Maxxd.com – Modified and Performance Car News

The combination of a scientific approach to development and a natural impulse to go fast means building this modified R56 JCW for track use has been no trivial pursuit…

Feature first appeared in Performance Mini. Words: Dan Bevis. Photos: Chris Frosin

When it comes to modifying cars, many approaches can be taken. Some people have an over-arching game plan in their head from day one, mapping out all of the parts they intend to use and ticking their way through the list with clear focus. Others prefer to allow the car to evolve organically, making a tweak here and a change there, tailoring it to their lifestyle preferences.

Naturally these methods are just two points along a very broad scale, and the technique employed by Rafail Tsartsaris in the development of this modified R56 JCW can best be described as scientific. Methodical. Parts are changed and changed again, but don’t think of it as a case of trial-and-error so much as a supremely forthright insistence on making the car as perfect and high-performing as it can possibly be. Ruthlessly ousting upgrades that he doesn’t feel are up to his standards as well as designing, modelling and 3D-printing his own parts where necessary, this car has more the feeling of something that’s been grown in a lab in some vast petri dish than one spannered in an oily garage. This is a clinical pursuit of excellence, and there’s absolutely no room for chaff here.

He’s not a robot, of course. This whole thing is spurred on by pure emotion; Rafail’s the same as any other enthusiast – it’s all about the passion.

“The main reason I wanted an R56 was that they looked like fun to drive, like a go-kart,” he grins. “Also, one of my best mates owns a 600bhp R56 and that was a big inspiration. There’s an endless amount of styling options for these cars as well. It’s easily possible to make them unique to your own taste.”

Rafail does have form with MINIs prior to this one, his first being an R50 Cooper – something he describes as being a great overall car, if a little slow for his liking. It received a bunch of handy power modifications, including a Scorpion exhaust system, K&N induction, and a remap, but after a while he decided it was just time for something faster.

He says, “I was looking into various BMWs and Audis, but when I saw this JCW at a dealer in Nottingham I requested a test-drive and then bought it straight away.

“I was very impressed with the power and handling of the car. The condition was perfect engine-wise, as well as the bodywork. And there were no modifications at all when I bought it, aside from some MINI spotlights, a DVD player and Viper stripes.”

The perfect basis for a project, then, although perhaps Rafail didn’t quite appreciate at the time how in-depth this project would go. “It was very unpredictable journey,” he elaborates, “and it took a few years to get to where we are today. I have spent an unbelievable amount of time and money to get the car to this stage.”

Projects like this are not strictly rational things, of course, and there’s seldom any mileage in trying to justify the spending on a spreadsheet. Again, it’s all about the passion. But a certain level of rationality in the planning and the preparation is always advisable, and it’s here where Rafail started.

In order to ensure the R56 provided the perfect base for what he wanted to achieve, he first had to reassure himself that the car was as good as it could be before taking it further. With this in mind, he gave it a major service prior to booking into Millsys Autos for a timing belt change as well as the de-coking that’s so important for these engines – they’re renowned for collecting a build-up of carbon around the valves and intake ports, so it’s a good idea to have it cleaned before trying to extract extra power from it.

“After that, the performance modifications could begin,” Rafail grins. “I took it on a track day at Silverstone, and I have to say I was a little disappointed with how it performed, which is what really spurred me on to make some changes. I was testing every product available to find the most suitable for my car and my driving style; I’ve tried five different induction kits and came to a conclusion that the AEM is one of the best – although the JCW airbox with a cone filter inside is also up to the job.”

This ruthless approach to bench-testing options can be found behind all of the major decisions throughout the spec list. Many combinations of brake disc and pad were tried before Rafail settled upon EBC slotted and vented discs with PBS Pro Race pads. He even has two pairs of seats that get swapped in and out – Cobra Suzuka buckets for track days, and Corbeau Clubsports for shows.

“When it came to upgrading the turbo, I didn’t want to mess around,” he reasons. “I went for the Stage 3 hybrid turbo from PRS Racing – it’s expensive, but very reliable, especially if you drive the car on track a lot.”

This hybrid unit is highly regarded, featuring seven-blade compressor wheel and cut-black turbine blades – the turbo offers massive power potential and vastly improved throttle response for either the N14 or N18 engines, rated up to 350bhp. A hot little number, and it doesn’t require you to muck about with the exhaust manifold.

In Rafail’s case, he’s got it set up with an Airtec intercooler, a Milltek stainless exhaust system with decat, the aforementioned AEM induction kit, and perhaps the jazziest addition: AEM water/methanol injection. This has a 250cc single injector and squirts a 50/50 mix, which massively reduces intake temperatures as well as reducing carbon build-up (again, very important on N14 engines), and with all of these upgrades working in harmony the JCW is putting out an entertaining 295bhp and 317lb.ft.

