Against all expectations the Sabat backed MINI Cooper S driven by privateer Craig Nicholson made it’s debut at AA Kyalami for round one of the Vodacom Power Tour. –
– The project had looked much in doubt three days prior to the race meeting when the car was still nothing more than a shell with a roll cage. Superhuman effort from the team saw the technicians work without rest from Wednesday morning until the early hours of Saturday morning to transform the shell into a functioning racecar. –
– B23, as the car is now affectionately known by the team, ran for the very first time in the wee hours of Saturday morning, long after all the other competitors had already enjoyed Thursday and Friday free practice and qualifying. Saturday warm up would thus be the first time that a wheel was turned on the track. Out the box the car was promising, although warm up was bedeviled by fuel surge problems on a light tank as Nicholson relates. –
– “ What a rush as I pulled out the pit lane for the first time and floored the pedal, all the horses started a full gallop, spurred on by the whine of the supercharger, it was a magical moment for me. Unfortunately we were running a quarter tank and immediately experienced fuel surge problems in the corners preventing us from exploring the handling characteristics.” –
– The rest of warm up was uneventful, save for a half spin as Nicholson found one of the remaining wet patches on the track following Friday’s heavy downpour. –
– Having not qualified, Nicholson was forced to start at the back of the grid, a situation that was not helped when the car misfired and shut down when the lights went out. After re firing the motor the Sabat Cooper S then scythed through the Production Car field for two laps before the engine management system put the motor into limp home mode and prevented any more running on the day. –
– “Modern cars are extremely sophisticated and the MINI is a prime example, much of the standard electronics package is designed to protect the car and ensure that motorists enjoy a reliable performance car for many years to come. Unfortunately, those same desirable characteristics in a road car can sometimes confuse a race car, which is being driven way outside the bounds of any normal operating conditions.” Said Nicholson. –
– “It is simply a case of spending a bit more development time on the car to iron out these teething problems and I have no doubt that by the second round of the season we will have a formidable race car that will compete at the front of the grid.” –
– The team is very grateful and wishes to sincerely thank BMW, MINI, title sponsor Sabat, CAR Magazine and Castrol for their assistance and support in getting the project off the ground. Special mention must also go to team manager Lee Philips and to Race engineer Vic Maharaj, and Technician Nick Thornton. It was their tireless effort and lack of sleep that ensured the car made the grid for the first race of the season. –
– “The Sabat MINI Cooper S will be in fine fettle at Killarney and I am predicting a top three qualifying position “. Said a confident Nicholson.
