com.

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Forgeline LGT3C Concave

g Forgeline GA1R Open Lu on iti Ed p Ca

Forgeline LS3

Forgeline CR3

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Corsa expands BMW line Systems Now Available for 2012-2014 BMW 335i F30 BEREA, Ohio CORSA(r) Performance is expanding its exhaust product line for BMWs with a dual rear exit, catback system for the 2012-2014 BMW 335i F30.

BMW owners can enhance their driving experience with a CORSA exhaust system, which is engineered to maximize engine performance with a straight-through design to reduce back pressure. The company’s patented Reflective Sound Cancellation(r) (RSC(r)) technology creates a unique acoustic combination of highperformance sound under acceleration and a drone-free experience during cruise. CORSA exhaust systems for the BMW 335i F30 are available in a Touring sound level, which enhances throttle sound while being quiet during idle and mellow under acceleration.

Made in the USA, CORSA’s high-quality exhaust systems are made with premium 304L stainless steel and feature double-wall construction, 3-inch diameter pipes and dual rear exit Pro-Series 3.5inch tips laser etched with the CORSA logo. Systems are available for both the rear wheel drive (part number #14937) and all-wheel drive (part number #14938) 20122014 BMW 335i F30 with either polished or black PVD coated stainless steel tips.

When comparing the CORSA exhaust system with the stock 335i system, flow bench testing shows the CORSA exhaust system flows 3.36 percent better with the stock valve open and 35 percent better with the valve closed.

A limited lifetime warranty protects CORSA Performance exhaust systems for as long as you own the vehicle. Available through select retailers and distributors nationwide, systems come complete with top-quality installation 18

hardware and detailed instructions.

Listen to the CORSA BMW 335i F30 exhaust system under acceleration in this video: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCAqvW_TzK8.

Additionally, CORSA makes exhaust systems for the BMW 1 Series dating back to the 2008 model year, 3 Series dating back to the 1992 model year, M3 Series dating back to the 1992 model year and the M5 Series dating back to the 1998 model year.

About CORSA Performance CORSA Performance, a TMG Performance Products, LLC brand headquartered in Berea, Ohio, is a leading manufacturer of premium performance exhaust systems for cars, trucks,

SUVs and marine applications. Through its patented Reflective Sound Cancellation(r) (RSC) technology, CORSA Performance Exhausts provides the industry’s only guaranteed dronefree driving experience backed by premium performance and superior customer service.

For more information, call 800.486.0999 or visit www.corsaperformance.com.

Oakville, ON. 24th November, 2014.

For immediate release Ian Rae the publisher and editor of MotorWerks Magazine, the Internet’s premier digital magazine focusing on BMWs and Minis is happy to announce another addition to the editorial department. David Lewis a MINI owner and enthusiast of Lyons, Illinois is joining Motorwerks Magazine as a freelance writer in the coming months. David’s brief is to write product evaluation and installation articles for MINI Coopers, specifically the R53 model.

He is also going to function as our Mid-West correspondent, writing articles on the amazing cars and activities that are found in the area!

His articles have been featured in other magazines and he has a large following in the Facebook group League of Extraordinary MINIacs. Dave’s rides at present include a 2005 R53 MINI Cooper and a 1976 Corvette. You can find him driving the MINI Cooper at the local track, and the Corvette at local shows. David can be contacted at dave@motorwerksmag. com.

© www.MotorWerksMag.com

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For Immediate release, Oakville, ON Canada

MotorWerks Magazine is happy to announce promising young Scottish racer Ashleigh Morris will be joining our editorial team with a Blog giving some insight into her Scottish BMW Compact Cup campaign.

MWM Editor, Ian Rae, a fellow Scot explained, “I came With fellow Scot, ex F1 driver Paul Di Resta

across Ashleigh browsing BMW racing in the UK and it turned out I knew the family well, including both her grandfathers, one of them even sold me my first car.

Having raced and hillclimbed in Scotland back in the seventies I have always watched out for young Scottish

talent and followed their careers. Most recently it was newly crowned UK MINI Champion Chris Knox we helped out when he raced in Grand-Am. Ashleigh has done well in the short time she has been racing and if we can help her out with more exposure, that is only good for her career. The powers that be in the Scottish Motor Racing Club seem to think she has what it takes as she was one of five young drivers chosen as their ‘Rising Stars’, the others being Sebastian Melrose, Hannah Chapman, Euan McKay, and Brogan Kinsella. We look forward to her blog which she has not come up with a name for yet. I am sure readers will find out racing with a family run team from the North coast of Scotland has many trials and tribulations and is not as easy as you would think.”

Ashleigh went on, “I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to write for MWM. It’s the first time I’ve done anything like this but I look forward to keeping everyone up to date about the BMW Compact Cup and progress in my racing career. I love being a part of this sport, and hope to be involved for many years to come! (I’m not very good at this... Yet! Lol)” Her father Cammy added, “Myself and her mother Yvonne are proud enough to burst regarding what Ashleigh has achieved this season. She has worked hard

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B A L I A AV

the search box and you will be broght to our Bookstore.

You can also click this link www.blurb.com/user/store/ CooperRSR The first thing I have to tell you is this is not a cheap option. We have no intention at this point of getting into the print magazine business. This is purely a means for those that prefer to have the magazine in print form because they are in it or really want to hold it in their hands.

We investigated all the options for print and had the three best options printed. Blurb has a premium and economy paper option at two different price points.

Both are good in my opinion, with the premium being outstanding quality. If you really want a great keepsake, this is it! The economy paper option is not as vibrant in color and feels more like a magazine, whereas the premium is like a good photo book.

E L B A L I A V A

Photo Eddie Kelly in every track session and refuses to give up. She will listen to advice and work out what is good for her and what isn’t. Her rapport with some of the other racers like Carol Brown and Alan Kirkaldy is tremendous and she is usually the first driver they enquire about after the race once they have got themselves sorted. We can only support her in any way we can and the rest is up to her, we don’t doubt her commitment to this. I could go on and on like any proud parent but what we have accomplished in the last fifteen months has been

Photo Eddie Kelly nothing short of amazing, bring on 2015.”

Ashleigh Morris Racing is run by the family team Morris Motorsport competing in the Scottish BMW Compact Cup. As a promising newcomer with little experience, driver Ashleigh Morris has more than impressed and has been selected as one of five SMRC ‘Rising Stars’

MotorWerks Magazine now available in print!

That is right, we are now available in print. Using what we call our ‘Print on Demand’ option any reader can now got to Blurb.com type Motorwerks Magazine into 22

ON BL

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The other option is directly available through ISSUU. com where the magazine is hosted. The paper quality is sort of in between the two Blurb offerings but it looks as if they use the lo-res web pdf as their source to build the magazine which immediately shows up in the form of a jagged MWM logo on the front cover. I would not suggest anyone go this route.

Prices will vary dependant on the page count as well as the paper option. We are NOT making money on the printing, the prices are what Blurb charges. At present there are only two magazine in the Bookstore.

One is economy, one is premium. Read the magazine description so see which one it is. If you want the other paper option contact me and I can set it up.

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B R U L B N E BLE O L B A L I I A V A URB.COM

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B R U BL © www.MotorWerksMag.com

Another good PRI show for VAC Motorsports VAC Motorsports CEO Tony Salloum told us, “The 2014 PRI Show went well for us. We had a ton of traffic and plenty of interest in our products. Normally, our engines are the big draw but this year it was our growing line of Samsonas transmissions. Although there is always interest in the Mitsubishi Evo and the Subaru H pattern gearboxes the sequential gearboxes are getting much most interest. The latest sequential gearbox from Samsonas is the URWD-S6 which stands for Universal Rear Wheel Drive 6 Speed Sequential. It

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was by far the biggest draw in our booth. The interest is great because we can fit this box to any bell housing and car. The small size, 8” diameter x about 15” length, less bell housing of course is what makes this an attractive option for many. The case is made from billet aluminum and the gears are made from forgings which makes them very strong. We have already sold four gearboxes in the first week after the show.”

For those interested the $12,995 show special is still good to the end of 2014. Considering the gearbox comes with a shifter and gear display this is a great deal. www.vacmotorsports.com

All of us here at Ashleigh Morris Racing would like to invite our followers and supporters to take part in special opportunity.

Firstly, with the 2014 season just finished, I would like to, again, thank all that have supported me and the team and sent words of encouragement and guidance in what was my first full season of racing which resulted in a 17th place finish overall. It was only September 2013 when I started my very first race and have worked, listened and developed over the season to such an extent that it was announced that I was one of the SMRC Rising Stars. With no previous race experience prior to September 2013, this is quite an achievement which everyone associated with the team are rightly proud of.

The support from DR Alexander, The Comm Bar Thurso, Thurso Tyre Centre, Sandy Coghill, Evans Waterless Coolants, Dundas Training Brechin and Signright Inverness has been invaluable and will hopefully continue. Thanks go out to all the people who have contributed to 2014. There are loads of you out there but ones that deserve a special mention include Alan Kirkaldy, Si Laing, Carol Brown, Phil Grant, Greg Graham, Steve Emslie, Mark Souter, Billy Campbell and the rest of the North East crew whose encouragement has got me through some of the lows and congratulated me on some of the highs. There any many others within the Compact Cup and the officials at Knockhill who Team Morris would like to thank but can’t name them all here. Last but certainly not least to the marshals, a massive thank you because without them there would be no racing.

For the 2015 season AMR will again be competing in the Scottish BMW Compact Cup along with competing in selected rounds of the Gaz Shocks Compact Cup in England. This will be following an extensive refresh of BMW Compact #77 over the off season which will see the car back to looking and performing at its best come the start of the season.

For 2015, the car will be carrying a chequered design on the roof made up of 50 10cmx10cm squares. Each of these squares will be up for sale at £50 each. People can have their names or messages printed in the squares they buy. 50% of the funds will be donated to The Archie Foundation at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.

Each square will have a unique number which will be entered into a draw for each race meeting and the winner will receive two tickets for entry to an SMRC race meeting at Knockhill of their choice. There will also be a one off draw with the winner receiving one nights accommodation at the Holiday Inn Express, Dunfermline (or alternative HIE) plus two tickets for entry to an SMRC race meeting at Knockhill. The owners of the squares will also get regular updates via email or similar to keep them up to date with the latest AMR news. The funds raised from this will go towards my development as a race driver in the way of driver training, additional testing and track time to advance my skills.

For further information, please contact Ashleigh at ashleighmorrisracing@outlook.com or through the Ashleigh Morris Racing Facebook page.

I would also like to wish all my friends, family and MIBI and BMW lovers all over the world a great Christmas and happy New Year. If you are at a racetrack in 2015 where we are competing, come on by and say hello.

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Words by Kelli Creighton, photos by Larry the Zombie and Alicyn Drew.

MINIs On The Dragon…..

If you spend any time at all on the Internet frequenting MINI Facebook pages I can guarantee you have come across Kelli Creighton. It is easy to describe her as a colorful person, one who is a bundle of fun. But Kelli has a thing about zombies, in particular killing them. This role-play seems to be fun for her but when it comes to having a zombie handy as a target, that role falls to her husband Larry. Poor Larry, but he does not seem to complain. Thanks for putting together this article Kelli, it is great to see the trip ‘Thru Kelli’s Eyes’

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318 Curves in only eleven miles……

One thousand people registered for the event And an amazing $14,5000 was raised for the G registrations, donations and from the ‘Mini Sk 2014 was our fourth time to MINIs On The Dragon (MOTD) and my zombie and I decided to change our trip up a bit. We started the journey on the Monday before MOTD with plans of stopping in Senoia, GA (aka Woodbury from The Walking Dead TV show) to get in some sightseeing and photos for my club, the MINI Cooper Zombie Outbreak Response Team. Also, I was in hopes of running into the stars of the show, Daryl or

in six hundred and ninety-three MINIs…..

Graham County Food Bank thanks to MOTD kirts’ booth.

Rick, since they had resumed filming that week.

On our way to Senoia, we ran into tornados again (it has become a standing joke amongst other MINI peeps that Blaze likes to bring the tornados with him to The Dragon) This year we were chased all the way to Montgomery, AL., where we stayed the night with sirens blaring and I was fearful of Blaze getting pelted by hail.

I actually contemplated soaking the hotel bedspread

and using it to cover Blaze for the night! Well, we made it through the night without my baby getting hurt, even though we were told by the news to take cover multiple times throughout the night.

On Tuesday we continued to Senoia where we stopped at our favorite place for lunch, the Senoia Coffeehouse & Cafe is definitely a must if you are ever in the area. We went on to visit the new Walking Dead gift shop in town called the Woodbury Shoppe where I took lots of fun pictures in their museum and sat on Daryl’s motorcycle (don’t tell them). We visited a few filming locations in & around Senoia and again took lots of pictures for my troops.