Chassis-wise, Rafail was pretty satisfied with the car’s factory handling, although these things can always be sharpened up – plus he craved the adjustability and versatility of coilovers. So the MINI’s now wearing MeisterR ClubRace coilovers, as well as a combination of Hardrace rear control arms and Powerflex bushes throughout.

Where things get really scientific is with the parts Rafail has made himself. You see, he works as a senior engineering BIM technician, meaning he’s extremely talented in the field of 3D modelling; he also has three 3D printers at his disposal, so if there’s something he wants to fit to the car that doesn’t exist on the market, or an upgrade whose off-the-shelf designs require improvement, he can do all of that himself.

He says, “I have designed and 3D-printed a brake cooling kit for the car, and that helped a lot on track with heat management on the discs. I’ve also designed a few brackets and mounts for the boost gauge, the Ultragauge, a phone holder, and some 3D-printed parts for the Coolerworx shifter – anyone who is interested in these can find the items at airifix3dparts.co.uk.”

Throughout this build, there’s a laser-focused quest for perfection, along with a clinical forthrightness when it comes to development. That said, it’s all underpinned by good old automotive enthusiasm.

“I think the most impressive thing is the engine,” Rafail ponders. “People are always asking my maintenance schedule, as it’s very rare to find a track car with an N14 at this power level, which has 120k on the clock and stock internals – I still can’t believe it myself, to be honest.”

That’s the very essence of a project like this: taking the unbelievable and making it plausible. The approach has been extremely scientific, but it’s the love and enthusiasm that makes it so engaging – he wanted something faster, so he made it happen… and then he just kept going. The quest for perfection is just in this guy’s nature.

Tech Spec: Modified R56 JCW

Engine:

N14 1.6-litre turbo, PRS Stage 3 hybrid turbo, AEM V2 water/methanol injection, GFB diverter valve, Turbosmart vacuum tubes, Airtec intercooler, bespoke aluminium pipe from intercooler to throttle body, Milltek stainless exhaust system with decat, AEM induction kit, oil catch can, Forge coolant hoses, NGK Laser iridium spark plugs, NGK coil pack, Alta boost port

Power:

295bhp, 317lb.ft

Transmission:

JCW manual, Helix six-paddle clutch, Helix single-mass flywheel

Suspension:

MeisterR ClubRace coilovers, Hardrace rear control arms, Powerflex bushes throughout, Vibra-Technics torque link

Brakes:

Brembo JCW four-pot callipers, 316mm EBC slotted and vented discs, PBS Pro Race brake pads, Hel braided lines, AP Racing Dot 5.1 fluid, Airifix brake cooling kit

Wheels & Tyres:

7x17in ET37 Sparco Assetto Gara wheels in matt black, stud conversion, 10mm spacers, 215/40×17 Avon ZZR semi-slick tyres

Interior:

Corbeau Clubsport seats for shows; Cobra Suzuka seats for track days, TRS 3in four-point harnesses, JP Cages rear roll cage, Coolerworx shifter with Airifix cover, Airifix sport button relocation, Ultragauge with Airifix mount, JCW carbon/Alcantara handbrake, JCW carbon steering wheel insert, Alcantara-trimmed dash, black LCI-conversion heater panel, Boost CD and steering wheel inserts, GP2-style dials, voltage and boost gauges with Airifix air vent gauge pods, AEM methanol controller with carbon fibre plate

Exterior:

Challenge rear diffuser, Challenge front splitter, Orranje G-Wing, Orranje vented A panels, Viper stripes, de-chrome, LCI black bi-xenon headlights

We’ve long since moved past a time where drifting was that new, niche motorsport that only a small audience knew about. We check out the 2JZ E92 drift car you see here, driven by the one and only James Deane.

Feature first appeared in Fast Car. Words & Photos: Paddy McGrath

Today, drifting will almost certainly illicit some sort of pre-conception from most people in the car tuning world. Whether that is a positive or negative reaction, will be down to your own experiences with the sport. Even describing drifting as a ‘sport’ will almost certainly raise an eyebrow or two amongst some of you…

I’m fortunate enough to have been involved in drifting since the very early days in Europe. I attended those first events where competitors would arrive in their own street cars, compete, and then drive home again. There were no real safety regulations in those days. There were no roll cages, race suits, HANS devices, Nomex underwear or fire suppression systems, although helmets were mandatory. A car with more than 300-horsepower was considered to be another world of performance as most made do with significantly less than that. Twin battles featured a staggered start, so the cars wouldn’t get too close to each other.

Of course, things have changed.

There are countless international championships today, and drifting at the highest level has evolved into a formidable form of motorsport featuring massive audiences, huge sponsorship deals and levels of testing and car development comparable with other forms of top level motorsport. To have witnessed the evolution of the sport, drivers and their vehicles over the better part of the last 20 years has been something to behold.

