DRIVEN (on-track). MINI John Cooper Works
Feature | crankandpiston.com / EVO Middle East
Does James have the speed of 1967 Rally Monte Carlo winner Rauno Aaltonen, on-track, in the brand-new MINI John Cooper Works?
Originally posted – 14 May, 2015
crankandpiston.com | EVO Middle East magazine (PDF)
Turns out Rauno Aaltonen is quick. SERIOSULY quick. And I say this having just spent the last 10 minutes trying, and failing, to hang onto the 1967 Rallye Monte Carlo winner’s tail around Circuit Mallorca.
It’s tempting to be a bad workman and blame the tools, but it would be wildly unfair to do so since said tool is the new MINI John Cooper Works.
Yes, that name should be familiar to you. As well as a nod to original Mini Cooper developer John Cooper, JCW is also – as of 2008 – MINI’s official pimpification tuning arm, akin to BMW M’s sub-brand.
This is also not the first time we’ve seen the JCW treatment on a MINI. You may remember the 2006 iteration, or indeed the slightly more performance-focused John Cooper Works GP that appeared in 2012 and set an 8m 23s laptime at the Nürburgring, a full second faster than a Lotus Exige S.
And yet, this, the second generation JCW, top trumps its predecessor as the most powerful production MINI ever made.
Like the Cooper S on which it is based, the new JCW is powered by a 2-litre TwinPower four-cylinder, but a large intercooler, revised cylinder heads, tuned turbochargers and new pistons means the unit now produces 231bhp, 20bhp more than its predecessor. With this comes 236lb ft of torque, a 246kph top speed, and a 6.1-second 0-100kph time, a tenth faster than the outgoing JCW. If you opt for the six-speed Steptronic automatic that is.
Lacking in grunt this sprightly minx certainly is not.
Among other updates, the JCW-bespoke bodywork receives a larger front apron and rear spoiler for improved aerodynamics. Suspension remains largely the same, although a newly revised – and lighter – electronic diff allows that extra horsepower to make its way to the tarmac without the newboy torque-steering its occupants into the nearest lamppost. Unsurprisingly, the brakes have also been given a Brembo overhaul.
And yet, despite this impressive specs list, I’m still struggling to pull together a clean lap around the Mallorcan track. My main issue is the high-speed, sweeping right-hander at turns two and three that leads onto the back straight. I just can’t carry the momentum in the same way that Rauno (now a sprightly 77 years old) can with the same machinery: while he hits the apex and scrubs barely any speed, I’m sawing the wheel to almost hilarious levels after getting my turn-in wrong, time and time again.
Fortunately our track expert here today is not only the very approachable, he also enjoys a good natter. And given his career to-date, there’s plenty to discuss. As well as securing his famous Monte Carlo victory in a Mini Cooper S, he took the 1965 European Rally Championship, two national titles in his native Finland, and was also first over the line at Bathurst in the 1966 Gallaher 500 endurance touring car event. Want a level of his true commitment? He managed to coerce various Opels and Datsuns to the runners-up spot SIX times on the torturous Safari Rally!
I’m hopeful then that, given his bountiful experience, Rauno will be able to give me a few pointers.
I time my introduction quite badly as he reaches for a medicinal cup of coffee. Fortunately, beaming smile affixed, he’s more than happy to offer some words of advice.
“The secret is to lift completely off the throttle, then get back on it,” the amiable Rauno mentions in pitch perfect Finnish English. “Not like this” – he gestures a slow release of the throttle with his hands – “but completely. When you do this, the car balances itself and gives you a better line through the apex. If you push too hard too early, you’ll wash wide and not go forwards.”
Wise words from our track expert here today.
Still my position is frustrating, not least because – not to be overly boastful – I’m nailing the tight infield section beautifully, due in no small part to the JCW itself. The balance of this new MINI is just remarkable, maintaining a composure through the tighter corners even at ambitious turn-in speeds thanks to its low centre of gravity and clever weight distribution. There’s little in the way of weight-transfer affecting the poise under load. Power may still be fed through the front wheels, but grip at the rear is beyond ridiculous, even with all stability systems turned off. As Rauno mentions, “it will not spin, never spin.”
Back behind the wheel. I ask my Mr Monte Carlo winner for some more pointers. Smoothness through the tighter turns is the key, he says, since jumping on the power too early will unsettle the front end as 231bhp is launched in one big lump towards the front axle, ultimately leading to a slower laptime. And if, he continues, I find I need more than a 180-degree lock on the steering wheel, I’m either over-driving or have got my corner entry VERY wrong (a mark which, fortunately, I don’t overstep). With that, Rauno points at the traction control switch – or the ‘fun button’ as he terms it – tells me to turn everything off, and jumps into the JCW that will lead me at speed around the Mallorca circuit once again.
I sense that for my benefit, he’s taking the opening few corners a little easier than he could. Even so, Rauno is still romping away through the high-speed turns two and three as, once again, I lift off too little, leap on the power too ferociously, and feel the car sluice sideways.
On the back straight though, the grunt from those four-cylinders is very aggressive, a blip of extra juice around the mid-range mark encouraging me to push well into the high revs. Changes through the short-shift six-speed manual gearbox allow me to keep the momentum up, a tangible punch from the engine as the revs once again rise again.
As things get serious, I switch from Normal to Sport driving mode. Immediately, there’s a noticeable difference in heft from lock-to-lock over the slightly woolly Normal mode. It’s making me work harder but the feedback is much better, the grip from those 17in front wheels keeping understeer at arms length. It’s this point-and-shoot mannerism of the JCW that is making my run at Mallorca, though at times frustrating, so enjoyable. Nauseating as the ‘go-kart’ cliché might be, it does ring true.
Now through the infield – a fast-paced collection of left-right-left switchbacks – and onto the final run before the start-finish straight, the vented disc brakes are proving seriously impressive when the anchors are thrown out in full (and offer a good amount of travel in the pedal out in the real world). Indeed, the nose jinks only slightly as I downshift into the final chicane. Bouncing over the kerbing both right and left, the JCW once again maintains its composure onto the main straight as the lap is completed. With Rauno still ahead, albeit at slightly higher speed, we head towards turns two and three. My Achilles heel.
Entry speed through one is good, and I manage to cut the apex more cleanly than I have done hitherto. Heading into turn two, I place the MINI as wide as I dare, full commitment and a good line into the high-speed turn three my goal, plus lift-off as instructed. Here we go…
It’s an improvement but the car is still sluicing sideways with the camber, Rauno again opening up the gap. Off the throttle, the JCW has balanced itself beautifully but I’m still jumping on the throttle too aggressively, said action loading up the front end, lift off livening up the rear axle, and quick inputs at the wheel trying to keep the car going straight. From behind, this must look only barely controlled as the rear end dances back and forth.
Still, I’ve much more confidence in this seat than I would have in other, more powerful models, in which I’d likely be facing the other way by now. Or find myself in the gravel. It’s this sense of agility and nippiness that allows me to push harder than I probably otherwise would. And again, while the run may be frustrating, I’m enjoying it immensely, the kick from that turbo hypnotic, the handling superb, and the poise remarkable.
Turns two and three may still take some practice. Time for another lap Rauno…?
Images | Fabian Kirchbaeur and James Gent
Feature | crankandpiston.com / EVO Middle East | James Gent