When it was time to leave Senoia, we decided against staying the night in Atlanta and drove all the way to our destination for MOTD, Bryson City, NC. We heard that the second wave of storms was making its way to us again and figured we should just out run them.

We arrived at West Oak Cabins and Bed & Breakfast on Tuesday evening, one day early, so it was now time to relax. We stay at West Oak every year, the cabins are super cute and quiet and the owner is really nice to us.

Wednesday, saw us waking up to a much better day.

The weather was nice, in fact perfect Dragon slaying weather! We had our daily super yummy free breakfast at the Everett Street Diner, one of the best places in town for breakfast. Then we made our way to The Road To Nowhere, about ten miles outside of Bryson City, NC. The Road To Nowhere was a name given by the residents of Swain County, the actual name is Lakeside Drive. The road goes to a beautiful tunnel that goes nowhere. The Federal Government was supposed to finish it so the displaced residents from the creation of Fontana Lake could get to old family cemeteries. They never followed through and now the residents have placed a sign at the beginning that says; “A Broken Promise”.

My zombie took some beautiful Victorian style pictures while we were there. Finally we decided to make our way to The Dragon. We just had Blaze’s ECU tuned & that little MoFo is so fast, we practically burned the tires off on the first run, tires squealing the entire way, going as fast as the zombie could safely go without leaving the pavement & taking flight. There was a strong smell of brake dust wafting in the air. It was the perfect time, since not everyone had arrived and the Dragon was clear of other cars. Blaze was meant to drive The

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Dragon, especially now since the upgrades. We took the Dragon twice before deciding to make our way to where all the MINI peeps hang out, Fontana Village. I saw lots of old friends, met new ones and eyeballed lots and lots of MINIs. It’s always so much fun hanging out with hundreds of MINIs, I feel like I’m in a huge gang! That evening was the MINI Skirts party, they always throw an awesome bash! Lots of great music and people partying, plus a photobooth. I don’t drink, but my zombie was loving the free beer!

Thursday was a day to take it easy, just hanging with MINI peeps at Fontana Village & Vendor Alley, there was so much cool stuff to buy from great vendors. We also visited the Fontana Dam Visitor Center and the zombie harassed the nice ladies that volunteer there. They were very sad to see him leave. I think that was the most 28

excitement they’d had in days! We departed for the Zombie Kill & met the troops at the lower dam area. About ten MINIs showed up and we annihilated two zombies. Everyone took pictures with their cars and the zombies (no real firearms are used in the photo shoots). I have a feeling those zombies will live another day to irritate us again....one day soon. I’m always ready!

That evening I took Blaze on an evening run on The Dragon, it’s more difficult at night, but equally as fun. There are usually less people out there at night which allows you to go faster.... faster is always more fun!

Friday, we decided to take Foothill Parkway over to the town of Townsend for some lunch, shopping and sightseeing. Foothill Parkway has some awesome photo ops of the Smoky Mountains and surrounding areas.

That evening I had a nighttime photo shoot booked with Alicyn Drew who is an amazing photographer. It was so much fun, she worked with a fog machine and some really cool lighting. Blaze turned out beautiful! If you ever have the chance to book Glamour Shots on The Dragon with her, do so!

Saturday it was all about the Car Show time, we had to hurry up and get Blaze cleaned up for the show. We were one of the first cars to pull in and I had high hopes for winning, but as soon as I saw Murray Pfaff and Alter Ego pull in, I knew I was beat! That car is awesome! He ended up winning five trophies. I know he won 1st place in my category (Hardtops) and Best In Show (can’t remember the other three). Blaze won 2nd place Hardtops division & Jaw-Dropping Interior! I was very happy with that!

Luther Shields won 1st in the Coupes class with Joshua Hamman winning in the Convertibles division. Molly Nolte was the winner with her beautiful Morgan in the ‘Other’ division. There were so many awesome cars in the car show! I can’t remember all the winners.

Sunday came way too soon, I didn’t get to meet everyone that I planned on meeting or do all the things I wanted to do. Next time I will definitely stay longer. If you have not made it to a MOTD event, do so! You will not regret it. It’s always our favorite event, great people

The scenery is beathtaking, through in a MINI or two and it becomes stunning!

& beautiful scenery, lots of waterfalls, so much to do, you’ll never have time to get bored! I’m already missing The Dragon & my MINI friends....my second home....till next time....

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Our continuing mission is to educate racers on the advantages of high-quality safety equipment.

85 Franklin Rd, Suite 5-B Dover, NJ 07801 Tel: 800-275-4667

www.teamdi.com

Glamourshots by Alicyn Drew www.alicyndrew.com

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For those of you that did not know Kelli, has agreed to work with M7 Tuning/ Speed as their social media ambassador.

This involves posting al sorts of MINI related things to their social media sites and representing the company at some events where it is not possible for staff to attend. if you have any MINI events or M7 related news, contact her on Facebook to get exposure on their Facebook page.

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Words by Chris Knox, phot os by Dave Young Photos Another season has finished and it has been a quite a rollercoaster year! We end ed up taking the Power Maxed MINI Challenge overal l title by eighty points and becoming the first ever rep eat winner in the series. So lets go back and recap the 2014 season!

It wasn’t looking like I was going to be competing this year until a few days before the season started. My manager and the SL Group owner had struck a last minute deal to get me on the grid, wit h initial backing from shopplay .co.uk. We again ran with 34

Excelr8 Motorsport who did

such a great job when I too k the title back in 2011. Arrivin g at the first round it still wasn’t known in the paddo ck that I was competing, so I think I took a few people by surprise! With little testing I put the car was on pole by a big margin! I hadn’t lost my touch! However thi ngs didn’t stay on a high for long! Races one and two at Donington Park were amon g the most frustrating I have ever encountered in all my years of racing. Three laps into the race while leading comfortably, the engine powe r dropped off slightly and I

up for the

CHALLENGE

‘First ever repeat MINI Cha lle

nge Champion’

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was forced to drop back to third as I was became a sitting duck on the straights. To cap it all, not far from the end of the race I suddenly found myself in the gravel as the result of a late lunge gone wrong by a fellow competitor who hit me pretty hard.

Race two was equally frustrating.

I started way down the grid and used my fast starting advantage to climb up the order but was again

when the rain comes down!

The next round of the Power Maxed MINI Challenge at Brands Hatch had us welcoming a new backer, Rivervale Leasing, thanks for coming on board guys! The weekend may have started off as another event from hell but it sure finished in euphoric fashion.

In qualifying the gear linkage broke and caused me to miss a shift

was re-passed on any straight. I came home to a disappointing but hard fought fourth! Another engine change overnight was the only option! With engine number three in the car we took three wins on the Sunday including a reverse grid win at the end of the day!

Satisfying? Heck yes!

On to weekend three at Snetterton, we had tested a few

hampered by the lack of straightline speed! Finally in race three my prayers were answered! The rain was torrential as we left the starting grid. Having just put on wets, I was in my element, I grabbed the lead at the end of lap one and didn’t look back, the power issue made no difference in the wet conditions and I sprinted away to my first win of the year. This Scotsman still had it

which resulted in an over-revved engine. Luckily the track was wet so it masked the problem slightly, I was still able to retain my second spot on the grid. The team changed the engine as it wasn’t sounding right in the garage. Unfortunately engine number two of the weekend was not up to snuff! The straightline speed was embarrassing and everytime I made an overtake I

weekends prior to the event to make sure everything was ok, however the water pump belt detached and it cooked the engine, was a fourth engine on the cards? Luckily the team managed to get away with putting on a fresh cylinder head on so I’m now on engine 3.5 haha!

Qualifying was close between my main rival, Luke Caudle and I with Luke just pipping me to pole by a

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tenth of a second. Race one was pretty straight forward, Luke took the win and I just followed him home, there was nothing between us. The reverse grid was my opportunity to get in front of Luke and I held the advantage over him on the opening lap as I started to

one. I shadowed race leader Neil Newstead for 75% of the race, just waiting to seize any opportunity that would come along. This came with a few laps to go when we went side by side into the famous Shell hairpin, I was on the outside and got the undercut on the exit and

catch the two guys in front. After dropping the first driver, I set out after Lawrence Davey, I got a great draft on the back straight and went around the outside under braking, unfortunately Lawrence couldn’t get his MINI stopped in time and made contact with me spinning me off onto the dirt. I rejoined with a damaged car but still salvaged a points finish. Points make championships, remember!

Weekend four had us heading north to Oulton Park where I was able to stretch my points lead in the series. I ran minimum laps in qualifying to preserve tyres and lined up third on the grid for race

never looked back. My title rival Luke had some bad luck and failed to finish. Race two was very straight forward, lights to flag victory, I just love those! Race three was the reverse grid which took me a few laps to fight my way through the field. On the last lap I was behind Neil and he made contact with a back marker, fluid was leaking from his car and it was making it difficult for me to get near him, a yellow flag saved him on the next corner and I thought I would get a better run out the last corner so took a wide line, Lawrence made a massive lunge and got alongside but I had to think of the championship, so took to the

grass to avoid contact and salvaged third! Another great points haul at what is I suppose the closest thing to racing at home for me in the Power Maxed MINI Challenge.

From the North we headed to the West Country for weekend five at Castle Combe.

Another new sponsor came onboard, my local bike firm Thomsons Cycles. It was another perfect weekend with pole by a big margin in the wet conditions. Race one was damp but drying so we opted for slick fronts and wet rears. This combo worked perfect for me, I romped to victory number seven on the year and bagged the fastest lap also.

The reverse grid was a little chaotic, a red flag on the first start brought a small break before the restart. I was a little cautious on the second restart as I had to keep the championship in mind. I took a little longer than usual to fight my way through the field but was soon on Luke’s bumper challenging for the lead, a brave move on the outside into Quarry, one of the most challenging braking zones in the UK, gave me the lead on exit! I went on to take victory number eight and set another fastest lap. Pretty good considering there was no racing in my future when 2014 started.

The Silverstone GP circuit was the venue for weekend six.

Qualifying was perfect, I took the pole by 1.8 seconds and backed up my initial pace by taking my ninth race win by a huge margin. Race two got off to a great start and

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again had a huge lead until my earlier season issues returned, the power dropped off massively and my lead was being eroded by twoseconds a lap. I managed to hold on and bag victory number ten for the year. The reverse grid was going to be very difficult as there was hardly anytime to diagnose the problem. I knew I was going to struggle, but got a great start. As soon as we got on the first straight I was a sitting duck. I had great corner speed but nothing where it counted on the straights. I got on the brakes for an overtake but made contact with Neil which damaged my car, I pitted to make sure there was nothing dragging or cutting into the tyre and continued trying to salvage any points. Post race there was an investigation into the incident with resulted in me keeping my finishing position in race three but would take a grid penalty at the next race at Brands Hatch, This gave me the championship in the office rather than on the track which was a bit frustrating.

At the final weekend at Brands Hatch GP we welcomed more new marketing partners, Blackwood Plant Hire, Sweet Buzzards, CCC Events and Projector Lifting Services Ltd. Blackwood Plant Hire owner Tom joined us for the weekend and had a great time at his first MINI Challenge weekend.

Qualifying wasn’t too important as I had an eight place grid penalty.

I lined up second on the road but that meant tenth on the grid for the race. I was a determined man with a point to prove! I had a great start and jumped a couple of rows of cars into turn one. Luke made 40

contact with the car in front causing him to leak fluid, I lost 7.5 secs to the leaders as the track was like driving on ice! Luke pulled off and it gave me the chance to go after the leaders. Fastest lap after fastest lap followed and I passed Lawrence into third, then disposed of Neil for second but ran out of time to catch Jono Brown. Race two put me on the front row with Jono on fresh rubber, I knew I had to get by on the first lap to have a chance. I did just that with an amazing move around the outside at Stirlings, I built on the lead to win in front of all my sponsors watching from the hospitality suite! Race three was

over before it started. I got a great start from sixth and was up to third in the first lap, until a huge accident caused a red flag and with no daylight to resume, the doors were closed on the 2014 Power Maxed MINIÂ Challenge season.

Special thanks go out to all my sponsors for making this season happen, I could not have done it without you. Thanks to my team and to all the MINI fans worldwide that continue to support me! Finally, thanks to Motorwerks Magazine for having faith in the lanky Scot they met at Daytona in 2012 and allowing me to retell my 2014 story on their pages. Till next season!

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Chris Knox

2014 Power Maxed MINI Challenge Champion 44

Photo by Marc Pantony

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ONE YEAR ON! BMW and WTCC at SONOMA

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Words by Ian Rae, photos by author, Janis Rae and Norman Nelson Š www.MotorWerksMag.com

Tom Coronel Born Apr 5th, 1972 Naarden, Netherlands 2006/2009 WTCC Independents’ Trophy 4 WTCC Wins 2013 Team: ROAL Motorsport Started racing in Citroen AX Cup in 1990 Formula 3 Masters Winner 1997 Formula Nippon Champion 1999

E

ver since 2007 when the comedy - drama The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman came to the movie screens portraying terminally ill hospital patients, the term ‘bucket list’ has indicated a ‘must do’ event in a person’s life. My bucket list comprises a few things that will probably not happen but one that was achievable and relatively easy to make happen was seeing the World Touring Car Championship run at Sonoma Raceway in 2013.

