Performance MINI April/May 2022

WELCOME TO THE APRIL/MAY 2022 ISSUE This year is well underway, and Christmas feels like a very distant memory at this point. As I write this, the weather is doing its best to make me never want to leave the house again, but that is precisely why you need Performance MINI to keep you feeling inspired, with seriously hot MINI builds from around the globe to get you fired up for when the weather warms up. Looking at our cover shoot, you might well want to wrap yourself up in a massive blanket but, even in those freezing conditions, SpeedTech Motorsports’ blistering R56 Cooper S is guaranteed to get you feeling a bit hot under the collar. We’ve seen plenty of powerful builds here at Performance MINI HQ but, even…

FEATURE F56 COOPER S POWER HUNGRY MARIO SAIEVA THOUGHT A STAGE 1 REMAP WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR HIS F56 COOPER S. FIVE YEARS ON, HE’S CREATED A 400HP MONSTER… Words MARTYN COLLINS Photos 24SEVEN PHOTOGRAPHY The MINI Hatch might have grown over the last three generations and almost 21 years, but what hasn’t changed is the same fun-to-drive formula. On top of this, MINIs have their own unique look, itself a reimagination of Classic Mini cues that appeal to current hot hatch fans. One such fan is Mario Saieva, the owner of this F56 Cooper S, who admits he’s always been a fan of hot hatches. Although, Mario started with more humble beginnings – a 1.2-litre Vauxhall Corsa B. With a no-claims bonus built up, Mario’s first hot hatch, a…

NEWS WOLFTRAX RACING After having had their first taste of motorsport in 2021 in their R50 MINI Cooper, attending track days, car events and sim days at several UK tracks, in 2022 Emma Dawson and partner Steven Thomson are progressing into proper motorsport competition. They will shortly be acquiring their race licenses and entering into the 750 Motor Club’s Roadsports Series in an R53 Mini Cooper S. This is a six-event, mini endurance series throughout the summer months at various UK tracks, which will be live-streamed on YouTube. Their MINI is currently in winter preparation as they take it from road to track car. The team is called Wolftrax Racing, and you can follow their progress on Instagram @wolftraxracing and Facebook.com/wolftraxxracing, and sponsorship opportunities are available if any companies are…

PRODUCTS NEW GEAR CHECK OUT THE LATEST TUNING PRODUCTS FOR YOUR MINI… AUTO FINESSE BUCKET BUDDY £14.95 When you’re cleaning your MINI, it can be hard to know where to keep all your detailing accessories to have them close at hand while also making sure they stay clean and off the ground, and that’s precisely what Auto Finesse’s Bucket Buddy is for. The Bucket Buddy is an ideal detailing tool caddy for any enthusiast or industry professional. Profiled to fit any detailing bucket, this large container has integral brush storage and is designed to reduce the chance of harmful contamination being picked up and transferred back to vehicles during the wash stages. Offering safe storage and, all the while, keeping accessories like wheel brushes, tyre scrubbers and other wash media…

FEATURE R56 COOPER S FAST CLUB WITH AGGRESSIVE STYLING, A HARDCORE INTERIOR AND PUSHING OUT OVER 400WHP, SPEEDTECH MOTORSPORTS’ FULL-ON R56 BUILD IS ONE INCREDIBLE AND INCREDIBLY COMPLETE PERFORMANCE MACHINE Words ELIZABETH DE LATOUR Photos ETHAN HAYNES We love every car we feature in Performance MINI because if we didn’t, we wouldn’t feature them in the first place, but some cars just hit different and SpeedTech Motorsports’ R56 Cooper S is one such car. This MINI goes hard on every level – it looks so good, it sits so right, the interior is special and, as you would expect from a company with the word ‘speed’ in its name, it’s got some serious power on tap. R56s really don’t get much better than this. SpeedTech Motorsports has been around for…

BUYING AND TUNING GUIDE R56 MINI COOPER S WANT A FAST MINI THAT’S STILL AFFORDABLE, WITH BETTER BUILD QUALITY, PLUS A POWERFUL AND MORE TUNEABLE ENGINE? THE R56 COOPER S COULD BE THE ANSWER Words MARTYN COLLINS Photos BMW, MATT ANDREWS Following the success of the first-generation R53 Cooper S, which went on sale a year after the One and Cooper in 2002, MINI thankfully didn’t make buyers wait as long for its replacement, as it was one of the first models available from November 2006 UK launch. As with the standard R56, the fastest second-generation MINI (well, until the John Cooper Works came along later), was more of a clever rework than a new model. Outside, legislation dictated an 18mm taller shoulder line, but this MINI is also 60mm…