One of the best things about racing is the sheer number of different types of cars you can pilot in pursuit of supremacy.
From open-wheel single-seaters such as Formula 1 and IndyCars to sports cars like LMDh and GT3 challengers, and from rumbling NASCAR machinery to rally-ready cars, there’s something for everyone.
AMS2 does a good job of combining these together, and one of the most engaging vehicles to feature in the title is the Mini Cooper JCW. The car is the headliner of the real-life Mini Challenge UK championship, and provides fun and close racing.
This Coach Dave Academy guide will run you through everything you need to know about the addictive Mini Cooper JCW racer, including where you can race it if you fancy tackling some online competition.
The Mini Cooper JCW Is A Successful One-Make Racing Series
One of the most prolific racing series in the world is the British Touring Car Championship, or BTCC. It gained most of its popularity during the 1990s, when super touring regulations tempted manufacturers from around the world to compete on the United Kingdom’s best tracks.
Fans flocked to watch the thrilling door-to-door racing and to observe the multi-million dollar touring cars. As a result, many drivers, particularly in the UK, dream of racing in the championship.
Despite the lack of manufacturer interest in the series these days, the level of driving talent is ridiculously high. As a result, prospective drivers need to sharpen their skills before taking on the big boys.
Most do this by taking part in support series that race alongside the BTCC on race weekends, with one of the best being the Mini Challenge UK. With most BTCC cars being front-wheel drive, the similarly FWD Mini Cooper JCW acts as a great learning tool for up-and-coming touring car drivers.
It replaced the Renault Clio Cup championship on the BTCC bill for the 2020 season, and has become a firm fan and driver favourite ever since. It also provides an engaging experience within AMS2 and is waiting for you to tame it.
Car Specifications & Key Features
As a feeder car for the BTCC, the Mini Challenge JCW isn’t as powerful as a full NGTC touring car that the BTCC uses. The Mini comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine that kicks out 278 hp to the front wheels in AMS2, which is a little more than the UK cars generally run.
The grunt is channelled to the front tyres by a six-speed sequential transmission, while a limited-slip differential helps keep those front wheels in check under acceleration.
The vehicle also uses fully adjustable suspension, so you can adjust it to your liking depending on what track you’re tackling. Being an entry-level touring car, the Mini Cooper JCW tends to rely on mechanical grip from its tyres, chassis and suspension combo, rather than any form of advanced aerodynamics.
The Mini’s responsiveness is enhanced by a comprehensive rollcage system that further stiffens the chassis, which also keeps the real drivers safe in the event of a crash.
AMS2 developers, Reiza Studios, have worked hard to build the Mini Cooper JCW as close to reality as possible, including things like its race-spec cabin and technical underpinnings.
- This consists of its turbocharged 2.0-litre engine and sequential gearbox
- It also uses the same electronic and mechanical setup as the real car, with the vehicle running traction control but no ABS, and adjustable suspension and other components
Handling & Performance on Track
With only 278 hp at your disposal, the Mini Cooper JCW isn’t the most dangerous machine in AMS2. Its power is manageable as long as you don’t slam the throttle to 100% everytime you get back on the gas, as there is a limit to the punishment the front tyres will take.
The same goes for the handling, especially with its base setup. The Mini is tuned to be safe from the outset, with higher front brake bias and ABS settings, which naturally induce more understeer on corner entry.
This works well for less-experienced drivers not used to driving a racing FWD car, though not so well for more experienced racers. The fastest way to drive an FWD machine is to have its rear loose to allow the front to turn in sweeter, and freeing it up at the back is the best way to achieve this.
Inducing oversteer means you can turn in with more speed and carry extra momentum mid-corner, before then getting on the power faster. This will also help save the front tyres, which is crucial considering the Mini uses them to turn, brake, and put its power to the road.
Dialling the brake bias forward several clicks and the ABS down to around 3 or 4 is a good starting point if you want to induce greater agility, as doing this will get the rear to come around more on corner entry.