The downside to the trip was this was the last time BMWs would be seen running at the famed north American venue due to rules changes for the 2014 season. The upside was the WTCC and my first ever trip to the track that is formerly known as Sears Point or Infineon Raceway.

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We arrived early on Friday afternoon with enough time to stroll around the paddock and check out the cars in their garages. As most of the garage doors were staring to close we figured that everyone was all prepared and ready for racing. Not strictly true.

Some of the crew and drivers were heading to the FIA Media event at a nearby winery. And best of all we were invited!

It was not what I expected; instead of being the stuffy, straight laced event I expected it was laid back, drivers and crew were available for the media to talk to in a relaxed atmosphere as the sun went down over a scenic Californian vineyard, in fact a great way to end the day. But imagine my surprise when I caught a glimpse of a ‘well kent face’ as they say in Scotland. It was not a current driver but one whose career started at the same Scottish hillcimb

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venues as mine. He just went on to be more famous or as he himself even noted it could have been infamous.

It was none other than two-time British Touring Car champion John Cleland.

“They can’t come up with acceptable excuses, after all, I invented most of them!”

John has surprised to hear a Scottish voice accost him and failed to place me. Heck, after all it had been over 35 years since our paths had crossed. Asking what he was doing here he sort of sniggered and said, “I’m with the FIA” and after a little bit of a pause for effect continued, “I’m the driving standards steward!’ At that point we both had a good smile going (I’m glad I finished that mouthful of wine, John) and he once again went on, “After all, what can they say when they are up in front of me? They can’t come up with an acceptable excuse, after all I invented most of them!”

To say I was surprised was an understatement but I can remember to this day the occasions I sat in front of the TV and cheered Mr. Cleland on to another win.

John’s story has been played out all around motorsport over the years, it was a typical case of the poacher turning gamekeeper. Not hat I think that is a bad thing.

When you get a bunch of competitive guys running as close as the WTCC guys do a little bit of rubbing is expected but do something silly and you have John Cleland to contend with and that particular irate Scotsman is not one 50

I would like to explain myself too.

So how was it? As good as I expected and MORE! We could not have picked a better track than Sonoma to see the them on. The elevation changes, the sweeping curves coming back from the far end of the track, the cars were so good to watch as they seemed to be glued to the track. That is not to say we did not see some off track excursions? Some of the drivers were just determined to find the limit and back it down a bit for qualifying and the racing.

Yeah, that’s right, racing. A typical WTCC event comprises of two races, one with a rolling start and the other from a standing start. Throw in the top ten qualifiers for the first race starting the second race in reversed positions and it can get pretty interesting at times.

How were my BMWs performing? Unfortunately not so good, Moroccan driver Mehdi Bennani was the quickest in his Proteam Racing BMW 320TC driver in tenth place, giving him pole for the second race. Tom Coronel was next up in twelfth in the lead ROAL Motorsport car followed by Fredy Barth (13), Darryl O’Young (14), Franz Engstler (15) Stefano D’Aste (17), Charles Ng (18)

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Stefano D’Aste Born Feb 28th, 1974 Genoa, Italy 2007 WTCC Independents’ Trophy 2 WTCC Wins 52

2013 Team: PB Racing Started racing motorcycles and has been involved in touring cars since 2004 in European Touring Car Championship

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Tom Coronel drove BMWs in WTCC since 2011

Below: No smiles from John Cleland if you are bad!

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Racing in the WTCC is tough!

Practice saw everyone trying hard! Here Bennani locks the brakes into the chicane

Charles Ng dukes it out with Seat and a Lada as he crests Turn 2

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With the BMWs were struggling at best, the most anyone hoped for was moving through the field and into a points paying postion. Both Coronel and D’Aste managed that in the first race where Briton Tom Chilton took his first ever win in the series with the Ray Mallock Ltd, Chevrolet Cruze. Coronel’s teamate Darryl O’Young only managed to complete five laps before having to retire.

Race 2 boded well for BMW with Bennani on pole but it was Gabriele Tarquini who converted the number two spot into first when he slipped the Castrol Honda Civic into the lead as he came over the top of Corner 2 as seen in the photo above. Bennani hung in for the duration of the race and finished only 2.4 seconds behind the flying Italian at the conclusion of thirteen laps. Coronel improved on his previous finish with a sixth after running in tandem with Fredy Barth in the Weichers-Sport BMW for most of the race. Stefano D’Aste again finished tenth to collect another championship point.

When you survey the results and see things like race one winner Chilton, not being able to gain any places in the second race, you really see the depth of talent

that is running in the WTCC. The most notable thing I commented on was the cars sticking so close together in a couple of packs with only a few stragglers. Watching them run nose to tail from 7A through the Esses to 8A was just peotry in motion; definately something worth the trip for. It was classic tin-top racing at its best!

Editors Note: It looks as if the WTCC is not be returning to Sonoma for the 2015 season. this is bad news considering that this years event had to be cancelled because of shipping problems getting the cars to China in time for the next race. The cancelled round was due to be the third race at the circuit of a three year contract. A proposed 2015 schedule was seen online earlier this year and Sonoma was not on it. Considering the WTCC is a world series I feel there should be an event in both Canada and the USA. Mosport and Sonoma, that would be awesome.

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Above: No smiles from John Cleland if you are bad! yeah right!

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Below: Tech inspection for North Americans

Above: Frank Engstler leads a train up the hill

Below: Tom Coronel told me, no kerb hopping,

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2014 UK MINI Challenge Championship Chris Knox became the first driver in the history of the Power Maxed MINI Challenge to lift the John Cooper Challenge Trophy for a second time.

Scotsman Knox collected the prestigious trophy during the championship’s lavish awards ceremony last week, which was this year held at the home of MINI UK – the MINI Plant Oxford.

“It’s such a special feeling to be the overall champion again, especially seeing as my deal to race only came about a few days before the start of the season,” said Knox. “After round one I didn’t think I’d be winning it this year. But I worked hard with the ExcelR8 team and my backers SL Group to make it happen. What a season.”

The Cooper Trophy was just one of a long list of prizes handed out to the most successful drivers in the championship this year. Neil Newstead- who celebrated his 40th birthday on the night of the awards - picked up second in the R56 JCW Class with Luke Caudle getting the third placed trophy.

In the Cooper Class Shane Stoney grabbed his second successive champion’s trophy. “We had so much experience to draw on for this year having won the title with Coastal Racing this year,” he said. “I felt so

Words by Ian Rae, photos by Dave Young Photos

Knox becomes the first driver in the 14-year history of the championship to lift the outright champion’s John Cooper trophy for a second time, following on from his first title in 2011.

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comfortable with the team and the results just came my way. But the level of competition was so much higher this year with more Coopers on the grid. It may have looked straightforward on paper, but it was one of the

Far Left: Power Maxed owner Adam Weaver hands Chris Knox his second Championship Cup Power Top Left: Club class top 3, centre - 1st Shane Stoney, left 2nd Josh Gollin and right 3rd Ricky Page Bottom Left: Power Maxed owner Adam Weaver and Rookie of the Year Matt Hammond Below: Chris Knox recieves the DaveYoungPhotos.com collage from David’s daughter Louise. toughest seasons of racing I’ve had.”

Josh Gollin celebrated second place in the class points ahead of Ricky Page, who fought off injury to snare the final piece of silverware.

There was also a range of special awards handed out.

Alan Taylor claimed the Directors’ Cup for the JCW Class, with Rob Sims Racing’s Simon Walton taking the same award for the Cooper division. Grace Williams was awarded with the Cooper Ladies’ Cup after a hard fought season.

An emotional Matt Hammond was named as Rookie of the Year for 2014, having saved diligently for four years just to fund his way on to the grid. “It’s so special to be recognised because this has been the culmination of a long-held dream for me,” he said. “I was inspired by Tommy Byrne’s book and it made me want to become a racing driver. There’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears just to get to the grid and I’ve had an amazing year. I want to be back next season, but I’ve got a lot more hard work to do to get me back here.”

Lastly came the historic announcement of Lawrence Davey as the winner of this year’s Best of British Award.

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Above: Knox’s No1 mechanic, Steve Taylor from Sunderland showed up in a kilt as a tribute to the Flying Scotsman.

Left: The people who make it all happen, the MINI Challenge team from left to right, Michael Chesterton Partner in the MINI Challenge, John Harland Scrutineer/Tech, Michelle Harland - MINI Challenge sign on, Rhea Beauchamp event coordinator, Robert Ladbrook - Motorsport News Journalist, Antony Williams - MINI Challenge Partner.

Bottom Left: Louise Young, Shane Stoney and proud papa Chris Stoney Bottom Center: The Award ceremony had a great turnout. It was a night enjoyed by all.

Bottom Right: Chris Knox enjoys an end of season drink with fellow JCW drivers Alan Taylor on the left and Keith Issat on the right. Taylor won the Directors Cup which has a forty years old minimum age to enter.

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S

o what am I talking about in the title of this article?

You look at the photo and you see a hard charging Darryl O’Young in his ROAL Motorsport BMW right on the bootlid of James Thompson. What’s wrong with that you say? Nothing, in fact the two are great Touring Car drivers but I am wondering if the problem may have nothing to do with BMW being competitive or spending the money to developing a new engine program to suit the new rules. It may just have to do with the manufacturer of the car that Thompson drives.

Those on American shores tend to know nothing about the Russian manufacturer Lada except for the jokes that were made about the Fiat 124 platformed Ladas that made it to Canada between 1979 and 1998. The cars were even prevented from entering the US due to trade sanctions. Lada was designed to be the ‘people’s car’ for the Eastern Bloc with the term ‘entry level’ probably being coined for it. Now BMW is racing against a team of Lada Granta Sports with their lead driver being James Thompson, a former British Touring Car champion.

Another WTCC competitor is SEAT, the Volkswagen owned Spanish manufacturer. Both are producing cars that are capable runners in the WTCC but as challengers to BMW in the road car market are they really on the same level as BMW, Mercedes and Audi?

Is it a case of potential customers seeing them run against these more affordable cars and thinking they are on a par with the road going versions. It may be, after all the Lada WTCC is so far away from the road car it is not true. At least the BMW has racing in its DNA and always will have. We all know a good marketer can sell fridges to eskimos, but is selling a Lada as an option to a BMW doable. More and more manufacturers are building cars with higher specifications. Alloy wheels are

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Is this why BM left WTCC

MW C?

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now the norm as are many of the other things previously only seen on executive brands. It is now common to drive a non BMW brand off the lot, similarly equipped for a LOT less money.

So how does this affect BMW racing in the WTCC? Racing is a form of marketing to all the manufacturers who spend the money to compete. They have to get a return on it or they would not set up a race program and spend the large sums that they do. Is it that the base 3 Series models are selling themselves without racing marketing? At least that is the way it seems here

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in Canada. A lease on a 2014 320i sedan can be had for 0.9% on a 24-36 month term. That equates to not a lot of money for a premium brand car and seeing how many 320i versions are running around since the F30 introduction leads me to believe they are flying off the lot.

The issue I have about BMW leaving the WTCC or a similar road based class is the loss of development that racing has traditionally brought to their road cars. I am sure there is technology gained from the DTM but those cars share very little with their road going brethren.

I always think that manufacturers racing is a little bit like advertising. You may not get a sale on the first adverts but continuing with them keeps your name out there.

People are buying the 3 Series with four and six cylinders not V8s and carbon fiber tubs. It just seems wrong to me for BMW not to be racing at this level of Touring cars and look forward to the return of BMW to the WTCC.

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Above: Brandon and Peter stand behind their record setting E30 Left: 8x10” / 18x12” Giovanna GFG Gavar Wheels (custom offset) with Toyo R888 255/35/18 & 335/30/18 Right: DTMFiberwerkz E30 DTM Obsession Widebody kit (one of three produced)

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Badge

Engineering from the

Smokey’s Group Words and Photos by Ian Rae

I

found out about the guys at Smokey’s Dyno & Performance thru a friends of mine Shari Arfons of McCullough Public Relations Inc. They are one of her clients and she was pretty sure their E30 would be of interest to me as it was a bit special.

“How special?” was my question.

“Are you worried about it not having a BMW engine”, was her response.

Well the answer to that is, I’m a motorhead and I love to see people get creative with their projects and NO I don’t care!

So after a morning trip to Corsa Performance to check out their state of the art exhaust plant it was down to Akron, Ohio to meet Brandon and Peter, the two guys behind the business and this hybrid BMW.