Balancing act

From street cars to the horsepower wars of the 2010s, we’ve now reached a point where the cars are potentially the best they can currently be. There’s still a lot of horsepower involved, but there’s a lot more consideration for building a car with the best possible chance of winning.

That means building a relatively robust car that’s easy to work on while still being faster than its rivals, and also ensuring reliability. If it seems that a current pro-level drift car needs to be balanced on a knife edge of performance and reliability, then you would be right. Play it too safe and your rivals will leave you in their smoke. If you’re too brave, you’ll either run out of tyres after the first run or end up in the wall. Balance is key.

If there’s anyone that knows how to build a competitive professional drift car, it’s almost certainly James Deane. The Irishman is undoubtedly top of the drifting world at the moment, and has been for some time. Since 2017 alone, he has won every championship he has entered in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, in three different cars.

This is his 2020 competition car, and arguably his best car yet, his 2019 Drift Masters European Championship winning Falken Tyres BMW E92 Eurofighter, refreshed for 2020. Let’s start with the obvious; this isn’t your ordinary BMW drift car and you definitely won’t find it trying to perform a sketchy half-lap of a roundabout outside your local McDonald’s.

This is a ground up, fully custom motorsport build more akin to the current crop of World Rally Cars. The shell was built and prepared by HGK Racing, before being fitted with their full Carbon Kevlar wide body kit and being shipped to Ireland where the car really came to life.

Why Carbon Kevlar? It has similar lightweight properties to Carbon Fibre, but the addition of Kevlar introduces a level of impact and abrasion resistance. Essentially, where Carbon Fibre (or fibreglass for that matter) will shatter on impact, Carbon Kevlar will bend and pop back into its original shape.

While the distinctive yellow and black pattern of the Carbon Kevlar has been painted over (note: not wrapped) in the iconic Falken teal and blue, there remains subtle traces of it inside vents and scoops around the car. The wide body isn’t just Carbon Kevlar over-fenders attached to the original steel panels either, they’re complete replacement panels with the front and rear bumpers being on quick releases. The only original panels are the A, B & C pillars.

While the vehicle’s ride height might not earn any scene points, it’s a purely functional setup. BC Racing 3-way adjustable coilovers front and rear are paired with a complete WiseFab front angle and rear drop knuckle kit. Check out the fact you can see the distinctive blue Wisefab uprights when the car is travelling sideways on-lock.

7Twenty Style 57 wheels, 18×9.5-inches front and 18×10.5-inches rear, are wrapped in the appropriate Falken RT615K+ semi-slick tyres. A rear set will last approximately two competitive runs, or about 60 seconds, before they’re completely worn to the canvas and any evidence of a tread pattern is completely removed. 900+ horsepower will do that…

Which leads us neatly onto the car’s party piece; Toyota’s 3.0-litre turbocharged 2JZ inline-six. Why not use the original BMW engine? Well, the car started life as a 320d, so that wouldn’t have been competitive for starters. The majority of Deane’s success has come behind the wheel of JZ powered Silvias, so it makes sense from a competitive point of view to sticking with what both works and what they know, and the family business at Deane Msport certainly know how to build a 2JZ.

Retaining the standard Toyota crank and capacity, Titan Motorsports billet main caps and ACL Race Series bearings are fitted along with BC connecting rods and 10:1 compression ratio JE Pistons. The CNC ported and polished cylinder head is sealed to the engine block with a standard Toyota head gasket, but not before being outfitted with oversized +1mm BC valves, BC springs & retainers, BC Stage 3 camshafts and BC adjustable cam pulleys.

A Hypertune intake and exhaust manifold, Borg Warner EFR9180 turbo with TurboSmart external wastegates, a huge front mount intercooler and K&N filter all play their role in converting air into boost pressure before exhausting it underneath the car.

While the 2JZ is renowned for making huge power figures in tuning circles, it all comes back to that balance we spoke about earlier. Too much power, and both reliability and power delivery are affected negatively. The engine needs to be responsive, which is where the Nitrous Express wet system comes into play to help alleviate turbo lag and increase overall peak power.

Fuel is fed from the Radium Engineering fuel cell at the rear of the car through a Hypertune fuel rail and into cylinders via Injector Dynamics ID1700 injectors.

Engine protection and longevity comes in multiple forms, both mechanical and electronic. A Titan Motorsports Stage 5 dry sump system ensures there’s adequate oil supply, while an Ecumaster EMU Black engine control unit ensures that everything is within pre-defined tolerances. All information is relayed to the driver through an Ecumaster Advanced Display Unit digital dashboard.

