henryr, check out http://lotustalk.com

 

More seat time.....

 

more seat time is always the correct answer! however, i will add a few things......i destroyed a very good set of street tires in one weekend (fairly early in my DE career). more camber is needed. my front camber plates cost about $550. adjustable lower rear control arms are about $250. these are needed if you lower the car w/ coilovers to decrease negative camber. i now run adjustable, heim-jointed upper and lower rear control arms. it helps firm up the rear end. brakes pads.....i can destroy a set of dual-purpose pads in four 30-min sessions. track only pads became a must. i now run r-comp tires on light-weight wheels (two new sets of custom Kodiak wheels expected to ship any day). the MINI's strength is its handling. i have chosen to maximi e this element. slight power upgrades are 15% underdriven supercharger pulley, CAI, and custom dyno-tune. the next step in engine performance is north of $10k if done right (head, header, injectors, quaiffe LSD, lightened flywheel, clutch, etc.) even for the MINI, the old adage holds true, "horsepower cost money, how fast do you want to go?".

here is a pic of tires after one weekend w/out camber plates.

 

any particular year that i should be looking at ? options ?

 

any year will work, but LSD became a factory option in 05. while it's not as good as a quaiffe LSD, it is better than an open differential. the gear ratios were also lowered starting w/ the 05 model year. if possible, don't get a sunroof as it adds about 40 lbs up high. that said, i have a buddy w/ an 04 and a sunroof who does just fine on the track.

 

Man I've always wanted to track a MINI. Just seems like so much fun and a great car you can drive to and from the track on open track days.

 

nice driving man!