These settings still ensure it isn’t dangerous on corner entry, but will still rotate nicely. Mid-corner, you can then use the throttle to change the attitude of the car depending on what you need.
- Lifting off mid corner will cause the rear to slide around, helping you turn, while getting on the gas will straighten it up, which is useful if you get a little too sideways
- The car naturally pushes when turning, so breathing off the throttle mid-corner to reduce understeer is an effective way to find extra lap time
- Higher ABS settings cause the car to understeer on corner entry, so lower settings can be used to induce extra rotation under braking and at turn-in
- The turbocharged engine is fairly smooth, though the Mini tends to suffer from power understeer if you get on the gas too early
- This will cost you a lot of time, so make sure you’ve got the nose pointing squarely at the exit before going on full gas; otherwise you’ll have to lift and lose momentum
- This problem becomes more accentuated when the tyres are overheating/worn, which will make the problem worse and further accelerate wear
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Final Verdict: Is the Mini Cooper JCW the Right Choice for You?
For drivers looking to get used to FWD race cars, or just want thrilling and close competition, the Mini Cooper JCW in AMS2 is an excellent chariot to tame. It’s approachable enough for less confident drivers to get used to initially, but can be easily tuned to be more on a knife-edge for when you want to chase ultimate laptime.
Due to its relative lack of power, slipstreaming is also more prevalent with these cars, so races are more likely to be hotly contested as more drivers can remain in the battle without needing top-drawer lap times. The Mini is also heavy enough to take plenty of contact without becoming unstable, meaning you can get stuck in without worrying about getting fired at the scenery from the slightest touch.
For drivers who enjoy the cut-and-thrust of touring car racing, the Mini complements similar-style cars in other titles very nicely. Not only does it provide a more approachable way of improving your FWD driving skills, but also enhances your wheel-to-wheel ability when faced with half a dozen other raging Mini drivers.
| Pros | Cons |
| Approachable balance for a wide range of drivers and experience levels | Can struggle for traction on corner exit, which can make it tricky to get laptime from for inpatient racers |
| Can take plenty of punishment from car contacts, while FWD layout makes it easy to save if you get sideways | Vehicle suffers from understeer with base settings, can be easy to overuse front tyres as a result |
| Very manoeuvrable by using throttle, making inducing rotation on corner entry and centre more straightforward |
- Aggressive Drivers: 9/10
- Endurance Racers: 8.5/10
- Casual Sim Racers: 8.5/10
SimGrid Offers The Ideal Platform To Race The Mini Cooper JCW F56
If you fancy competing in some online AMS2 races with the Mini Cooper JCW once you’ve had your fill of the offline AI, then SimGrid offers an excellent opportunity to do so. Championships such as the Mini Cooper JCW Championship by RSR Revolution Sim Racing offer scheduled, points-scoring events for you to take on other Mini JCW enthusiasts.
The RSR series runs over six rounds across just over a month, with each event consisting of a 15-minute qualifying session and a single 30-minute race. Prizes are available for those who finish towards the top of the standings. If you fancy taking on the RSR championship, or other similar fixtures available through SimGrid, then head over to the SimGrid home page.
From there, you’ll be able to sign up once you log in to your SimGrid account, and even join the Discord of the respective league you select so that you can communicate with league administrators and your new rivals.
Who knows, joining a league such as this could get the juices flowing for a potential move into the real-life championship. If you manage to find the money or opportunity to do so, of course.
Wrapping Up
The Mini Cooper JCW is an excellent training tool for drivers looking to race higher-powered FWD vehicles in future, or perhaps who fancy learning the basics of cut-and-thrust racing. The lessons you take from battling in a pack of Mini’s can prove useful even in much faster machinery, and could make the difference between finding a way past someone and not.
You have to be creative to win in the Mini Challenge, which will only help to enhance your overall racecraft.
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