Despite competition runs being relatively short, cooling is a huge consideration for any serious drift car. With the cars almost always at full throttle and travelling sideways, traditional cooling methods aren’t always effective. With this, the E92 has been fitted with a rear mounted radiator equipped with twin-SPAL fans which help to pull cool air through the radiator and out the rear of the car through the cut-outs in the boot lid. The elaborate rear window setup is a custom HGK design which helps to draw air towards this setup.

The next part of the equation is figuring out how to get all the power to the ground effectively. Contrary to popular belief, pro-drift cars aren’t set up to be ‘loose’ so that they can slide around easier. Instead, the cars have incredible amounts of traction to ensure that they are not only travelling sideways, but forwards at the same time as they try to open up as much of a gap on the chase car behind them. Similarly, it’s important that they can keep up with the lead car when roles are reversed. Already sticky tyres are run in the widest form that they’re allowed’ in this case, 295-section wide on the rear axle. Pressures are dropped as low as possible to increase the tyre’s contact patch without running the risk of the tyre coming off the rim.

Developing this much grip can put a lot of strain on the drivetrain, which needs to be strong. As such, power is transmitted from the engine through a Samsonas universal RWD sequential gearbox, along a Drive Shaft Shop carbon prop into a Winters Performance quick-change rear differential and to the wheels via DSS driveshafts.

The interior is what you might expect of a competition car of this calibre. The eight-point custom roll cage with Corbeau Carbon Fibre Revenge seats and HANS compatible six-point safety harnesses are just highlights of the car’s safety systems. It’s the details, however, that elevate this car to another level.

Dashing interior

The BMW dashboard is gone, and in its place is a custom carbon dash with just the bare essentials in order to save weight. The door cards, too, are custom carbon fibre and are recessed to allow them to sit tight to the protective door-bars of the roll cage.

The vehicle’s controls have all been overhauled with a Tilton hanging pedal-box, a HGK hydraulic handbrake lever, the raised shifter for the aforementioned Samsonas sequential and James’ own custom steering wheel. Switchgear has been limited to just a handful of buttons conveniently located on a control pad on the centre console.

Another area where drift cars of this level will differ from their circuit racing relatives is outright braking performance and longevity. Brake feel is much more important for a drifter competing at the highest level than repeated stopping ability, as they continuously modulate the brake with their left foot to adjust and position the car mid-run. Still, with Alcon’s TA6+ kit on the front axle, and a twin-caliper Alcon TA4+ setup on the rear axle (one caliper for the footbrake and the other for the handbrake) this area is well covered off.

If you’ve managed to stay with me this long, then you might have a new found appreciation for this and other cars competing at this level. They’re so far removed from a rough E36 on cut springs with a welded differential, that they might as well exist in different universes.

James Deane debuted this car last season, with the aim of developing it throughout the season as it is his first competitive BMW chassis. Naturally, he won the championship in this ‘development season’, despite working through some kinks and setup quirks.

Tech Spec: James Deane E92

Tuning:

Toyota 2JZ-GTE – ARP main studs, Titan Motorsports billet main caps, ACL Race Series bearings, stock Toyota crankshaft, BC connecting rods, JE Pistons (10:1 compression ratio), stock Toyota head gasket, CnC ported and polished head, BC valves +1mm, BC springs & retainers, BC Stage 3 camshafts, BC adjustable cam pulleys, Hypertune intake and exhaust manifold, Borgwarner EFR9180 turbo, Turbosmart external wastegates, FMIC Intercooler, K&N air filter, Titan Motorsports 5 stage dry sump, Davies Craig EWP150 Alloy Water Pump, HGK custom radiator and fan shroud, twin spal fans, Radium engineering Fuel Cell Surge Tank (FSCT), Turbosmart fuel pressure regulator, Hypertune fuel rail, Injector Dynamics ID1700, Nitrous Express universal wet nitrous system, Ecumaster EMU Black engine control unit, Ecumaster PMU power management unit x2, Ecumaster ADU advanced Samsonas universal RWD gearbox, DSS carbon driveshaft & DSS axles, Winters Performance quick change spool differential

Chassis:

BC Racing 3-way adjustable custom coilovers on rear, BC Racing 1way adjustable custom coilovers on front, Wisefab E9x front angle kit and rear drop knuckle kit, Alcon Brakes – Front Alcon TA6+ – Rear twin Alcon TA4+ callipers (foot brake & handbrake), Tilton hanging pedal box, HGK handbrake, 7Twenty Style.57 front 9.5×18-inch, rear 10.5×18-inch, Falken RT615k+ 245/40R18 front  and 295/40R18 rear tyres

Interior:

8-point custom roll cage, OMP fire suppression system, Corbeau carbon fibre Revenge racing seat, Corbeau 6-point Hans-comptible safety harness

Styling:

HGK racing complete body and interior carbon/carbon kevlar kit