Established in 2006, Smokey’s Group is a full-service high-performance shop looking after luxury, exotic and performance vehicles. Brandon and Peter pride themselves on giving personal attention and customized performance solutions to suit each individual customers needs. The company consists of two sides, selling and installing performance parts and the dyno where they specialize in advanced engine management and providing expert custom tuning. In addition they have a full service wheel shop where they can fit wheels and tires up to forty-five inches outer diameter. The service area has four lifts where four bays allow top-quality maintenance care for exclusive makes and models, both foreign and domestic.

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Now on to the interesting stuff, that matte metallic blue BMW or as the guys at Smokey’s call it, the GMW! The 1987 325is is an Arizona car that provided the Smokey’s crew with a solid base to start from. In an effort to get easy power at an affordable price the team decided to move away from the BMW powerplant and install one of the General’s V-8 motors. But this was no normal piece of Detroit Iron, a GM Performance LS3 block was secured and bored and stroked to 408 cubic inches which equates to a rather large 6.7 liter. For those who are not familiar with the LS3 it is an aluminum motor and fitted with Trickflow Specialties GenX 235 heads it is actually fifty to sixty pounds lighter than the in-line six BMW motor that previously sat between the frame rails. The plan for easy power was accomplised with the LS3 putting out 590 horses to the wheels, which should equate roughly to 700 at the crank with an estimated 18% drivetrain loss.

There is no super trick ECU needed for this land speed racer, a factory GM LS computer is all it needs even with the heads and intake.

Power is transmitted to the RPM Transmissions T56 Magnum Conversion Level VI 6 speed transmission through a Mcleod RXT Street Twin Clutch rated for 1000hp.

The rear end came out of a 2000 M-Coupe. It had the factory LSD with 3.23 gears but we are going to be upgrading them to 3.73 over the winter. The car runs the M-Coupe axles and the 5-lug conversion in the front.

Plans for 2015 include more suspension upgrades and possibly forced induction of some sort. Brandon told us, “We took the car to the Wilmington Mile in Ohio this year and took two new records, nect year I want to go back and take some more.”

You can find out about the Smokeys Group at their website www.smokeysgroup.com.

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n o i t u l o v The Re ! g n i m o is C

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T

he revolution is coming and it is coming in the shape of a MINI! That’s right folks, Jan Brueggemann of Revolution Motor Works is working on something that is revolutionary in the MINI world. Those of you who hang out at the racetrack may be familliar with the British sports car manufacturer

‘It had to look like a MINI, be powered by a MINI and perform like no MINI ever seen’ Radical. Mick Hyde and Phil Abbott pioneered the concept of a light chassis with a superbike powerplant to build a brand that has now produced 1,900 cars in seventeen years. In addition to the bike engined cars a V-8 is available and the cars are now seen at racetracks all over the world. The British duo set out out to create a niche market where drivers could buy a safe racecar that would provide incredible performance for a realistic price. Brueggemann plans to do the same thing for the sedan market.

Starting off with a clean sheet, he got brainstorming with his fabricator Barry Karakas at BK Fabworks in Oak Hills, California and the pair thrashed out the details of what the new car should look like. Jan explained, “There were some things I had set firmly in stone. It had to look like a MINI, be powered by a MINI and perform like no MINI ever seen. Thus the RWM X-1 was born. It also had to pretty well be unbreakable and be easy to work on with removeable body panels” Karakas had no problem with the unbreakable part, the bulk of his business is building all sorts of trucks and buggies for the rough and tumble of desert racing.

It was agreed that moving the Tritec motor to the rear of the car would give the optimal chassis balance as the motor would almost be mid-mounted. Brueggemann went on, “With all the criteria we set out, it dictates the only real option is to build a tube chassis car where everything can be placed where we want it for optimal performance. That has the by-product of making the car easy to work on as it is basically nothing more than a frame with a body attached.”

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Below: The full tube frame features CrMo tubing to keep weight down.

Below: The X-1 features a flat floor to to match up with a Below: You get into the car ala NASCAR, climbing state of the art diffuser at the reat of the car. through the window opening.

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The one thing Brueggemann decided to do to make the X-1 different from the Radical business model was the availablility of potential customers buying the car in various stages of completion. He explained, “I know everyone can’t afford to drop the money needed to buy a ready to run (RTR) rolling chassis so I thought that making it availble in various forms would work for those who have the talent to finish the car themselves and save them a bit of money as well. This works well for the many drag race chassis builders out there and I see no reason it won’t work for the X-1. This is where our Race Car in A Box moniker comes from. You order the car to your spec, list the parts you require to go with it, we pack them up in a big box and before you know it, the whole deal is sitting in your driveway.”

The X-1 was due to be shown for the first time at the recent SEMA show but Jan pulled the plug on it. “I just was not happy how the body was looking after we got everything screwed together. It just did not have the look that I wanted. I felt I had let down our product partners by not being there but in the long run I am sure they will understand the car has to be perfect when it comes out for the first time. Talking of these partners, we have absolutely the best people on board with this project. Their products will be seen on the production cars and with our own in-house development car I feel we can help them out with some development as well.”

Electrically we have the latest Vi-Pec ECU that will allow us to flat shift with the Sadev transmission.

A Racepak EFI module communicates to the Racepak IQ3 datalogger dash where it shares ECU data with the datalogger. The car wiring is made easier by using one of Racepak’s Smartwire PDM (power distribution modules) units which also communicates on the V-Net and allows us common use of sensors without duplication. It also allows you to use logic to control outputs based on the status of one or more inputs anywhere on the V-Net. Richwerks is building the engine wiring harness and all together it is going to be a really robust system,

The fuel system comes from Aeromotive and features twin pumps for endurance racing. The great thing about Aeromotive is their wealth of technical knowlege, Brett Clow has been in the business a long time and knows exactly how to spec a system no matter if it carburetted or electtronic fuel injection.

Watch for another installment in the next issue.

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Below: Well built A-Arms and quality rod ends make for great adjustibility.

Below: The X-1 will feature a 2000cc Tritec motor with a turbocharger

Below: This work of art came from Bell Intercoolers

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www.trillium-bmwclub.ca 78

Scott Good has got building super light carbon fiber rear wings down to a fine art. Good Aero understands that the balance of downforce versus drag is something most amateur raceteams do not spend a lot of time sorting out.

Their wealth of knowlege of their products and mounting solutions make it easy for them to provide a wing that is going to work.

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s I r e n n i And the W #14 Doug Bennett

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n the last issue of MWM we held a competition to win a driving school at the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner would visit the school with our editor (myself) and enjoy a school behind the wheel of one of the latest F56 MINI Cooper S cars at the Miles Ahead MINI Performance Driving school. The winner had to answer questions set by the Miles Ahead team; the questions focused on the Cooper heritage at IMS. Five of our readers had all the questions correct and we had to come up with some means to select a winner.

It was around that time that Miles Ahead announced a school program that for the first time would allow students to run on the full road course at IMS. For Miles Ahead this was a milestone they were hoping for, in fact if things go according to plan there will be more events like this in 2015. It was at that point that I contacted Stephen Simpson and asked if we could move our school to that date. Simpson talked with his partners, Stephane Gregoire and Ted Woerner and they thought it was a great idea. So now all we had to do was choose a winner.

I contacted all the winners and asked them if they were available on October 22? With it being midweek it was difficult for some and it came down to two people to choose a winner from. Doug Bennett from Modesto, CA would face-off against Wayne McLennan of Shrewsbury, MA. Both where enthusiasts who enjoy hot MINI Coopers so that was fitting. We did not want to use questions for the tiebreaker and have to come up with something different to decide the winner. What we came up with was taking all the cc’s that the classic Mini was built with and giving points for every number that match on Doug and Wayne’s license plates. Well that seems like a great idea except that both MINI owners have vanity plates. Wayne being a Kiwi had the plate NZUS so no points for him. Doug’s plate proclaimed his love of the R53 MINI with DUG R53. It came down to one number, the five in R53 much the five in 1275, Doug had won with one matching number.

To give the guys at Miles Ahead their due, they came up with a fantastic offer for Wayne to join us at the Brickyard. Unfortunately other obligations precluded that from happening. So on October 21 Doug flew into Indianapolis for the start of this great adventure.

We started off with a mini tour of the Dallara racecar factory located just across the road from the Speedway.

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Stephan reviews his racing history.

Pippa Mann was the first female to win a pole position at IMS

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The full tour was not available as Dallara is currently undertaking classified work for the US government. As we wandered around the words “I did not know that” you are frequently spoken as the Dallara history was unveiled. Of course we did get our racing fix behind the wheel of their simulators. Then it was out the Hilton Garden Inn that is one of the preferred hotels for the Miles Ahead school. Doug how to shower and a little snooze and then we hit one of my must do’s when Indianapolis the Union Jack Pub. While it no longer has a huge collection of race helmets and automotive art there is motorsport memorabilia to be seen.

The full road course program have been modified to allow for a morning and afternoon session. Doug and I had chosen the afternoon course so we did not

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have to get up at the crack of dawn. We did venture in early to photograph the morning class as they were put through their paces. The classroom was located in a plaza within a stones throw of IMS’s iconic pagoda, it was at that point we really knew that it was happening, we were going to join that small group of people who have driven at speed over that yard of bricks that gave the Speedway it’s nickname, the Brickyard.

The school started in the classroom with Stephane’s lovely wife Virginie taking care of registration where we all received a Miles Ahead hard card. Ted Woerner then gave an overview of the Speedway and its links to the Cooper Car Company. He explained the schedule for the day and then went on to introduce our coaches, Stephan Gregoire, Stephen Simpson, Gabby

Chavez and Pippa Mann. All four of them have competed in the highest levels of motorsport. We found out our coaches would be in contact with us via a two-way radio that we were not to use under any circumstances. The school would consist of three segments, learning racing lines, a time trial to decide your run group and then road course lapping. The class was split into four for the first two segments, with two groups running racing lines around the original Grand Prix course. This bypassed the new infield section at turn one used by Moto GP, where the other two groups were running the time trial that would seed them for the lapping sessions.

Doug got behind the wheel and we motored over to the short chute between corner one and two.

Stephen Simpson was leading our group then slowly led us from the start point through the series of corners to the finish where Stephan Gregoire was waiting with a stopwatch. The run was initiated by Ted Woerner doing his best impression of the Brickyard flagman. At that point we had to find the quickest way between point A and point B. Stephen Simpson was watching our runs and critiquing them as we drove. With his commentary over the radio fresh in your mind it was easy to adjust your line as you made your next run. With Doug and I are sharing, Doug made three runs before handing over to me. Time constraints meant I only got one run and I was not happy with the first corner and my breaking into the stop zone. Later when we found out what the times were, I had finished fourth with Doug in seventh, pretty good for our first time driving a F56 in anger. This put us in run group two for the lapping section of the day with Stephen as our coach.

We then moved on to learning the racing lines with Gabby Chavez. Chavez is the recently crowned Indy Lights champion who takes great pleasure in beating

me in the online Real Racing game. A row of four would follow Gabby line astern and every time we reached the main straightaway the leader would fall to the back of the line. This gave everyone the chance to follow the coach. What impressed me about the coaches was their ability to drive at speed, look in the mirror at our lines and then comment over the radio. These guys are good, believe me. I think it was during that session I really got the impression of how huge the Speedway really is. Coming on to the main straight is almost like driving into a canyon, the grandstands are that big. The Cooper S swallowed up the 3/4 mile straight and over 110 mph was seen at the braking zone for the road course turn one. The cones marking the apexes were set up on the inside of the kerbing so it was kerb to kerb from corners 1,2,3. Just like Chris Knox, although I doubt we caught air like he did. Six was taken a lot wider than I had expected but it was all about being in the right spot turning into seven and the infield straightaway.

8.9.10.11 were a blast of flowing corners where the MINI excelled before foot hard down into twelve where the car moves around a little when you were really

pushing it. 13,14 and 15 was the section we used for our handicap test and a bit tricky. The exit from fifteen dictated how quickly you got onto the main straight and thunder towards that yard of bricks again.

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After a day in Indy at the Miles Ahead Performance Driving School my “bucket list” is one item shorter, I scratched off driving on a world class road race track.

The MINI school was so much fun, the instructors were both friendly and helpful on and off the track. It seemed like Ted Woerner was a walking encyclopedia about the Speedway, as he pointed out many facts and history of the track during the classroom session.

Students were tested on driving skills and divided into small groups according to skill level, during the testing stage in a tight curve I thought that I may be over my head just a bit here as I really as they say in the racing world “ went in a little hot” After a few passes through the testing stage, I gained some sort of control. When we moved over to the full track, my confidence was on an upward swing.

