Not your SE, but a formal series joining the Formula E calendar. MINIs are so much fun to watch on track. Electric MINI junior series joins Formula E package - The Race https://www.the-race.com/formula-e/formula-e-support-race-electric-mini-nxt-gen-cup/
If you would like to watch all of last year's NXT Gen Cup races, go here: https://www.youtube.com/@nxtgencup/streams
They are racing F56 SEs for now. I wonder if they'll keep racing the lighter F56 SEs after the J01s become a reality? Or will they use a smaller battery to make the J01 as light as an F56 SE?
This racing is so cool! I like the idea of a one marque race. - then it's all down to driving skill. I find F1 quite boring these days with Red Bull's total dominance. Any idea how the push to pass works? Says gives an extra 60hp, for how long and how often during a race? An 800V architecture, so not from the road going SE. Wonder what those racers cost. cheers MacMini34
They have the same HP (except for push to pass) and battery size as the SE, and only 60kW charging, so the switch to 800v architecture must just be for weight savings?
Is the J01 really going to have handling capabilities on par with an F56? I don't think of China as a powerhouse of racing. Has any Chinese-made EV done anything like Nürburgring?
Since 2016? https://www.carthrottle.com/news/chinese-car-maker-about-bag-nurburgring-record-1340bhp-ev
Early reviews were praising the "fun" settings, which make the ESC play tricks with the handling, making the car tossable.
Perhaps Spotlight Automotive Limited can make a J01 with a 110-mile battery to get their car down to the F56 SE's fighting weight. We can trust that, starting with a clean sheet, BMW designed good suspension for the F56 SE's replacement, right? Please don't tell me it has the same suspension as Great Wall Motor's Ora Funky Cat. Add more lightness with fancy wheels and a few large carbon-fiber body parts, then call it the "J01 SER." Sell it at a $10K MSRP premium, then limit the production so the dealers could lard on another $10K. I'd dump my beloved SE and buy such an SER if it weighed 2,500 lbs, but I doubt my suggested mods alone could lop off 1,000 lbs.
That's it, some dodgy rumor from almost a decade ago? I think that reinforces my skepticism about Chinese racing. As for the J01, if the handling is software-derived that doesn't seem like it'll be much more than cosmetic. It'll be sad, though, if MINI really does give away their racing legacy.
Well the LRT NXT1, as the modified racing F56 SE is called, weighs it at 1150kg so that's about 300kg off the standard car - you only really need the driver's seat don't you?. They also say power is 190-230hp so that indicates a different motor I expect, so maybe you can re-motor yours. Let us know how the mods go cheers MacMini34
