June 2010

As part of the coverage of the Sport Compact Compak Attak event in the latest issue of Zoom (page 73), the PAC Performance Mazda6 race car piloted by Rocky Rehayem was described as having "suffered engine problems running in Pro Turbo".

Unfortunately the event coverage was written by a rotary novice who did not understand that rotaries in general and in particular high performance methanol-fuelled rotaries tend to blow smoke on start up, when free revving and on the back off. Basically everywhere except when under full power and, in the case of the Pac Performance Mazda6, running the quickest and fastest rotary passes in the world. Rocky Rehayem and the Mazda6 did not suffer engine problems.

Pac Performance are arguably the best and most professional race team in Sport Compact drag racing in Australia and their performance, mechanical and fabrication workshop is one of the best in the world. 

After all 6.752sec and 209.98mph don't lie. The MPH record was run at Compak Attak, which would've been a better caption than 'engine problems'! Below is a video of the 6.752sec record setting pass. (Zoom editor, Adrian Hodgson, is the announcer in the video and gets louder than usual when he excitedly realises just how quick the Pac Performance Mazda6 went.)

Today I went out to see Alex from Plazmaman to get some intercooler pipes welded up for a tech story that shall be coming out in a  future Zoom. While I was there he gave me a quick look at the Plazmaman development mule, a Subaru WRX STi. The top-mount air-to-air intercooler was pulled off and replaced with a water-to-air intercooler.

As Alex points out there are many benefits of the W2A intercooler setup. The two main benefits are:

1) No massive intercooler to annoy the police and registration authorities. The W2A setup is relatively stealth.

2) It keeps the inlet charge at a consistent 30-40deg unlike air-to-air coolers that have massive temperature fluctuations depending on the conditions and driving environment.

Mini USA's social media marketing campaign whereby Mini USA challenged Porsche to a race has taken a turn for the disappointing. The racetrack they have designated is the equivalent of a go-kart track, it is not Road Atlanta.

Mini USA should probably regard their 'vs Porsche' social media campaign as a success. The goal was clearly not to challenge Porsche to a serious race -- Porsche are a serious sports car manufacturer and would destroy Mini -- but to get customers thinking about the comparison between a Mini and a Porsche and to get the media talking about it. Porsche is commonly regarded as the measure of 'sports-car-ness' in the automotive market, and by getting car enthusiasts and others who will actually buy a Mini to even contemplate comparing a Mini to a Porsche means that Mini USA has been successful in their social media campaign.

The ballsy challenge issued by former Porsche exec and current Mini America head, Jim McDowell, to race Porsche’s legendary 911 in a Mini at Road America took an interesting turn over the weekend when Korean car maker Hyundai decided to step into the fray.

Clever marketing tactics and one-upmanship aside, this three-way battle is one we could watch for days. Check out the video exchange for the blow-by-blow. We’ll keep you updated.

Mini challenges Porsche to a race:

See the rest of the video replies below over the fold!