After a few laps, each lap getting faster than the last, I began to find my groove, hitting both braking and turning points. The Instructor I was following was Pippa Mann, and she kept up the chatter on the radio, pointing out brake ant turn points, she coaxed us around a wide sweeping left curve, instructing us to enter at the center of the track and gradually move to the left edge to catch a turning Apex and then into a 90 degree right turn.

By the time the driving part was finished, I was quite relaxed behind the wheel.

It is difficult to describe the thrill of flying down the front straight at Indy, crossing the bricks at the start / finish line glancing down at the speedometer and realize that you’r going 110 MPH, and have to brake hard for an up coming s curve.... HOLD ON..

Richard Eckebrecht #17

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A discussion with Ted Woerner Editor: So Ted, how did you feel the full road course school went?

TW: It was without a doubt a special opportunity for everyone concerned. We at Miles Ahead loved it, the students loved it; a huge success.

IR: Being the only school at the Brickyard is rather special.

TW: It is, We take it very seriously. It is an honor and a huge responsibilty representing names like the IMS and MINI USA. Maybe that is why we strive so hard to put on a great event.

IR: You mention the focus on having a good event, what makes it so.

TW: I think our attention to detail, the cars are an absolute joy to drive and that makes it easy for

the student to have a good time. If they go home disappointed we lose one of our biggest marketing mediums and that is word of mouth. We want everyone to leave the Speedway with a huge grin on their face.

IR: This year you went to the new F56 Cooper S where in previous years you ran R56 JCWs. When we talked before the season had started one of your concerns was the lack of Brembo brakes on these cars compared to the JCW cars.

TW: (Laughing) I have to admit I thought we might have issues with the new cars but as you had mentioned

in your article the brakes on the standard car are amazing. They handle a whole track session without an issue. And if I may, can I just tell the readers that these cars are not track prepared, you can buy the self same car right off your local dealer.

IR: Having said the F56 is a great car, you are changing out again next year?

TW: Yes the F56 JCW is coming available and that is what we will be running for 2015. I am sure next year’s students will get a big kick out of it with more power and bigger brakes. There will be wider grins at the end of next years schools.

IR: If there was anything negative about the full track program, what do you think it is?

TW: Considering it was our first time it went very well but I could see an issue with the shared cars. Doug got three runs at the handicap test and you got one. We use it to seed the drivers for the group they would run laps in. In your case you would have been in the first group, Doug the second. Putting you into the second is no big deal but image if it was first and fourth, it would not be fair to run either person in the group they were not seeded in. It is something for us to look at and tweak. We are all about problem solving here at Miles Ahead. Our goal is a happy customer and we will do whatever is required to make that happen.

IR: Thanks for the opportunity and working with MotorWerks Magazine on the competition, I cannot tell our readers how much fun this was. Ted, Stephane, Virginie, Stephen, Gabby and Pippa did an amazing job. Some more experienced track day people may not like the follow and learn but the trump card is you are running at IMS!! Yes, that Indianapolis Motor Speedway and you crossed the yard of bricks at SPEED! It is a day that will be etched on my mind forever.

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Now we have a word from the winner!

Doug Bennett.

B

ack in the Jan. 2014 Vol. 4 Issue 1 of MotorWerks Magazine there was a contest that challenged your knowledge of John Cooper’s involvement in the Indianapolis 500 and the drivers associated with his efforts to win at Indy. I was lucky enough to be one of the people who submitted all the correct answers and through a tie breaker ended up being the winner.

The prize being a visit to Indianapolis and getting to drive a brand new F56 Mini Cooper S in the Miles Ahead Motoring School around the famed Indianapolis GP road course. Having been to Indianapolis before and visited the Speedway grounds and Museum, this wasn’t something I ever thought I would get the chance to do and wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to scratch this off the bucket list.

I crawled on a an early flight out of Sacramento on a late October morning to arrive in Indy by 3 PM where Ian and I paid a visit to the Dallara Factory near the Speedway. We were able to see some of the race winning and other famous cars on display in the lobby as well as some scale cars used to test Aerodynamics in the rolling wind tunnel. The factory itself was off limits due to some sort of secret government project they were developing, I ventured a guess it was some sort of reverse engineering of a UFO. The driving simulators were fun and gave you an idea of how much skill and concentration is needed to drive an Indy car at speed around IMS. It’s not as easy as it looks and a good thing it was simulated as I crashed a bunch of cars trying to get the hang of it.

We had a some Chicago style pizza that evening a the nearby Union Jack Pub which turned out to be way more food than either of us could finish. Great food though and a ton of memorabilia related to the 500 and the world of racing.

On Wednesday we arrived at the track early to take some photos of the Miles Ahead Motoring School group that was driving the track in the morning session. It was a little cool early on but a perfect clear fall day to be on a racetrack. The instructors lead the students around the road course in a silver 2013 R56 JCW Mini Cooper S, lucky them with all that extra horsepower. They have the task of driving the course

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at a fast pace while giving instruction over a hand held radio and watching in the mirror to give pointers on where the driving line is for students who are following close behind. I have to say all the instructors Stephen Simpson, Gabby Chaves, Pippa Mann, Stephan Gregoire were all very helpful in their feedback and hands on with making you a better driver.

After a nice catered lunch it was our turn to get out on track. The first thing they wanted to do was run a short autocross to separate everyone into run groups based on skill level. We ran a short section of the road course that runs on the inside of turn 1 of the oval track running clockwise so it’s a little different than what you would see in the Indy 500. Once the seeding was determined we got the chance to drive the full GP road course and cross the yard of bricks backwards in excess of 100 MPH. Our on track sessions were followed up with download sessions with our instructors who gave us feedback. Ian and I were able to run 2 sessions each as we were sharing the #14 car. The cars used for the school are all unmodified 2014 F56 Mini Cooper S’s running street tires which perform very well considering they are run flats. After the instruction part of the school was over, we all survived, the instructors took everyone for a lap around the oval flat out in an F56. My driver being 2014 Indy Lights Champion Gabby Chaves. We got up over 140 MPH and Gabby drove the entire oval without braking for corners only scrubbing speed at the apex. That was quite a treat to end the day.

That evening we walked around downtown Indianapolis taking in the sights with all the fall colors and grabbed a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe. A great way to unwind after driving a car close to it’s limits on a legendary track.

I had a great time and it was a great couple of days spent driving a my favorite car, Mini Cooper S at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and meeting some really cool people. I have to thank Ian Rae from MotorWerks Magazine for having the contest as well as my on track instructor Stephen Simpson and the Management of the Miles Ahead Motoring School Ted Woerner and Stephan Gregoire. It was an experience I will not soon forget.

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I Every Picture Tells a Story!

Only in this case it is many photographs melded together to tell that story. Our ‘new’ boy David Lewis shows you how to have some fun with your camera and car.

Words and photos by Davis Lewis

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’m sure by now; some of you in the MINI world have seen a few of my photographs where there are quite a few of me doing something around my MINI Cooper S. The most famous is probably the “Washing the MINI” shot that Ian used to announce my arrival.

I’ve been asked to reveal my secrets to everyone and since I am a nice guy I guess I can do that. Anyone who has played with Photoshop probably has a pretty good idea how I did this, or at least an idea of how I did this.

So let’s start with the basics. You’ll need a camera with a timer built into it, or a friend to push the release when you tell them to. You’ll also need a pretty sturdy tripod to hold the camera. The last thing you’d need is some type of image editing software that handles layers.

I personally use Photoshop, but there are a few others out there you could use.

The idea is to find a spot to photograph yourself and your car doing something interesting, or in

an interesting location. For the shot we will be working on, I chose neither. It’s just a set of shots I happened to have that I was playing with. Remember that you will need to take the photos on a day where the light and cloud cover is consistent, otherwise your images will have different lighting and when we merge

them that may show up and look a bit odd.

We start with any image of the set and open that in Photoshop. That will become our base image. We don’t really need to do anything to the base image; it’s just there to provide us with a background for the rest of the images.

Next we open the second image. This is where is starts to get a little more interesting! Once you get the second image open, copy the whole image. Yes, everything, over the original image.

In Photoshop this will create a new layer. These layers are what will hold each section of the image. Now we start erasing from the second layer. What you’re doing is erase enough for the

first layer to show through. You’ll want to try to just erase the part of the first layer that has the actual content. This will help incase clouds were moving by and such. You could erase larger sections, but I’ve found this potentially cause problems.

Now you see our image starting to take shape!

There are two of my MINI and me. Let’s add a few more of me. We’ll use the same process of copying, pasting, and deleting to make the

more images of me look right.

And by the time we finish, we get something that looks like the photo on the opposite page.

Try it and have fun!

Editors note: David has given you some great insight into multi-image photos. Now you can put all you learned into practice and create your own. MotorWerks Magazine will be running a COMPETITION to see who can create the best photo with mutlpiple versions of them and their MINI. The winner will recieve a MWM T-Shirt and toque (hat) and the runner-up will recieve a T-Shirt.

Submissions must be 2400 pixels x 1600 pixels.

The top ten photos will be showcased in an upcoming issue of MotorWerks Magazine.

Please send the photo in .jpg or .png form to competitions@motorwerksmag.com. The closing date for the competition is Saturday the 31st of January.

© www.MotorWerksMag.com

Photos and W ords by Micha el J.

Deschamps

The 2014 MINI Invasion would start for our group of MINIacs at Budds’ MINI Oakville where cars began arriving at about 8:30 am on August 7th We enjoyed coffee, nibbles and conversation until 10:15 am before the call to cars.

As is normally the case at a MINI meet, we bumped into old friends and met new ones. We would check out their ride and talk MINI, nothing new about that but today was the day we were heading out on our bi-annual adventure, or as MINI Canada calls it, the MINI Invasion. From Oakville, we left in

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procession bound for Fort George in Niagara-on-the Lake. Our estimated arrival at Fort George was 11:30 am but as usual, nothing went as planned with the QEW being traffic central that day. Getting into Fort George itself was a bit challenging, as the last part of our journey utilized taking a bicycle path much to the chagrin of the local cyclists who had to take to the grass and the bushes to get by. On arrival we were directed to a scenic parking area on the grass overlooking the Niagara River where we were able to get out and talk more MINI or

MINIs On The Dragon

2015

go explore. Fort George has a lot of history especially with the United States and it was probably apt that it was our destination, as some of our fellow travellers would head on to Buffalo where MINI Takes The States and Towne MINI had an evening of British food and music prepared for their revelers.

MINI Canada with Adam Shaver, Frederic Dorais and other MINI team members made sure that we were well looked after with a complimentary lunch for all of the MINI owners and attendees.

A multitude of food trucks where on hand, providing food to suit every palette. They also had a huge tent set up with tables and chairs so we could kick back and enjoy our tasty treats whilst mingling with some of Canada’s finest MINI owners. There was even a photographer from Wheels.ca on hand to record the day.

All in all, we enjoyed a great MINI INVASION and cannot wait until the next one for what promises to be even bigger and better.

From this To THIS!

The Only Limiting Factor Is Your Imagination Book your appoinment NOW!

Ali@AlicynDrew.com

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Presidents Day weekend 2015 will see Stormin Norman Nelson and Eric Diamond return to Thunderhill Raceway Park for the sixth iteration of MINI Thunder. The event has changed much since the early day but Nelson has never seen excitement like this in the months before the event. “Everybody is just pumped”, he said before going on to explain why. “When we announced MT VI, one of the decisions we had to make was whether to run on the same old course we have used since day one or to expand onto the full five-mile course that is available now with addition of Thunderhill West. We asked our participants for their input and the answer was a resounding yes to the five-mile option.”

Diamond continued, “The new West track calls for different skills than the old track. Students are now

You Must Endure to Win!

Any endurance race is tough, a twenty-five hours one is especially tough. Never mind it being the first endurance even the car has competed in. That was the scenarion that Jaques Andres and his crew from San Francisco faced when they pulled into Thunderhill Raceway Park for the Annual 25 Hours event. How did it go? They had trials and tribulations but made it to the end to become what is generally thought to be the first twin engined car to finish a major endurance race.

Our good Friend Marc Miller was running a BMW in the event and was smiling a lot at being able to use the 330 hp he had under his right foot. NASCAR great Kyle Busch was also in a BMW and showing he can drive a Stock car, Indycar and a Touring car. Cameron Evans

able to experience all the types of corners they will encounter at tracks all over the world. Nobody is going away from MINI Thunder without having learned from the experience. This is another example of why MINI Thunder continues to be the premier MINI only event in North America.”

Nelson added, “We have the usual instructors coming out plus Chris Knox really would like to come back, having enjoyed the 2013 event so much. Ian and Janis Rae from MotorWerks Magazine will be heading West for some good weather again (I hope we can provide that) and fresh off the successful TWINI outing at the Thuderhill 25 Hours race Jaques Andres will be bringing TWINI to MINI Thunder. There is a rumor that Cameron Evans of Red Line Oil (former editor of Popular Hot Rodding) may be showing up to have a bit of fun and tell us all about the oil our cars require when we run these type of events.

and BimmerWorld head honcho James Clay were just two of the racers who were more than interested to see how a Spec E46 BMW would perform in the event and for that answer you will have to wait for the next issue for Norman Nelson’s full report.

© www.MotorWerksMag.com

“MINI TAKES THE STATES is an epic cross-country rally that we look forward to every other year. I’ve heard a lot about the similarities between the MINI community and Harley Davidson owners in that they both like

to ride together and enjoy being together and I really like that comparison. Our community wants to Motor together and love being around

Words and photos by Ian Rae, Peter Iannaco, Craig Nelson, Alicyn Drew 102

one another. Everyone wants to show off what makes their MINI unique and personal to them. Both the MINI USA team and our owners enjoyed

this year’s event so much that we’re already planning the next one.”

David Duncan, Vice President, MINI of the Americas © www.MotorWerksMag.com

When my wife Jesse & I first saw the notice about Mini Takes The States 2014 we looked at each other and said “Yes, let’s do it”. This journey has been on my “bucket list” since 2006 when we attended only the first two legs and had to peel off and head back home and work. Then we were unable to do the subsequent MTTS events, until this year.

We immediately signed up for the event and then started booking our hotels and making plans. However things are not always a simple and easy and this was not to be either. My wife Jesse had discovered a lump near here abdomen and it grew and became painful. We went to the doctor and he took immediate action sending us to a cancer specialist for exam and tests. She immediately had surgery to remove the tumor and subsequent scans have shown she is cancer free.

With renewed enthusiasm and energy, and a new perspective on life, we resumed our plans for MTTS 2014.

Having narrowly missed severe and lengthy treatments, we realized that we need to “grab all the gusto” in life, and enjoy it to the fullest.

MTTS 2014 was a great way to put some of our worries aside for the moment. We found that the Mini

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Twisties and 10 MPH, yeah right!

Above: Everybody’s favorite photo op?

Below: it is all about family!

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dvanture.

ily. a big extended fam community is really d ice with old friends an We were able to rejo is e Mini family, no one make new ones. In th ed welcomed and includ left out, everyone is a time at an event or whether it’s your first e gs and smiles filled th seasoned veteran. Hu g meet up and evening crowds at each mornin ng after one another alo party. We all looked g all gained were lastin the journey. What we emories. friendships and fond m surprises, as we Each day brought new

d e wind in our hair an let our clutches out, th the radio. Motoring in singing to the music on ed thirty Minis, we head a pack of twenty to xt ahead towards our ne down the twisty road 108

ys planned route, we As we followed the da at ps of Minis stopped would see other grou interest, or grabbing a gas stations, points of und, hands would wave snack. Horns would so We would never lose and smiles exchanged. as our fellow travelers track of the rest of they are all family. s one of the best Looking back, this wa

g ok. Early to rise, lon ‘vacations’ we ever to t es, very little sleep bu drives, night time parti o dly in 2016. Life is to we will do it again gla in time to feel the wind short not to take the

your face, and to build your hair, a smile on lasting friendships.

C Ya in 2016 Norm and Jesse!

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y husband and I decided to participate in part of MINIs Take the States 2014 (MTTS). We started in Cleveland and ended in Bethlehem. We were excited and the first decision was which MINI to take? His 2009 pure silver JCW or my 2006 Valencia Orange Cabrio S. We decided to bring Tigger the flashier cabrio with the custom paint job. The next big decision for me was what photography gear to bring. I love portrait photography and I love shooting MINIs, but what I really love is to shoot a MINI with its owner. I like to capture the personality of the combination and create something unique and fun. I opted to bring a few light stands, some flashes and some umbrellas, the tripod and just a few lenses. Remember, we’re in a cabrio, I had to sacrifice clothing and snacks but I had my gear! It was worth it.

Prior to leaving I posted in the MTTS Facebook page looking for possible subjects and was quickly led to Tracy. We exchanged some messages but had no idea how we would find each other.

We arrived just in time for the evening event in Cleveland and were swept into the swirl of events. It was a mass of

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friends old and new, MINIs and fun. We woke up for our first rise and shine in Cleveland and were greeted with the site of MINIs filling the dock for as far as the eye could see. What really amazed me was how quickly they organized us to leave the dock. On the way to Buffalo we decided to skip the Pittsburgh stop because we really wanted to see Niagara Falls. So we headed straight up and to the falls with a friend from our club (DC Metro MINIs) Melissa. Melissa did the coast to coast and her neck was loaded down with buttons from each stop along the way. At the falls I pulled out my trusty gear and got a few shots of the water and one quick portrait of Melissa in front of the falls. It’s always portraits for me I just love taking them.

When we got to the evening event at Buffalo my creative mind started to churn. The urban decay, the buildings and the whole scene screamed at me to get some shots. We enjoyed dinner and socializing and headed to the car, I had taken just a few shots. I decided that I wanted to shoot Tigger. So I put him in front of some of the buildings, set up the lights and tripod and

started to shoot some exposures. I ran into Mike and thought he would make a great subject with his crazy blue mohawk. We know Mike from the Helix tent at MINIs on the Dragon so we asked him to bring over his MINI and to pose with it. While all of this was going on a friendly, perky blond came over and asked if I needed some help.

She introduced herself and it was Tracy!!! We never made any actual plans to meet but sure enough we found each other in that dark parking lot amongst hundreds of MINIs. She was my human light stand for the second light and we worked like a team; it was as if we had known each other for years. Once we had the shots of Mike, I had Tracy bring over her MINI and we shot them. Just as I was starting to shoot Tracy this very polite young man came over and asked very nicely if I would please shoot him and his MINI. I looked over and saw a bright lime green plasti-dipped chive machine and could not say no.

Jason was the third and final MINI of the night. We had a lot of fun and there was a lot of laughter.

As Mike stated, “It was great fun working with Alicyn, it was a really wild to se how she gets it all set up and her eye for setting up the shot!”

Tracy’s story about the night goes as follows, “Long story short I was following the MTTS page when

Alicyn offered to shoot people and their cars in Buffalo, NY, a day or so before we made it there. I sent her a message saying that I would love to have a shoot with my car and to offer my help as many people requested her time to shoot their cars. A day goes by and I almost forgot about the offer. As we were leaving the event there was Alicyn and her Tigger S taking pictures right next to my car in the parking lot. I was able to help her out and she was willing to take pics of me and my car.

Working with Ali was very easy and super relaxing. She has an amazing sense of humor and is extremely amazing at what she does. I mean I was only blinded a few times that night holding the light since the stand wasn’t working.”

Finally came Saturday morning in Bethlehem and we watched everyone leaving. It was sad, we never planned to go on to Boston and now felt like we were left behind. Once everyone was gone we explored the steel mill and I got a few shots of my Tigger looking badass amongst the urban backgrounds. The trip was fun and the MINIacs were a great group of people. We have decided that 2016 we will be going all the way and yes, I’ll be hauling my photography gear so come find me.

yours Alicyn

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TTS 2014 was another epic adventure this year that shall not be soon forgotten.

Starting in southern Maine on the afternoon of August 3rd me and my co-driver raced out to St. Louis in a single cannonball run through the day and night to meet up with the MTTS convoy coming from Memphis.

We arrived in St. Louis the morning of the 4th around 9AM, thankfully giving us some time to get some much needed rest. After a few hours of sleep and a trip to the top of the St. Louis Arch the MTTS convoy rolled into town and for this MINI owner MTTS 2014 was kicking into full swing.

St. Louis was a great place to start our rally with the events being held at the local racetrack; I clinched 112

the 4th fastest time on the karts during the evening event and my MTTS 2012 history laid some claim to fame as I was quickly spotted by some MINI employees who remembered me and my famous “RELEASE THE DRAGON!!” quote.

Hitting the road the next morning was just like picking up from 2012, despite the huge number of cars at this year’s event we quickly found our old friends from last time during an impromptu ferry boat ride where I found all of them in one place; What are the chances of that?!

Pulling into Chicago one member of the MTTS2012 crew down at this point I figured they opted out this year; boy was I wrong as she surprised me by chance at the

concession stand during the baseball game to which my freshly poured beer nearly went flying as grabbed her and gave her a huge hug!

With all of my old friend and new friends assembled MTTS 2014 moved on to Cleveland to which there was simply not enough time to take in the Rock and Roll hall of fame, this was one of the days that I wished we skipped the route and camped outside the doors of the evening event; the drive through the Amish country was nice to look at but offered a less than enthralling ride following semis’ on single lane roads.

The next morning EVIL MINI was born as my new road going persona and led to possibly my favorite day of the whole trip. Starting with a crazy small world

situation in the morning where I just happen to park next to a person from Canada I’ve never met before, to whom I sold my old Alta Turbo exhaust to four years earlier through the forums. We stood there laughing in amazement at how small of a world it can be; and it all started with a compliment on how nice his car sounded.

The side roads this day on route to Buffalo were great and during a detour led the EVIL MINI to Highway 666 which was a delightfully devilish thrill as we were met with an empty ribbon of smooth and winding tarmac to which my inner speed demon gladly took advantage of.

Arriving at the open air evening venue we were met with a host of highly modd’ed MINI’s I snapped off some of my favorite photos of the event and was met with some

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of the best food so far, with the live band playing the air was electric. Buffalo was by far my favorite stop of MTTS 2014

The road to Bethlehem had a few bumps along the way but we powered through to the amazing Steel Stacks venue, where we took in some country flavor and classic cars with the group of antique Mini’s parked out front.

As we headed out on our last leg of the epic journey I took in some sights that as someone from New England hadn’t seen before. A quick drive through Watkins Glen was a pleasant surprise and the drive along the Palisades Interstate Parkway provided some fantastic views and curves.

Arriving home in Boston was a bittersweet ending; despite sticking to the MTTS provided route we were able to arrive at the finish line early enough for me to go home, unpack, wash the car, and don attire more appropriate for the evening event being held at the ICA. It was a great feeling being home with all of these new and old friends; welcoming them to my city, some for their first time. With the whole museum open to us with great food, drinks, and music the event at the ICA was an incredible way to bookend this whirlwind adventure of a trip.

The next morning we gathered one last time with MTTS coming to a close, I made sure to be one of the first to arrive at Pier 4 that morning. This is where my MINI Takes the States adventure really began; six years earlier in 2008, a month after I had picked up my new MINI. It was a surreal feeling to have the whole experience come full circle for me, to be where I said my goodbyes to many of the friends I had made in the same place I had said my first hello’s. I stayed until the very end with just a few of us left on the pier where a many hundred had just traveled thousands of miles to. Waving them off as they left, thanking them for all the fun we had, standing there looking forward to 2016 when we will all unite again.

Keep on Motoring! - Peter Iannaco 114

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That Towne MINI was even considered to be part of MTTS was very special for me. Buffalo is undergoing a rejuvenation and is now considered in the top five places in the country for summer activities, MTTS was the perfect event to help with that. When MINIUSA told us we had approximately 1300-1500 people and over six hundred cars, I just went WOW! It was the best attended event on the whole trip. The car show made our even a bit more unique and I have to thank Ian Rae for helping put it together. The Motorers who were part of the show were truly the type of people we see in MINIs every day. Each had stamped their own mark on their cars and that and their passion was what made the show so special.

Till next time!

Mike Monteith, Town MINI

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1812 all over again!

When MINI Takes The States 2014 announced they would make a stop in Buffalo, NY it was like music to our ears for those of us in MotorWerks Magazine headquarters here in Oakville, ON. An easy hour and a half trip down the Queen Elizabeth Way and we would cross the 3580 foot long Peace Bridge into ‘The Queen City’ and be part of the biggest British invasion since the War of 1812.

I saw that Towne MINI of Williamsville, NY would be the host dealer for the event and I reached out to their GM, Mike Monteith to see if we could work together on promoting the event.

That discussion grew into Towne MINI’s Buffalo Takes The States Car Show presented by MotorWerks 120

Magazine. The venue would be the same Riverworks project on the Buffalo riverfront where the main MTTS event would take place on the Friday evening.

Determined to make it a car show to be remembered, Mike and I met to discuss what we were looking for and looking to achieve. We both agreed that we wanted to make it an event that people would remember Buffalo for rather than their much mis-maligned football team.

We selected cars that his local customers had not seen except on the internet. They came from far and wide, Norm and Jesse Nelson with Pooper from Shasta, California, Kelli Creighton and her Zombie from The Woodlands, Texas. Christina

Kroner and Evan Ezewski came from Canada. Buffalo local Valerie Oleksik brought out her beautiful Classic Morris and Gary Neubert arrived with a real rarity, a Mini Moke. The Towne MINI clean up crew graciously detailed all our cars before we motored across town to the Riverworks site ahead of the main cruise which was even escorted by the B.P.D. Glad to hear everyone behaved!

It turned to be a great event, fellow MINIacs wandered past all evening as we chatted to them and put faces to names we had only previously seen on the Internet.

Towne MINI had arranged for the English Pork Pie Company to cater the event and it was just like being back ’ome. The entertainment

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was by the BBC band, a group of talented Western New York area musicians who specialize in The Beatles and sixties music.

And best of all was the crowd! Well over 1000 attendees and 600 MINIs/Minis, made it the biggest event outside of San Francisco or Boston. Well done Mike Monteith, you and your Towne MINI team did an amazing job.

That job did not finish there, Mike and the crew were back at it early in the morning getting ready for the departure. Bacon and eggs for everyone and lots of coffee for those who needed the jump start.

Happy Motoring - Ian Š www.MotorWerksMag.com

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E e h t to

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ard! y k c a b y in m g n i c a r l na ae R n a I Professio y b tos o h p d n a Words

I

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During one’s life there are many firsts that will remain in your memory banks for the duration of your time on Earth. Some are good, some bad.

When I emigrated to Canada the time frame for the move was governed by the dates of the Molson Indy as it was initially called. I was desperate to see Indycars at speed and running on a street circuit would just make it more interesting. My cousin Craig had bought my tickets and I was going to be in Canada for the race, come hell or high water! The great thing about the Exhibition Place facility is it is smack bang in the middle of Toronto.

Access by streetcar or GO train to Exhibition Place (The EX) is easy, by car it is a bit more difficult due to the road closures caused by the event but just like the Formula 1 race in Montreal the race is brought to the masses rather than the other way around. Consisting of eleven turns, the 1.75 mile track runs around the site of the famous Canadian National Exhibition that is held in late August. The Indy brings much to the economy as it is the second largest sporting event in Canada, only it’s Formula 1 counterpart in Montreal is larger.

That first Indy in Toronto was memorable for two things, my first taste of the turbocharged Indycars series and the stupidity of a Scot not realizing that sunscreen is a MUST for Toronto in mid-summer. I came home from day one with a face that color matched the red shorts I was wearing and there were two more days to go. I could have stayed at home and watched the race live on TV while I suffered in silence (or not) but nothing, absolutely nothing was going to deter me from getting my full three day experience of Indycars.

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So who was I going to cheer for?

There were no Brits running in the 1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series so the closest I could get was Derek Daly the Irishman. He had raced in Formula 1 and was now domiciled in Indiana and was making the USA home. Over in Indy Lights I was pulling for fellow former karter Calvin Fish who had won the Atlantic Series the previous year, he is English but when abroad all us Brits back each other up. By the end of the day it was a combination of good and bad. Daly had not won

but it was cool to see Little Al of the Unser dynasty take the Indycar win.

Fish came through with a drive that reminded me of why he was one of the few ever to challenge Ayrton Senna in FF2000 and F3. A Brit on top of the podium, it was time for more copious quantities of the race sponsors beverage.

So move on twenty odd years and it was time to shoot Indycars once again but this time from the front of the spectator fence. The track had changed in the intervening years due to various building projects on the

My good friend Jayson Clunie

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All sorts and ages of F1600 cars showed up at the EX this one even has outboard shocks.

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xcitement wall to wall e is s e ri se T S n’s S Robby Gordo rtainment n e and great te

Main: It was good to see JPM back in an Indycar Top: Stadium trucks are wild to watch.

Below: Unfotunately there was lots of yellow this weekend.

Left: Jason Sharpe has done an amazing job with his new F1600 series!

EX property but the basic layout of four straights joined by a multitude of corners continues. The weather man called for all sorts of weather during the weekend and although I hate getting wet I love the photo ops the wet gives.

The event reminds me of a street faire; there is that much going on. Multiple classes of single seaters are joined by the top classes of the Pirelli World Challenge and Robby Gordon brings a touch of circus to Toronto with his Stadium Trucks tour. The trucks were a fan favorite and the oohs and aahhs that were heard just got louder and louder the higher the trucks jumped. The temporary ramps were located

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from turn ten and down the start straight enabling the majority of seated fans to see the spectacle. Inside the track is a plethora of stalls and food stands with the multi-ethnic make-up of Toronto spilling over into the food vendors. The Honda dealers of Ontario stepped up again with free tickets on Friday with a donation to Make-A-Wish速 Canada,

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making for a perfect day to bring the family along to see what all the noise is about.

As you can see from the attached photos I had a great time and got some great captures. How did the fans like it? Other than the rain, I think everyone went away happy, I know I did.

TORONTO, ON, 2014 – Honda Indy Toronto is returning to the streets of downtown Toronto in 2015 and will take place June 12-14, instead of its traditional July dates. The announcement comes after an extended period of negotiations and coordination between all major supporters and partners of the annual event including Honda Canada, INDYCAR, the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place, Tourism Toronto and Green Savoree Toronto, promoters of the race. In the end, organizers were successful in working with the

City of Toronto, Exhibition Place and the 2015 PanAmerican Games to accommodate both events next summer.

The Verizon IndyCar Series will return as the marquee race for the event weekend, with other on-track programming to be announced over the next few months.

Keep up to date - www.hondaindytoronto.com

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The words Sport Compact tend to conjure up images of Honda Civics and Dodge Neons with big exhaust systems emitting horrendous noise without the accompanying power.

Over at the Canadian Sport Compact Series nothing is further from the truth. The CSCS is an amalgam of Time Attack, Drifting, Drag Racing and a Car Show. The series has become firmly established on the Canadian motorsport calendar and runs at tracks all over Ontario. And

of checking out the competition for our project MINI Cooper RSR in 2015. The TA rule set used by the CSCS is fairly straightforward.

Three configurations of cars, FWD, RWD and AWD, and subdivide those classes with Street, Super Street and Unlimited. All done, nine classes and an Exhibition class as a catchall for any car not fitting any of the other classes. That makes it simple.

Did I like what I saw? Heck

state that SFI or FIA racesuits are recommended. It did not seem to me that many of the racers took the recommendation. I know Time Attack is an entry-level motorsport, but racesuits do two things for you, they keep you safe and make you look more professional. As many of these cars run on the road they have large fuel tanks, remember fire does not discriminate, feed it fuel, oxygen and an ignition source and it will burn. Somebody getting burned

the entries in any of the disciplines are not restricted to sport compacts, I saw Chrysler 300s, Corvettes and Mustangs on the grounds at TMP. Personally looking to run Time Attack in 2015, I decided it was time to check out the series. Imagine my surprise when I found the facility absolutely packed, I had never seen crowds like this at TMP since the heady days of IHRA National event drag racing.

I looked forward to the Time Attack event as it would be a means

yes! I was given a promotional leaflet as I entered the track which is rare for a race series in Ontario.

As I said, the crowds were huge; what racer does not like releasing in front of lots of fans. Photos taken off the pit straight showed those fans lining the wall from one end to the other. It looked to be a very professional setup and reinforced my idea of going CSCS Time Attack racing 2015. Did I see anything negative, yeah but it is my personal bugbear, safety. The rules

in an entry-level motorsport is not good for the sport or the series.

Please encourage your racers to think safe and race safe.

I was astounded us to how fast some of these FWD cars were, it looks like Jan Brueggeman and I are going to have long conversations this winter. I was disappointed not to see two of the top players and their iconic racecars at the event. I had heard tales of Sasha Anis and Mike McGinnis (Innovative Mike) duelling for supremacy with Kels (a

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Nissan 350 Z) and Voltron (Subaru Impreza) respectively but alas Sasha was out of the country and Mike was relegated to running his street car.

There were a few BMWs and a sole MINI competing in Time Attack and all sorts off BMWs drifting so that would give me plenty of content for the magazine. It was the first time I had ever shot drifting and have to say it gives for lots of photo opportunities. Even the fans can get into the act as they are that close to the action.

Mike De Turck and his GM powered E46 with tuning by Innovative Mike did his best to keep us entertained all day. The attached photos verify this. Watch for an article on this Rochester-based driver and car in an upcoming issue. The Time Attack MINI Cooper S belongs to Evan Goh of Richmond Hill, ON. and is prepared by Nic Narini of Team MaNick. Goh was away sourcing parts when

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I dropped by their pit space, Narini was hard at work getting the car repaired in time for Goh’s return. Further mechanical issues ended their day but subsequent discussions on Facebook with Goh reveal plans that should increase the competitiveness of the MINI 2015.

This issue features photos from the Time Attack series with Drifting featured in the next issue. De Turck will be giving us insight into the difference of the two disciplines. We might even be able to convince Mike McGinnis into divulging any tuning differences he has to make for De Turck.

To find out more about the Canadian Sport Compact Series check out their website at CSCS.ca.

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y journey with rendering cars started in 2006, after purchasing first graphics program.I started learning without any tutorials because I had no access to the Internet. As I upgraded my skills I already knew that I want to do this for the rest of my life. I do everything to make my renders looks realistic. Jacek Kolodziejczyk (iacoski) has been an inspiration to me and my favovorite style of

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IMAGEMaster

turning dream s into reality!

By Ian Rae, re nderings by J anusz

modding cars is motorsport in every way. GT3, WTCC, WRC, Drag Cars, Time Attack, you name it, I love it. My head is full of new ideas for concept cars which try to get on paper as soon as I can.

When I got my first client I was very happy that i was starting to make a living from my passion. I see my future in rendering cars no matter if they are made for clients or just for myself...because i love cars in every way.

To contact Janusz, Go to Facebook fb.com/rc82workchop or e-mail rc82workchop@wp.pl

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Editors Note: Above: The rendering of a M6 CSL depicts my perfect racecar if money were no object. It combines the CSL style to the classic lines of the 6-Series and that makes for an intimidating racecar even sitting still. While box arches are not seen much these days with the advent of mega aero devices as used on the DTM cars, in this case they are designed to be functional and truly add to the wide body look that I so love.

Right: BMW just announced their 2015 GT3 challenger would no longer be the Z4 sports car but the M6 coupe. The top image is RC 82’s thoughts on how a base M6 GT3 would look and the lower version has it mocked up in BMW Motorsport colors. In my opinion RC82’s version is far mor believable and realistic looking than the one BMW themselves released.

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DriViNG PASSiON

MOD. 27 CUT

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MOMOMOTORSPORT

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s ’ n a M e n O . . . . . n o i Vis E

arlier this year I had a discussion with Don Bram who is the guy behind what I believe to be Facebook’s biggest MINI/Mini enthusiasts page. The League of Extraordinary MINIacs or LXM as it is known for short now has over 12,000 members and this is in not much more than a year after creation.

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Don started the story, “I always wanted a classic Mini as a kid but got involved in muscle cars and hot rods. When the R50/53 came out I knew I had to have one but timing would not allow it. I had followed MINI since they came to the US and always wanted one but time was not on my side until my Hyundai Tibruon was totalled. It is funny looking back but I was involved in a hit and run on a Wednesday and the following Friday a deer ran into the car and that was the end of it. Coincidentally it also was my last car payment, now I was ready to find a MINI. So twelve days and 2700 miles later on a rental car I had looked at MINIs in Ny, NJ, CT, PA and MA until I found Christine in Milford Ct. The funny things is that I lived in Milford PA. So I guess it was meant to be. Christine is a pure silver 2004 R53, she got her name from the Stephen King movie “Christine” Since we know all British cars have a mind of their own, it seemed to fit rather well.”

I mentioned that Facebook and the Internet had changed the MINI experience, where we used to hang out together in person so much is online now.

I asked Don if he still hooked up face to face with fellow local MINI owners?

Bram went on, “There are a few I hang out with locally, but where I live there are not that many and the nearest dealership in any direction is over a hour away. There is no club in my area either.

I have made several friends with owners in Fort Lauderdale and I look forward to

meeting them more often and hanging out.”

With the lack of like minded people in the area Don took to the Internet and frequented the many forums dedicated to the British brand. Frustrated with some of the arguing on these forums, Don wanted a place where MINI owners and enthusiasts could hang out without all the drama. Enter Facebook which was rapidly gaining popularity as a meeting place on the World Wide Web. “I was not a Facebook person until about two years ago when I starting looking at all the groups and joining as many as I could to meet and learn from other MINIacs.

Then after seeing people fight on one of the groups about who should be allowed in the group I decided to start

LXM to bring all MINIacs together on one page. I never thought it would go global or for it to reach the numbers it has, heck, it only took eight months to reach 10,000 members. I have been totally blown away by the response, I have met over 12,000+ MINIacs without ever leaving my seat.”

I mentioned that I had seen the odd disagreement on the page but Don seemed to handle it rather well. I asked how much work is involved in keeping the page in check as there is a ton of traffic going thru it every day.? He replied, “I do my best to keep the drama out and the fun in. I spend all my free time on LXM. When I wake up till I go to bed. I get on an average day 3-500 notifications

“LXM is like a family. With all its ups and downs, and even the crazy cousins. If I have a question or a concern someone is always there with help. If you want an opinion. ..you will get it! If you want to raise money for a good cause, they will support you. If you say something stupid, they will call you on it. I honestly love the dynamics of this global MINI family, it is NEVER boring at LXM!” Robin Rogers, NC

“I have been a member of may car clubs and sites and am amazed at the LXM community.

I say community because it is more than just a FB page or forum. It has all the fun banter of FB but with the technical help of a forum

in a worldwide scale.

Mini’s make small cars...

LXM makes the world MINI.” Tommy Liveoak, CA

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and as much as 1000+ plus pending on what gets posted on the LXM page. I really do my best to see check out every notification to make sure there are no issues but when drama happens the LXM family is quick to handle it or to reach out to me to let me know. I have to keep my opinions and emotions out of some of the drama which is hard to do sometimes.”

When asked, “Where do you see LXM going from here?”, it took Bram a little while to reply. “I would like to see Regional and National events where we can all meet and have some fun like we do now but in person. We have a few chapters over the country and members from other areas are asking to set up more. Those of you who have been on the page recently will have seen the custom gear knobs that Whalen are doing for LXM members. We are also in the process of setting up an online performance store where members can buy a wing extension for the R53 with other models to follow. It is all busy here at LXM HQ” While seeing the huge numbers of members on LXM is proof of its success as a place for MINIacs to meet, Bram has even more solid proof as his significant other Flor De Oro Cabrera is a fellow maniac that he met on LXM Facebook page. Don has spent a lot of personal time making the page the best MINI venue out there and everyone here at MotorWerks Magazine wishes him all the best for the future.

Above right: Don and Flor met on LXM

Below: The constantly updated cover images on the LXM Facebook page are works of art!!

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The wide arches you see on this R53 have been in development in the UK for the past year. Gavin Soutar at The Speed Factory near Preston saw the need for wider factory style arches for the R53 and these are the result.

Gavin and I started talking after Steve Schardt at Forgeline Motorsports revealed they had a new 17� Monoblock race wheel that would be perfectly suited to our project MINI, Cooper RSR. The wheel is a 150

17 x 9 and it would allow us to fit the widest section tire the Canadian Sport Compact Series allows in Super Street FWD a 255 section. Ttheir rules aslo state the tire has to be covered when looked at from above.

A well packaged box arrived from the UK the other week and a quick look revealed some well made GRP arches in black. Each one was individually wrapped for protection.

With the deadline looming for the magazine’s publication I did nothing than unwrap one

? w e N s ’ t a h W

of the bonnet arches and offered it up to see the extra width. It looked killer and by the time the next issue rolls around the arches will be attached to Cooper RSR and may even be painted as Taylored By Mike is coming to the rescue again by applying some more Chili Red paint to our project.

To find out more about The Speed Factory check out their website at www.thespeedfactory.co.uk or find them on Facebook.

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Words and photos by Ian Rae

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Alan Balinsky just wanted affordable motorsport

I quite often joke with friends in racing about our ‘addiction’ to the sport. The prime line being, ‘We are worse than junkies because at least they can give it up’.

Is that really the case? I started racing karts at thirteen years old and here we are forty-five years later and I have not lost my love of motorsport. And believe me I am not really fussy about what form of motorsport, although I have to admit that I can’t really see me getting into what they call in the UK, Sporting Trials. If you do not know what that is, get on the Internet and Google it! It is right there in the must do list beside ‘Watching paint dry’ There are many more people just like me. Those who ran competively in years past but these days just want to do the odd event. Regular racing does not really lend itself to that type of schedule. The outlay pre-season and per event tends to be more than most of us want to spend just to have a good day at the track. My personal route to get my fix in 2015 was by taking the Time 154

Attack route. Yeah, it is not side by side racing but it will work for me. I took a trip to Toronto Motorsport Park, just down the road from me and checked out one of the Canadian Sport Compact Series events (also covered in this issue) and I had never seen a crowd there as big since the days of the IHRA National drag events. Yep this will work, have some fun on track and promote the magazine at the same time, roll on 2015!

It was shortly after this trip I heard from my good friend Gary Grant, a fellow scribe and certified car nut. Gary was going to TMP and the highlight of the day was going to be his first ever road racing event. Let’s say I was intrigued, especially when he told me about how the event was going to be run and the cost of it. The guy behind the event was Alan Balinsky, a road racer.

Who has held a competition license since 2004. Bilinsky was fed up with the expense of running regional events.

Showing up at the track with his third generation Camaro on an open trailer and watching a tractor-trailer

pulling in with three Porsche GT3 racecars aboard made him shake his head and question why he was doing what he was doing Gary’s steed for the event would be Eric Nummelin’s Mazda RX 7. I was impressed that Eric felt comfortable enough to put Gary in the car for his first ever road race but typical of the group putting on the event, Eric was more than willing to provide Gary with the equipment for the task in hand. In the week leading up to the event it was rush, rush getting things in order.

While the series rules are miniscule, they do take safety very seriously and Gary had to find a race suit that would fit what we call his rather generous body size. Phil Bigioni or Big Phil as he is otherwise known came to the rescue on that front. Toyo Tires Canada stepped with the set off R888 rubber so GG would have no excuses about tires going off. Through my relationship with RePlay XD cameras we outfitted

Believe me Gary was a happy camper!

the Mazda with four cameras so we could catch all the excitement and before you knew it, Gary was all ready to go road racing.

When asked about his decision to run the events already had this to say. It was important for me to be involved with this young series so I believe it truly represents a modern vision of motorsports in Ontario.

Motorsport in this Province has more or less priced itself out of the budget of most newcomers to the sport, in fact maybe even some of the old-timers too. What is left is an aging population of racers who don’t believe there is anything wrong with the sport. In fact instead of welcoming newcomers some of that crowd shuns the young enthusiasts. That is not the way it was when I was a kid. My Dad raced at WWII airfields like Harewood Acres, Kohler Field (now TMP) and even as far away as Gimli, Manitoba. Motor racing in those days was competitive but the racers also made it fun. There were few barriers preventing a new guy getting into racing.

Many would just arrive at the track in their daily driver, tape up all the lights, remove the hubcaps and mix it up on track. Alan Balinsky’s vision for this series is a throwback to those times. A time where almost anybody can race, and maybe more importantly have fun. Add in the No-Contact rule and it is perfect” Balinsky agrees with Grant’s summary and goes on, “There are lots of cars sitting in garages all over Ontario not seeing the track, yet the drivers are still competitive even if their cars are not. This is an ideal situation for mentoring and we saw that in 2014 when some of the old hands took some young Time Attack racers under their wings. Time Attack is a breeding ground, running on the same day as the Road Racing, it allows these racers to sample side by side motorsport without breaking the bank, it is the perfect scenario to get your feet wet.

The decision is then yours, whether to continue road racing or go back to Time Attack. In any form of racing talent is easily recognized, the future Mike Skeens or Kuno Wittmers of this world could be running around TMP today and they have not emptied the bank to get noticed.”

So 2014 laid the foundation, now

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where does Balinsky go from here? Without really trying he got sponsorship for his racers, everyone racing at the first event received $100, so their day’s sport cost them $90. Champion Oil and NGK Spark Plugs saw the benefit to being involved. Woodbine Scion’s involvement garnered enough press that Scion Canada are going to be the title sponsor of the Time Attack series. Russ Bond’s KartSTART is going to be title sponsor of the Shannonville Road Race event. Balinsky has it happening and is working hard to give his racers the perfect arena for affordable motorsport.

He said, “I have to admit, I could not have done this without Uli Bieri’s help. Nobody seemed to want to go to TMP to race so I said I could probably get a few guys 156

together to come out and race and it sort of just went from there. He has been helpful and accommodating in everything we do and because of that the series in 2015 will be called the TMP GT Super Series with two events at TMP and one at Shannonville running with the Canadian Touring Car Championship. We hope to have a presence at the new Motorama show in Toronto in March where people can come and talk to us about what we are doing.”

You can find out about the TMP GT Super Series / Scion Canada Time Attack Series by searching for the group on Facebook and joining.

E-mail: abrracing@rogers.com

Click here for Video Byte Š www.MotorWerksMag.com

Gary Grant Spills The Beans!

Despite having been around racing for forty-seven years in one capacity or another, this was my first ever wheel to wheel racing experience.

What stood out the most is after the second twenty minute race, I realized just how out of shape I am,

An example of the different genres of racecars in the series is Russ Bond playing with Kerry Micks NASCAR Canada ride.

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which likely contributed to my off which busted up the front spoiler on Eric’s RX-7.

It showed just how physical actually racing, not just lapping, is. One thing is for sure, the next time I race, and there will be a next time, I will be in much better physical condition!

The Bond Take on the Series “In thirty years of racing, that is arguably the most fun I’ve had behind the wheel. Racing for the sake of racing. Didn’t matter what the other car was-you just raced them. The concept and rule-or lack thereof- is

the key. No qualifying, no grid, no points, just go have fun not worrying about those around you.

The No-Contact rule kept us all in line and happy.

I can’t wait for 2015

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These dang Hondas are too bloody FAST! Š www.MotorWerksMag.com

Words and photos by Ian Rae

O

ne of the things missing front the dash of the MINI is a water temperature gauge. I can’t believe a sporty car like a MINI goes without one. As part of installing our Racepak IQ3 dash I opted to use a M7 Tuning hose coupler with a 1/8th NPT port to install a V-Net water temperature sensor. The installation is very similar for any other temperature guage requiring a sensor.

Step 2: Identify where the coupler is to go. On the R53 it is in front of the intercooler at the left. The M7 coupler will replace the plastic OEM coupler in Fig 2 at the left.

The two arrows indicate where you squeeze the clips together.

Fig. 1

Step 1: Using PTFE tape wrap the sensor and install it in the coupler. Make sure you wrap the tape in the direction where it is tightening on the sensor when it is being screwed in, otherwise it will try and unwind off the sensor. In this photo the arrow points to the new bleed screw that replaces the plastic one on the factory coupler.

Fig. 2

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Step 3: Using a pliers squeeze together both ends of the retaining clip and work it away from the raised sections of the coupler. When both clips have been re-positioned, the coupler can be released from both hoses by twisting the hoses. You can use a screwdriver to pry it away if they are stuck together. Make sure to remove the clips as new ones are provided in the kit.

Step 4: Install both clips over the hoses making sure you will be able to tighten them when the coupler is in place. Install the coupler and orient it, making sure the sensor plug can be easily attached. Finish off by tightening both clips to secure the hoses to the coupler

Step 5: Fill the cooling system back to level. Remove the bleed screw seen in the picture above and re-install when a flow of water without air bubbles is continious.

Refill the system, start the car and check for leaks.

Step 6: Install the Racepak V-Net module and cable, attach V-Net module to the other V-Net modules and read into the system. The system knows what is attached to it as the module has its own micro-processer with the pre-programmed sensor data already stored in it. This makes adding sensors to the system very easy. At this point the Water Temp sensor can be programmed onto the Racepak IQ3 dash where it can be placed on any or all of the four pages available.

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Performance Directory

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Featured Photographer John R. Walker Professional Photographer/Content Creator Toronto, Ontario, Canada After working in the Photography/Graphic Arts industry in Toronto for over thirty years I found myself downsized from the corporate rat race and needed to reinvent myself.

With lots of support from my wonderful family I took a chance and started up ‘oneword - A Creative Solutions Company’; incorporating all my photographic and graphic arts skills along with some good people I had met along the way. Four years later I can be found shooting on location in environmental and industrial projects throughout North America. My passion however is being trackside at motorsports events. All the interesting people, colour and speed makes my job a pleasure and working with some of the best motorsports photographers in the world puts a cap on it. You will see me at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport), performing my duties as 166

official photographer/trackside ambassador.

Additionally I cover numerous journalistic motoring assignments for national newspapers, magazines and social media outlets. I also lead Photoworkshop Adventures; where my latest was a wonderful photo adventure to the wonerful island of Cuba, where time has almost stood still since the sixties.

To re-invent oneself at fifty years old is very challenging but aligning with the right people and a bit of hard work it is also very rewarding.

Left: The Burton Racing BMW 128i gets a little sideways at Moss Corner.

Above: Looking good! Hopefully he Turner girls will be seen at the Pirelli World Challenge races in 2015 Below: BMW wars! They may be in two different classes but Turner and BimmerWorld are BMW stalwarts.

john@oneword.ca www.oneword.ca 416-587-9969

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COMING NEXT ISSUE IMSA roundup and 2015 preview

More Cooper RSR updates

CTCC Canadian Tin-tops 2015

Next Installment of the RMW X-1 Super MINI

THe GP Garage Test Mule

Thom Rossi Writes.

The More Data the Better?

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